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Background:
|
 Much
of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population
fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills
Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island
in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico |
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Geographic coordinates:
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16 45 N, 62 12 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 102
sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 102 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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about 0.6 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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40 km |
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Climate:
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tropical; little
daily or seasonal temperature variation |
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Terrain:
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volcanic island,
mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills
volcanic complex) 914 m |
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Natural resources:
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negligible |
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Land use:
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arable land:
20%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 80% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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severe hurricanes
(June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills
volcano has erupted continuously since 1995) |
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Environment - current issues:
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land erosion
occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation |
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Geography - note:
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the island is
entirely volcanic in origin and contains seven active
volcanoes |
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Population:
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9,245
note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island
following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995;
some have returned (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
23.3% (male 1,092; female 1,062)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 2,889; female 3,162)
65 years and over: 11.2% (male 543; female 497) (2004
est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
28.2 years
male: 28 years
female: 28.4 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.03% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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17.63
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.36 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.09 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
7.56 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 8.8 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 78.53 years
male: 76.39 years
female: 80.78 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Montserratian(s)
adjective: Montserratian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black, white |
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Religions:
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Anglican,
Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist,
other Christian denominations |
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Languages:
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English |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1970 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Montserrat |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
territory of the UK |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Plymouth
(abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim
government buildings have been built at Brades Estate, in the
Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of
Montserrat) |
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Administrative divisions:
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3
parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter |
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Independence:
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none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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National holiday:
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Birthday
of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926) |
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Constitution:
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present
constitution came into force 19 December 1989 |
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Legal system:
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English
common law and statutory law |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Acting Governor Sir Howard A. FERGUS (since 2
April 2004)
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister
head of government: Chief Minister John OSBORNE (since
5 April 2001)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor,
the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney
general, and the finance secretary |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members
serve five-year terms)
note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with
attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio
members
elections: last held April 2001 (next to be held by
November 2006)
note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a
single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible
voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative
Council
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - NPLM 7, NPP 2 |
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern
Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of
the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides
over the High Court) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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National
Progressive Party or NPP [Reuben T. MEADE]; New People's
Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
none
(overseas territory of the UK) |
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Economy - overview:
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Severe volcanic
activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this
small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997
closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and
social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled
the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing
limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be
affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the
destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely
on developments in relation to the volcano and on public
sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year
$122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy.
Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for
another decade. |
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GDP:
|
purchasing power
parity - $29 million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-1% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $3,400 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
5.4%
industry: 13.6%
services: 81% (1996 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.6% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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4,521 ; note -
lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture NA%,
industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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6% (1998 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$31.4 million
expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.) |
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Industries:
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tourism, rum,
textiles, electronic appliances |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production
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2.5 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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2.325 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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400 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cabbages,
carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, livestock
products |
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Exports:
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$700,000 (2001) |
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Exports - commodities:
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electronic
components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, live plants,
cattle |
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Exports - partners:
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US, Antigua and
Barbuda |
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Imports:
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$17 million
(2001) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and
transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods,
fuels, lubricants, and related materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US, UK, Trinidad
and Tobago, Japan, Canada |
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Debt - external:
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$8.9 million
(1997) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
|
Country Policy
Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8
million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.) |
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Currency:
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East Caribbean
dollar (XCD) |
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Currency code:
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XCD |
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Exchange rates:
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East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31
March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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NA |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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70 (1994) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-664 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM 2,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
|
.ms |
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
|
total: 227
km
paved: NA km
note: volcanic eruptions beginning in 1995 destroyed
most of the road system (2003)
unpaved: NA km |
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Waterways:
|
none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Plymouth
(abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry landing), Carr's
Bay |
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Merchant marine:
|
none |
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Airports:
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1 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no regular
indigenous military forces; Police Force |
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Military - note:
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defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
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Disputes - international:
|
none |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment
point for South American narcotics destined for the US and
Europe |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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