Montserrat Geography - 2004

Location:
Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:
16 45 N, 62 12 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 102 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 102 sq km

Area - comparative:
about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
40 km

Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
territorial sea: 3 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM

Climate:
tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:
volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) 914 m

Natural resources:
negligible

Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 80% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)

Environment - current issues:
land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation