A Historical Overview of the Geography, Politics, and Culture of Montserrat :: Essays on Politics

A Historical Overview of the Geography, Politics, and stopping point of Montserrat Montserrat is a small Caribbean island with an interesting geographical, economic, governmental, and cultural history. Montserrat was inhabited by a succession of Amerindian groups before being discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1400s. In the seventeenth century, Montserrat was claimed by Great Britain, and settled by an side ruling class, and their Irish indentured servants and African slaves. These new inhabitants created a woodlet economy in order to grow sugar cane, thereby significantly changing the landscape. The combination of English, Irish, and African residents also created a unique enculturation and a form of English Creole. Politically and economically, Montserrat has depended on Great Britain for more or less four centuries. In the late-1990s, a volcanic disaster devastated Montserrat and changed the islands geography, economy, and political relationship with the Un ited Kingdom. Montserrats culture was also affected, as some(prenominal) people fled the island, and those who remained were forced to drastically alter their lifestyle. Geography Montserrat is a small, lee side Island in the Caribbeans Lesser Antilles, located 27 miles southwest of Antigua, at 16 45 N, 62 12 W. The island is roughly 12 miles grand by 7 miles wide, with a land area of 62 lame miles. The climate is tropical, with a mean temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and only slight passing(a) and seasonal temperature variation. The average relative humidity is 75%, and average pelting is 35 to 40 inches a year. The wet season lasts from June to December and the juiceless season stretches from January to May, but droughts can last close to a year. uniform many of the other islands in the crescent of the Lesser Antilles, Montserrat was formed by volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. This volcanic formation resulted in Montserrats rugged, hi lly landscape, and inspired Columbus to name the island after a mountain in northeast Spain. Until 1995, the lay of the land was as follows. In the Northern commence of Montserrat lie the oldest volcanic structures, the Silver Hills. These hills have undergone much erosion, with strong northeastern breezes constantly blowing on them. They are less than 1,000 feet in elevation, with rounded slopes and gigantic ghauts.