8 FROM LEFT ARE: First Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Ryan, Director of the Disaster Management Coordination Agency in Montserrat; former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Dr. Keith Rowley who was attending in his professional capacity as a geologist; Frankie Michael; Michelle Castle, Regional Affairs Officer, Government of Montserrat; former Governor Frank Savage and Kenroy Roach, Head of Office for the United Nations’ Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Office. By Franklyn Michael, Supplementary Associate, CARICAD M ontserrat is still a British Overseas Territory. It is one of the Leeward Islands. It is 30 square miles in area with a population currently estimated to be about 5,000 people. Prior to the onset of volcanic activity, the island was known as “The Emerald Isle”. That tag remains in place. There are verdant hills and mountains along a central ridge which extend along the island’s long axis north to south. The island was deeply incised by numerous seasonal stream beds known locally as ghauts. Many of them in the south and east have now been filled with volcanic eruptive materials. The variation in rainfall between the coastal and inland areas as well as between the Windward and Leeward coasts produced an unusual variety of flora and fauna. It ranged from patches of scrub to lush tropical forests. The island was marked by an absence of white sand beaches and natural ponds or lagoons. The coastal zone is marked by precipitous depths. There are few coral reefs. The island underwent dramatic social, economic and physical changes in the last 70 years. In the 1950s the economy was dominated by export agriculture, especially the production of Sea Island Cotton. During the 1960s, cotton declined. While non-cotton agriculture enjoyed relatively high levels of output, the decline in Franklyn Michael • Continues on next page
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