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- Colony of Montserrat
- possession of United Kingdom
• Flag
• Historical Flags
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Coat of Arms
• Meaning/Origin of the Coat of Arms
• Map
• Numbers and Facts
• History
• Origin of the Country's Name
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by: Corel Draw 4
1632–1649,
Flag of England/Scotland,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen, Wikipedia (EN)
1649–1651,
Flag of the Commonwealth of England,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen, Wikipedia (EN)
1651–1658,
Flag of the Commonwealth of England,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen, Wikipedia (EN)
1658–1660,
Flag of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen, Wikipedia (EN)
1660–1801,
Flag of United Kingdom,
Source, by:
Die Welt der Flaggen, Wikipedia (EN)
1801–1871,
Flag of United Kingdom,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by:
Flags of all Nations
1871–1909,
Leeward Islands,
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by:
Flags of the World
1909–1999,
Flag of the government (state flag),
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by:
Flags of the World
1958–1962,
Flag of the Federation of the West Indies,
ratio = 1:2,
Source, by:
Flags of the World
The national flag of Montserrat is a so called "Blue Ensign", a dark blue flag with a flag depiction – the British Union Jack – in the upper left staff quadrant. The Union Jack points to the connections to United Kingdom. United Kingdom introduced a flag system in 1864 in which:
• war ships fly the "White Ensign" (naval flag), a white flag often with an uninterrupted red St. George's-Cross and with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag,
• merchant ships fly a "Red Ensign" (also named "Civil Ensign" → civil flag, the real merchant flag), a red flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag, and
• governmental ships fly the "Blue Ensign" (flag for the use by the gouvernment → the actual state flag), a blue flag with the Union Jack in the upper staff quadrant of the flag.
Since 1865 ships of colonial governments were permitted to fly the Blue Ensign with a badge in the flying end of the flag. The respective governments were asked to design appropriate badges. Merchant ships and seafaring persons from colonies were only permitted to use the Red Ensign with a badge, then also named Civil Ensign, if permission has been given to the respective colony by the British admiralty. Such a badge was often a regional landscape representation placed on a disk, often showing ships, historical events or even a kind of a logo. Very often, a badge also showed the name of the country or a motto. Some British possessions, however, already had a coat of arms from the beginning, or their badge was replaced by a coat of arms over the years. To ensure a uniform appearance in the flying end of the flags, coats of arms and other symbols were displayed on a white disk in the size of the earlier badges. There were also exceptions, because some colonies did not use the white disk and placed their escutcheon or even coat of arms directly on the bunting, sometimes enlarged. Already in the '40s they started to remove the white disk and placed the coat of arms directly or enlarged. This conversion process was done gradually, nowhere at the same time and completely. In some British possessions, flags with the white disc are still in use, in others no more and in some areas are both variants in use, next to each other. The badge of Montserrat shows a feminine figure with a harp in the hand which holds on to a cross.
Source:
Die Welt der Flaggen,
World Statesmen,
Flags of the World
since 1909,
Coat of arms of Montserrat,
Source, by:
Corel Draw 4
The coat of arms of Montserrat – used as badge on the flag – shows a feminine figure with a harp in the hand which holds on to a cross. It was introduced in 1909.
Source:
Flags of the World
Location:
Source: CIA World Factbook
Map of the country:
Source: CIA World Factbook
Area: 39 square miles
Inhabitants: 4.649 (2018), thereof 90% Afro-Americans, 10% Europeans
Density of Population: 118 inh./sq.mi.
Capital: Brades Estate, (to 1997 Plymouth, 3.500 inh.)
official Language: English
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD, EC-$) = 100 Cents
Time Zone: GMT – 4 h
Source: Wikipedia (D)
1493 · discovery and appropriation for Spain by Christoph Columbus
1632 · appropriation by England, administrated from Antigua Island
1671–1960 · part of the British Colony of the Leeward Islands (except 1816–1833)
1956 · limited autonomy
1958–1962 · part of the British Colony of the "Federation of the West Indies"
1967 · United Kingdom grants expanded autonomy → associated state
18.07.1995 · eruption of the volcano Mt. Soufriere, the half of the island becomes dewastated, the capital Plymouth is given up
Source:
Wikipedia (D), World Statesmen
The name Montserrat has its roots in the Spaniards. Probably remembered the scene of the Mt. Soufriere the same-named massif near Barcelona.
Source: Handbuch der geographischen Namen
