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Montserrat (continued) Literacy: 77%

Labor force: 5,100; 40.5% community, social, and personal services, 13.5% construction, 12.3% trade, restaurants, and hotels, 10.5% manufacturing, 8.8% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 14.4% other (1983 est.)

Organized labor: 30% of labor force, three trade unions with 1,500 members (1984 est.)

Government

Long-form name: none

Type: dependent territory of the UK

Capital: Plymouth

Administrative divisions: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Independence: none (colony of the UK)

Constitution: 1 January 1960

Legal system: English common law and statute law

National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday of June)

Executive branch: monarch, governor, Executive Council (cabinet), chief minister

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Christopher J. TURNER (since 1987); Head of Government—Chief Minister John A. OSBORNE (since 1978)

Political parties and leaders: People's Liberation Movement (PLM), John Osborne; Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), Howell Bramble; United National Front (UNF), Dr. George Irish; National Development Party (NDP), Bertrand Osborne

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: Legislative Council—last held on 25 August 1987 (next to be held NA 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(11 total, 7 elected) PLM 4, NDP 2, PDP 1

Communists: probably none

Diplomatic representation: none (colony of the UK)

Flag: 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 coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross

Economy

Overview: The economy is small and open with economic activity centered on tourism and construction. Tourism is the most important sector and accounted for 20% of GDP in 1986. Agriculture accounted for about 4% of GDP and industry 9%. The economy is heavily dependent on imports, making it vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices. Exports consist mainly of electronic parts sold to the US.

GDP: $45.4 million, per capita $3,780; real growth rate 12% (1988 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1987)

Unemployment rate: 3.0% (1987)

Budget: revenues $10.0 million; expenditures $9.4 million, including capital expenditures of $3.2 million (1987)

Exports: $3.0 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—plastic bags, electronic parts, apparel, hot peppers, live plants, cattle; partners—NA

Imports: $25.3 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials; partners—NA

External debt: $3.7 million (1985)

Industrial production: growth rate 8.1% (1986)

Electricity: 5,000 kW capacity; 12 million kWh produced, 930 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: tourism; light manufacturing rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; small-scale farming; food crops—tomatoes, onions, peppers; not self-sufficient in food, especially livestock products

Aid: NA

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Communications

Highways: 280 km total; about 200 km paved, 80 km gravel and earth

Ports: Plymouth

Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,036 m

Telecommunications: 3,000 telephones; stations—8 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV

Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK  Morocco



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Geography

Total area: 446,550 km²; land area: 446,300 km²

Comparative area: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: 2,002 km total; Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km

Coastline: 1,835 km

Maritime claims:
 * Contiguous zone: 24 nm
 * Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation
 * Extended economic zone: 200 nm
 * Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved; armed conflict in Western Sahara; Spain controls two coastal presidios or places of sovereignty (Ceuta, Melilla)

Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain: mostly mountains with rich coastal plains

Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Land use: 18% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 28% meadows and pastures; 12% forest and woodland; 41% other; includes 1% irrigated

Environment: northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; desertification

Note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

People

Population: 25,648,241 (July 1990). growth rate 2.2% (1990)

Birth rate: 31 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: -1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)  212