Coordinates: 16°45′N 62°12′W / 16.75°N 62.2°W / 16.75; -62.2

Montserrat
Coat of arms
Motto: "Each Endeavouring, All Achieving"
Anthem: "God Save the Queen"
Capital		Plymouth (de jure) 1 Brades (de facto) 16°45′N 62°12′W / 16.75°N 62.2°W / 16.75; -62.2
Official language(s)		English
Ethnic groups		West African, Mulatto Creoles, British, Irish[1]
Government		British Overseas Territory (constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democratic dependency)
-	Monarch	H.M. Queen Elizabeth II
-	Governor	Adrian Davis
-	Premier	Reuben Meade
British overseas territory
-	English control established	1632
Area
-	Total	102 km2 (219th) 39 sq mi
-	Water (%)	negligible
Population
-	2008 estimate	5,879 (218th)
GDP (PPP)		2002 estimate
-	Total	$99 million (not ranked)
-	Per capita	$3,400 (not ranked)
HDI		n (unranked) (n/a)
Currency		East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Time zone		(UTC−4)
Internet TLD		.ms
Calling code		+1-664
1	Abandoned in 1997 following a volcanic eruption. Government buildings are currently located in Brades, making it the de facto capital.
2	An estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; few have returned.

Topographic map of Montserrat showing the "exclusion zone" due to volcanic activity, and the new airport in the north. The roads and settlements in the exclusion zone have mostly been destroyed.

Montserrat ( /mɒntsəˈræt/) is an island that is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 11 km (6.8 mi) wide, giving 40 kilometres (25 mi) of coastline.^[2] Montserrat is nicknamed the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean both for its resemblance to coastal Ireland and for the Irish ancestry of some of its inhabitants.

Montserrat's Georgian era historic capital city of Plymouth was destroyed and two-thirds of the island's population was forced to flee because of an eruption of the previously dormant Soufriere Hills volcano that began on July 18, 1995.^[3] The eruption continues today on a much reduced scale, the damage being confined to the area around Plymouth, including its docking facilities, and also the area around the former W. H. Bramble Airport on the eastern side of the island, the remnants of which were buried by flows from volcanic activity on February 11, 2010.

An "exclusion zone" extending from the south coast of the island north to parts of the Belham Valley has been imposed because of the size of the existing volcanic dome and the resulting potential for pyroclastic activity. Presently visitors are not permitted entry into the exclusion zone, but an impressive view of the destruction of Plymouth can be seen from the top of Garibaldi Hill in Isles Bay. Relatively quiet since early 2010, the volcano continues to be closely monitored by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.

While construction proceeds, the centre of government rests at Brades, as a nearby new town develops at Little Bay, the new port, in the northwest of the island.

History[link]

Montserrat was populated by Arawak and Carib native people when it was claimed by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, naming the island Santa María de Montserrat, after the Monastery of Montserrat in Catalonia. The island fell under English control in 1632^[4] when anti-Catholic violence in Nevis forced a group of Irish, many of whom had been unwillingly transported from Ireland as indentured servants, to settle in Montserrat. A neo-feudal colony developed.^[5] The importation of African slaves, common to most Caribbean islands, began early and an economy based on sugar, rum, arrowroot and Sea Island cotton was established using slave labour. By the late 1700s there were many plantations on the island. Many Irish people were also taken as slaves to the island, some of whom were political prisoners taken there by Oliver Cromwell.^[6]

In 1782, during the American Revolutionary War, Montserrat was briefly captured by France. It was returned to Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris which ended that conflict. A failed slave uprising on March 17, 1768^[7] led to the celebration of St Patrick's Day as a public holiday in Montserrat, and festivities held that week celebrate the culture of Montserrat, through songs, dances, and traditional costumes and foods. Slavery was abolished in Montserrat in 1834.

Falling sugar prices during the nineteenth century had an adverse effect on the island's economy, and in 1857 the British philanthropist Joseph Sturge bought a sugar estate to prove it was economically viable to employ paid labour rather than slaves.

Various members of the Sturge family bought additional land and in 1869 established the Montserrat Company Limited and planted lime trees, started the commercial production of lime juice, set up a school, and sold parcels of land to the inhabitants of the island, with the result that much of Montserrat came to be owned by smallholders.^[8][6]

From 1871 to 1958 Montserrat was administered as part of the federal crown colony of the British Leeward Islands, becoming a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962. In 1979, The Beatles producer George Martin’s AIR Studios Montserrat opened and the island attracted world-famous musicians who came to record in the peaceful, quiet and lush tropical surroundings of Montserrat.^[9] The last decade of the 20th century, however, brought two events which devastated the island.

In the early hours of September 17, 1989 Hurricane Hugo, a Category 4 storm, struck Montserrat with full force producing sustained winds of 140 miles per hour and damaging over 90 percent of the structures on the island. AIR Studios closed, and the tourist economy upon which the island depended was virtually wiped out. Within a few years the island had recovered considerably—only to be struck again by disaster in 1995.

Plymouth, the former capital city and major port of Montserrat, July 12, 1997, after pyroclastic flows burned much of what was not covered in ash.

Volcano, exclusion zone, and transport[link]

In July 1995, Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano, dormant for centuries, rumbled to life and began an eruption which eventually buried the island's capital, Plymouth, in more than 12 metres (39 ft) of mud, destroyed its airport and docking facilities, and rendered the southern part of the island (the "exclusion zone") uninhabitable and not safe to travel in. The southern part of the island was evacuated and visits are severely restricted.^[10] The exclusion zone also includes two sea areas adjacent to the land areas that have seen the most volcanic activity.[2]

Following the destruction of Plymouth, more than half of the population left the island because of the economic disruption and lack of housing. After a period of regular eruptive events during the late 1990s, including one on June 25, 1997 in which nineteen people died when they were overtaken by a pyroclastic flow, subsequently for a number of years the volcano's activity consisted mostly of infrequent ventings of ash into the uninhabited areas in the south. The ash falls occasionally extended into the northern and western parts of the island.

The most recent period of increased activity at the Soufriere Hills volcano, from November 2009 through February 2010, saw ash venting, a vulcanian explosion which sent pyroclastic flows down several sides of the mountain, and on February 11, 2010 a partial collapse of the lava dome that sent a column of ash more than 20,000 feet (6,100 m) into the air, raining down on several nearby islands including Guadeloupe and Antigua. Since 2010, the volcano has been relatively quiet.^[11]

Despite the volcanic activity, a large part of Montserrat remains lush and green. In February 2005, The Princess Royal officially opened a new airport at Gerald's in the north (renamed the John A. Osborne Airport); As of 2011^[update] it handles several flights daily operated by Fly Montserrat Airways. Docking facilities are in place at Little Bay, where a new capital town is being constructed. The new government centre is at Brades, a short distance away.

The people of Montserrat were granted full residency rights in the United Kingdom in 1998, and British citizenship was granted in 2002.

Parishes[link]

Map of Montserrat's parishes: Saint Peter is shown in pale red, Saint Georges in green and Saint Anthony in blue. The square marks Plymouth, the abandoned capital.

Montserrat is divided into three parishes:

• Saint Anthony Parish
• Saint Georges Parish
• Saint Peter Parish

Only Saint Peter Parish is currently inhabited, having a population of between 4,000 and 6,000.^[12] Saint Peter Parish covers the north-west of the island,^[13] and was therefore least affected by the eruptions of Soufrière Hills, the island's volcano. The other two are too dangerous to live in because, as of 2012, the volcano is still active.

Villages[link]

Villages and towns that are within the safe zone are shown in boldface. The villages and towns that are known to be within the exclusion zone are shown in parentheses, since they cannot be accessed and are abandoned. Also see List of settlements abandoned after the 1997 Soufrière Hills eruption.

• Baker Hill
• Banks
• Brades the de facto capital
• (Bramble Village)
• (Bethel)
• (Bugby Hole)
• Cavalla Hill
• Cheap End
• (Cork Hill)
• Cudjoe Head
• Davy Hill
• Dick Hill
• Drummonds
• (Dyers)
• (Elberton)
• (Fairfield)
• (Fairy Walk)
• (Farm)
• Frith
• (Farrell's)
• (Farells Yard)
• Flemmings
• Fogarty
• (Gages)
• (Garibaldi Hill)
• Gerald's, which includes the new airport
• (Harris)
• (Hermitage)
• Hope
• Jack Boy Hill
• Judy Piece
• Katy Hill
• (Kinsale)
• Lawyers Mountain
• Little Bay, the new seaport and developing new town
• (Locust Valley)
• (Long Ground)
• Lookout
• (Morris's)
• Mongo Hill
• New Windward Estate
• Old Towne
• Olveston
• (Plymouth, the official capital, abandoned)
• (Richmond Hill)
• St John's
• (St. Patrick's)
• Salem
• St. Peter's
• (Streatham)
• Sweeney's
• (Trants)
• (Tuitts)
• Woodlands
• Upper Blakes
• Virgin Island

Geography[link]

Montserrat's coastline

The island of Montserrat is located approximately 480 km (300 mi) east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 48 km (30 mi) southwest of Antigua. It comprises 104 km² (40 sq mi) but is currently gradually increasing in size owing to the buildup of volcanic deposits on the southeast coast. The island is 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 11 km (6.8 mi) wide, with rock cliffs rising 15 to 30 m (50–100 feet) above the sea and a number of smooth bottomed sandy beaches scattered among coves on the western (Caribbean) side of the island.

Montserrat has two islets, Little Redonda and Virgin, and Statue Rock.

Wildlife[link]

Montserrat, like many isolated islands, is home to some exceptionally rare plant and animal species. Work undertaken by the Montserrat National Trust in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has centred on the conservation of pribby (Rondeletia buxifolia) in the Centre Hills region. Until 2006, this species was known only from one book about the vegetation of Montserrat.^[14] In 2006, conservationists also rescued several plants of the endangered Montserrat orchid (Epidendrum montserratense) from dead trees on the island and installed them in the security of the island’s botanic garden.

Montserrat is also home to the Critically Endangered Giant Ditch Frog (Leptodactylus fallax), known locally as the Mountain Chicken, found only in Montserrat and Dominica. The species has undergone catastrophic declines due to the amphibian disease Chytridiomycosis and the volcanic eruption in 1997. Experts from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust have been working with the Montserrat Department of Environment to conserve the frog in-situ in a project called "Saving the Mountain Chicken", and an ex-situ captive breeding population has been set up in partnership with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Zoological Society of London, North of England Zoological Society, Parken Zoo and the Governments of Montserrat and Dominica. Releases from this programme have already taken place in a hope to increase the numbers of the frog and reduce extinction risk from the ever present Chytridiomycosis.

Montserrat is known for its coral reefs and its caves along the shore. These caves house many species of bats, and efforts are underway to monitor and protect the ten species of bats from extinction.^[15][16]

Economy[link]

From 1979 to 1989 Montserrat was home to a branch of George Martin's AIR Studios which made the island popular with working musicians who often went there to record while taking advantage of the island's climate and beautiful surroundings.

Since the devastations of Hurricane Hugo and the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, the Montserratian economy has been effectively halted. Export businesses currently based in Montserrat deal primarily in the selling and shipping of aggregate for construction. Imports include virtually everything available for sale on the island.

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.

Famous Montserratians[link]

• Jim Allen – former cricketer who represented the World Series Cricket West Indians
• Lionel Baker – the first Montserratian to represent the West Indies in international cricket^[17]
• Alphonsus "Arrow" Cassell MBE – musician, known for his soca song "Hot Hot Hot" which sold over 4 million copies^[18]
• M. P. Shiel – writer
• Maizie Williams – musician, member of musical group Boney M
• Keithroy Marcellus Maynard – firefighter, New York City Fire Department, Engine 33, perished in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center^[19][20][21]

Demographics[link]

Population: 5,879 (2008 estimate)

Note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island (primarily to the UK) following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; few have returned. Pre-eruption population was 13,000 in 1994.

Age structure:

• 0–14 years: 23.4% (male 1,062; female 1,041)
• 15–64 years: 65.3% (male 2,805; female 3,066)
• 65 years and over: 11.3% (male 537; female 484) (2003 est.)

Median age:

• total: 28.1 years
• male: 27.9 years
• female: 28.3 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 6.9% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 17.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: 195.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:

• at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
• under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
• 15–64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female
• total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

• total: 7.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
• female: 6.43 deaths/1,000 live births
• male: 9.05 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:

• total population: 78.36 years.
• male: 76.24 years.
• female: 80.59 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Nationality:

• noun: Montserratian(s)
• adjective: Montserratian

Ethnic groups: Black, White, Mulatto, Creole. The island's population is mainly a mix of British, Irish and Africans with other minorities.

Religions: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations

Languages: English

Literacy:

• definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
• total population: 97%
• male: 97%
• female: 97% (1970 est.)

Culture[link]

Cricket is a popular sport in Montserrat. Players from Montserrat are in fact eligible to play for the West Indies cricket team. Jim Allen was the first to play for West Indies and he represented the World Series Cricket West Indians. No other player from Montserrat had gone on to represent West Indies until Lionel Baker made his One Day International debut against Pakistan in November 2008.^[22]

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Montserrat.

Montserrat has its own FIFA affiliated football team, and has twice competed in the World Cup qualifiers. A field for the team was built near the airport by FIFA. The Montserrat team are currently tied for 203rd place in the FIFA world rankings with 4 other teams, including American Samoa and San Marino. In 2002, the team competed in a friendly match with the second-lowest-ranked team in FIFA at that time, Bhutan, in The Other Final- the same day as the final of the 2002 World Cup. Bhutan won 4-0.

See also[link]

	Geography portal
	North America portal
	Caribbean portal
	United Kingdom portal

• Outline of Montserrat
• Bibliography of Montserrat
• Index of Montserrat-related articles
• British Overseas Territories
• Caribbean Sea
• Leeward Islands

References[link]

External links[link]

Find more about Montserrat on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

Government

• Government of Montserrat
• Montserrat National Trust
• Montserrat Hospitality Association
• Premier of Montserrat

General information

• Montserrat entry at The World Factbook
• Montserrat from UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Montserrat at the Open Directory Project
• Montserrat Webdirectory
• Wikimedia Atlas of Montserrat
• Brief history with a commemorative coin of Montserrat

News media

• Montserrat Reporter news site
• Radio Montserrrat—ZJB Listen live online

Travel

• Montserrat Tourist Board
• Montserrat travel guide from Wikitravel
• Montserrat Travel Information

Health Reports

• Toxicity of volcanic ash from Montserrat by RT Cullen, AD Jones, BG Miller, CL Tran, JMG Davis, K Donaldson, M Wilson, V Stone, and A Morgan. Institute of Occupational Medicine Research Report TM/02/01
• A Health Survey of Workers on the Island of Montserrat by HA Cowie, MK Graham, A Searl, BG Miller, PA Hutchison, C Swales, S Dempsey, and M Russell. Institute of Occupational Medicine Research Report TM/02/02
• A Health Survey of Montserratians Relocated to the UK by HA Cowie, A Searl, PJ Ritchie, MK Graham, PA Hutchison, and A Pilkington. Institute of Occupational Medicine Research Report TM/01/07

Other

• Satellite image of Montserrat from Google Maps
• Montserrat Volcano Observatory
• Official release archive
• Volcanism of Montserrat
• Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette, with full page images and full searchable text is freely and openly available in the Digital Library of the Caribbean

v t e Montserrat Politics Governor · Chief Minister · Legislature · Judiciary · Elections · Political parties · Coat of arms · Flag Geography Islands · Volcanoes · Rivers · Climate · Environment · Wildlife Culture Demographics · Music · Sports · Football · Cricket · Education Other topics History (Slavery · Piracy) · Economy · Agriculture · Communications · Transport · Airports · Soufrière Hills Index · Outline

Articles Related to Montserrat    Geographic locale Lat. and Long. 16°45′N 62°12′W / 16.75°N 62.2°W / 16.75; -62.2 v t e Countries and territories of the Caribbean   Sovereign states Commonwealth Realms Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Grenada Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Commonwealth republics Dominica Trinidad and Tobago Other republics Cuba Dominican Republic Haiti   Dependencies and other areas by parent state United Kingdom Anguilla British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands Netherlands Aruba Bonaire Curaçao Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten France Guadeloupe Martinique Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin United States Bajo Nuevo Bank Navassa Island Puerto Rico Serranilla Bank U.S. Virgin Islands v t e Countries and dependencies of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Colombia San Andrés and Providencia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador France Guadeloupe Martinique Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Iceland Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Panama St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Curaçao Sint Maarten United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Navassa Island Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands Venezuela Isla Aves   International membership v t e Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Members Antigua and Barbuda · Dominica · Grenada · Montserrat · St. Kitts and Nevis · St. Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines Associate members Anguilla · British Virgin Islands Financial institutions Eastern Caribbean Central Securities Registry · Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange · East Caribbean dollar · Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Other institutions Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court v t e Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat (Secretary-General) Nations Members Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas1 Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Haiti1 Jamaica Montserrat2 St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Associate members Anguilla Bermuda Cayman Islands British Virgin Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Observers Aruba Colombia Curaçao Dominican Republic Mexico Puerto Rico Sint Maarten Venezuela Institutions CSME CDEMA CMO CMO CXC CCJ CFC CEHI CARDI REPAHA ACCP CARICAD CFNI CCC CRITI Related organizations Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States 1 Member of the Community but not of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). 2 British overseas territory awaiting entrustment to join the CSME. v t e British Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies Overseas territories Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Crown dependencies Guernsey1 Jersey Isle of Man Sovereign base areas Akrotiri and Dhekelia 1 includes Alderney and Sark v t e Outlying territories of European countries Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information) Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island French Guiana French Polynesia Guadeloupe Martinique Mayotte New Caledonia Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam Île Saint-Paul Crozet Islands Kerguelen Islands Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Italy Pantelleria Pelagie Islands Lampedusa Lampione Linosa Netherlands Aruba Caribbean Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Curaçao Sint Maarten Norway 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1763–1978  Dominica 1763–1873  Prince Edward Island 1763–1791  Quebec 1763–1783  East Florida 1763–1783  West Florida 1784–1867  New Brunswick 1791–1841  Lower Canada 1791–1841  Upper Canada since 1799  Turks and Caicos Islands 19th century 1818–1846  Columbia District / Oregon Country1 1833–1960  Windward Islands 1833–1960  Leeward Islands 1841–1867  Province of Canada 1849–1866  Vancouver Island 1853–1863  Colony of the Queen Charlotte Islands 1858–1866  British Columbia 1859–1870  North-Western Territory 1860–1981  *British Antigua and Barbuda 1862–1863  Stikine Territory 1866–1871  Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1867–1931  *Dominion of Canada2 1871–1964  British Honduras (*Belize) 1882–1983  *St. Kitts and Nevis 1889–1962  Trinidad and Tobago 20th century 1907–1949  Dominion of Newfoundland3 1958–1962  West Indies Federation 1Occupied jointly with the United States 2In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. see Canada's name. 3Gave up self-rule in 1934, but remained a de jure Dominion until it joined Canada in 1949. South America  17th century 1651–1667  Willoughbyland (Suriname) 1670–1688  St. Andrew and Providence Islands4 18th century 19th century 1831–1966  British Guiana (Guyana) since 1833  Falkland Islands5 20th century since 1908  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands5 4Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia 5Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982 Africa  18th century 1792–1961  Sierra Leone 1795–1803  Cape Colony 19th century 1806–1910  Cape Colony 1807–1808  Madeira 1810–1968  Mauritius 1816–1965  Gambia 1856–1910  Natal 1868–1966  Basutoland (Lesotho) 1874–1957  Gold Coast (Ghana) 1882–1922  Egypt 1884–1966  Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884–1960  British Somaliland 1887–1897  Zululand 1890–1962  Uganda 1890–1963  Zanzibar (Tanzania) 1891–1964  Nyasaland (Malawi) 1891–1907  British Central Africa Protectorate 1893–1968  Swaziland 1895–1920  East Africa Protectorate 1899–1956  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 20th century 1900–1914  Northern Nigeria 1900–1914  Southern Nigeria 1900–1910  Orange River Colony 1900–1910  Transvaal Colony 1906–1954  Nigeria Colony 1910–1931  South Africa 1914–1954  Nigeria Colony and Protectorate 1915–1931  South West Africa (Namibia) 1919–1960  Cameroons (Cameroon) 6 1920–1963  Kenya 1922–1961  Tanganyika (Tanzania) 6 1923–1965  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 7 1924–1964  Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) 1954–1960  Nigeria 1979–1980  Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) 7 6League of Nations mandate 7Southern Rhodesia, which had self-rule from 1923, issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence on 11 November 1965, as Rhodesia. It returned to British control in December 1979. Asia  17th Century 1685–1824  Bencoolen (Sumatra) 18th century 1702–1705  Côn Đảo 1757–1947  Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh) 1762–1764  Manila 1795–1948  Ceylon (Sri Lanka) 1796–1965  Maldives 19th century 1812–1824  Banka (Sumatra) 1812–1824  Billiton (Sumatra) 1819–1826  British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) 1824–1946  Straits Settlement of Malacca 1826–1946  Straits Settlements 1839–1967  Colony of Aden 1839–1842  Afghanistan 1841–1997  Hong Kong 1841–1946  Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia) 1848–1946  Crown colony of Labuan 1858–1947  British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma) 1879–1919  Afghanistan 1882–1963  British North Borneo (Malaysia) 1885–1946  Unfederated Malay States 1888–1984  Sultanate of Brunei 1888–1946  Sultanate of Sulu 1891–1971  Muscat and Oman protectorate 1892–1971  Trucial States protectorate 1895–1946  Federated Malay States 1898–1930  Weihai Garrison 1878–1960  Cyprus 20th century 1918–1961  Kuwait protectorate 1920–1932  Iraq7 1921–1946  Transjordan7 1923–1948  Palestine7 1945–1946  South Vietnam 1946–1963  Sarawak (Malaysia) 1946–1963  Singapore 1946–1948  Malayan Union 1948–1957  Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) since 1960  Akrotiri and Dhekelia (before as part of Cyprus) since 1965  British Indian Ocean Territory (before as part of Mauritius and the Seychelles) 7League of Nations mandate Oceania  18th century 1788–1901  New South Wales 19th century 1803–1901  Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1807–1863  Auckland Islands8 1824–1980  New Hebrides (Vanuatu) 1824–1901  Queensland 1829–1901  Swan River Colony/Western Australia 1836–1901  South Australia since 1838  Pitcairn Islands 1841–1907  Colony of New Zealand 1851–1901  Victoria 1874–1970  Fiji9 1877–1976  British Western Pacific Territories 1884–1949  Territory of Papua 1888–1965  Cook Islands8 1889–1948  Union Islands (Tokelau)8 1892–1979  Gilbert and Ellice Islands10 1893–1978  British Solomon Islands11 20th century 1900–1970  Tonga (protected state) 1900–1974  Niue8 1901–1942  *Commonwealth of Australia 1907–1953  *Dominion of New Zealand 1919–1942  Nauru 1945–1968  Nauru 1919–1949  Territory of New Guinea 1949–1975  Territory of Papua and New Guinea12 8Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand 9Suspended member 10Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu 11Now the *Solomon Islands 12Now *Papua New Guinea Antarctica and South Atlantic  17th century since 1659  St. Helena13 19th century since 1815  Ascension Island13 since 1816  Tristan da Cunha13 20th century since 1908  British Antarctic Territory14 13Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922—) and Tristan da Cunha (1938—) were previously dependencies of St Helena 14Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) v t e English-speaking world Click on a coloured region to get related article:   Countries and territories where English is the national language or the native language of the majority. Africa Saint Helena Americas Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Bermuda British Virgin Islands Canada Cayman Islands Dominica Falkland Islands Grenada Guyana Jamaica Montserrat Saba Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands United States United States Virgin Islands Europe Guernsey Ireland Isle of Man Jersey United Kingdom Oceania Australia New Zealand Norfolk Island   Countries and territories where English is an official language, but not the majority language. 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