| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat etymology: island named by explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 after the Benedictine abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat, near Barcelona, Spain |
| Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy; self-governing overseas territory of the UK |
| Capital | name: Plymouth; note - Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, the de facto capital, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology and note: now entirely deserted because of volcanic activity, the city was originally named after Plymouth, England; de jure, Plymouth remains the capital city of Montserrat; it is therefore the only ghost town that serves as the capital of a political entity |
| Administrative divisions | 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| National holiday | Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, usually celebrated the Monday after the second Saturday in June (1926) |
| Constitution | history: previous 1960; latest put into force 20 October 2010 (The Montserrat Constitution Order 2010) amendments: amended 2011, 2020 |
| Legal system | English common law |
| Citizenship | see United Kingdom |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew PEARCE (since 1 February 2018) head of government: Premier Easton TAYLOR-FARRELL (since 19 November 2019); note - effective with The Constitution Order 2010, effective October 2010, the office of premier replaced the office of chief minister cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the premier, 3 other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes premier |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Legislative Assembly (11 seats; 9 members directly elected in a single constituency by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds to serve 5-year terms and 2 ex-officio members - the attorney general and financial secretary) elections: last held on 18 November 2019 (next scheduled for 2024) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 42.7%, PDM 29.9%, other 17.1%; seats by party - MCAP 5, PDM 3, independent 1 |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states, with 1 assigned to Montserrat; Montserrat is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice judge selection and term of office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, and independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts: magistrate's court |
| Political parties and leaders | Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Easton Taylor FARRELL] People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Donaldson ROMERO] |
| International organization participation | Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (overseas territory of the UK); alternate contact is the US Embassy in Barbados [1] (246) 227-4000; US Embassy Bridgetown, Wildey Business Park, St. Michael BB 14006, Barbados, WI |
| Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the arms feature a woman in green dress, Erin, the female personification of Ireland, standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large dark cross with her right arm; Erin and the harp are symbols of Ireland reflecting the territory's Irish ancestry; blue represents awareness, trustworthiness, determination, and righteousness |
| National anthem | note: as a territory of the UK, "God Save the Queen" is official (see United Kingdom) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
