Economy:
Montserrat’s economy was devastated by the 1995 eruption and its aftermath; currently the island’s operating budget is largely supplied by the British government and administered through the Department for International Development (DFID) amounting to approximately £25 million per year. Additional amounts are secured through income and property taxes, license and other fees as well as customs duties levied on imported goods.
A report published by the CIA indicates that the value of exports totaled the equivalent of US$5.7 million (2017 est.), consisting primarily of electronic components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, limes, live plants and cattle. The value of imports totaled US$31.02 million (2016 est.), consisting primarily of machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels and lubricants.
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In 1979, The Beatles producer George Martin opened AIR Studios Montserrat, making the island popular with musicians who often went there to record while taking advantage of the island’s climate and beautiful surroundings. In the early hours of 17 September 1989, Hurricane Hugo passed the island as a Category 4 hurricane, damaging more than 90% of the structures on the island. AIR Studios Montserrat closed, and the tourist economy was virtually wiped out. The slowly recovering tourist industry was again wiped out with the eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano in 1995, although it began partially to recover within fifteen years.
Transportation:
John A. Osborne Airport is the only airport on the island. Scheduled service to Antigua is provided by FlyMontserrat and ABM Air. Charter flights are also available to the surrounding islands.
Ferry service to the island is provided by the Jaden Sun Ferry. It runs from Heritage Quay in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda to Little Bay on Montserrat. The ride is about an hour and a half and operates five days a week.
This service stopped in 2019 due to being financially unsustainable and the only access to Montserrat now is by air.
Flag of Monserrat:
The flag of Montserrat is the Montserrat arms placed on the fly of the British Blue Ensign after the colony of the Leeward Islands (which consisted of several British-administered islands in the region) was dissolved in 1958.
The arms feature Éirinn, the female personification of Ireland, and the Golden harp, another symbol of Ireland. This reflects the nation’s Irish ancestry.