Montilla
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Montilla | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
| |
 | |
| Capital and largest city | Phillipsport |
| Official languages | English |
| Demonym(s) | Montillan |
| Area | |
• Total | 18,150.71 km2 (7,008.03 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Census | 2,288,000 |
| Currency | Montillan dollar (MTD) |
| Driving side | right |
| Internet TLD | .MT |
Montilla is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Georges Bank. The closest land outside the territory is the American state of Massachusetts, about 643 km (400 mi) to the west-northwest. At 18,150 km² (7008 mi²) Montilla is slightly smaller than the American state of New Jersey.
Montilla was discovered in the early to mid 1500s by Portuguese explorer Filippo Montilla, who had apparently been pushed off course by a storm and found the islands by accident. Montilla had no indigenous population when it was discovered, nor during initial settlement later. The archipelago was included on English and French charts as "Montilla Islands". Both English and French ships used the islands as a replenishment spot to take on fresh meat and water. The islands continued to be frequently visited but not settled until the late 1500s and early 1600s by fishermen. After Acadia was established in New France in 1604 and the Jamestown colony in Virginia in 1607, the Montilla Islands were claimed by the English in 1607 out of fears that the French would settle the islands permanently and affect naval dominance in the region. The first recorded settlement of Montilla was at the site of an abandoned fishing village on Phillip’s Island. The settlement was named Annestown after Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James VI and I.
Geography
The New England hotspot, formed the White Mountains 124 to 100 million years ago when the North American continent was directly over the zone. As the continent drifted to the west, the hotspot gradually moved offshore. On a southeasterly course, the hotspot formed Bear Seamount, the oldest seamount in the chain, about 100 to 103 million years ago. Over the course of millions of years, the hotspot continued to create the other seamounts in the chain, culminating about 83 million years ago with the creation of the Nashville Seamount. As the Atlantic Ocean continued to spread, the hotspot eventually "travelled" further east, forming the Great Meteor Seamount south of the Azores, where it is located today. The New England Seamounts were once at or above sea level. As time passed, however, and the chain moved farther away from the New England hotspot, the crust cooled and contracted, and the chain sank into the ocean, leaving behind only the Montilla islands above sea level.
The northernmost island of the Montilla archipelago is Retriever Island. It is separated from Mercey Island to the south by a shallow sandy area. To the west, Grand Montilla Island, the largest island, is situated between Mercey and Phillip's Island. The southernmost island being a tiny islet called Hermit Island, roughly 15 kilometers south-southwest from the slightly larger Saint Adela Island. Most of the islands show thick lava flows (basalt) which was formed in a volcanic event preceding the breakup of the super-continent Pangaea in the Early Jurassic period. Most of the volcanic rock and tephra is of basalt or basaltic andesite. Harbours along the shorelines were created by the erosion of sedimentary and volcanic rock formations.
Climate
The weather around Montilla is influenced by its location in the North Atlantic Ocean. Situated near the edges of the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current, the climate in the area is cool and temperate, with relatively low humidity due to the presence of cool ocean currents. During the summer, temperatures are generally be mild, with occasional hot and humid spells. In the winter, the area experiences cold temperatures, occasional snowfall, strong winds and heavy precipitation as well as rough seas with high swells. Despite the harsh weather conditions at times, the natural beauty and diverse wildlife species surrounding the islands attract tourists year-round. The area is known for its persistent fog and high levels of precipitation, often experiencing cloudy and misty conditions.
The islands experience cool to mild temperatures with average highs ranging from the around 10°C (50°F) to around 20°C (70°F) and average lows ranging from -1°C (30°F) to around 15°C (60°F). The islands are susceptible to precipitation throughout the year and experience occasional extreme weather.
| Climate data for Montilla | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 3.0 (37.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.3 (37.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
18.6 (65.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
9.9 (49.8) |
5.5 (41.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.5 (45.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.9 (64.2) |
15.8 (60.4) |
11.7 (53.1) |
7.3 (45.1) |
2.5 (36.5) |
7.8 (46) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −3.1 (26.4) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.1 (59.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.6 (40.3) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
5.0 (41) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −19.4 (−2.9) |
−18.3 (−0.9) |
−13.6 (7.5) |
−8.9 (16) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
3.0 (37.4) |
4.4 (39.9) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−7.8 (18) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−19.4 (−2.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 144.7 (5.697) |
112.5 (4.429) |
130.4 (5.134) |
114.8 (4.52) |
101.3 (3.988) |
115.9 (4.563) |
100.8 (3.969) |
121.6 (4.787) |
129.5 (5.098) |
144.9 (5.705) |
150.7 (5.933) |
144.5 (5.689) |
1,511.6 (59.512) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 110.4 (4.346) |
92.4 (3.638) |
107.7 (4.24) |
105.9 (4.169) |
101.2 (3.984) |
115.9 (4.563) |
100.8 (3.969) |
121.6 (4.787) |
129.5 (5.098) |
144.8 (5.701) |
145.1 (5.713) |
123.7 (4.87) |
1,399 (55.079) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 33.3 (13.11) |
19.8 (7.8) |
22.1 (8.7) |
9.1 (3.58) |
0.1 (0.04) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
trace | 5.2 (2.05) |
18.6 (7.32) |
108.3 (42.64) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 20.4 | 16.8 | 16.7 | 16.0 | 14.5 | 13.9 | 13.5 | 12.0 | 12.4 | 16.2 | 19.3 | 19.8 | 191.5 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 12.1 | 9.9 | 12.5 | 15.1 | 15.3 | 13.8 | 13.3 | 12.4 | 13.0 | 16.2 | 18.7 | 15.6 | 167.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 11.6 | 10.0 | 7.2 | 2.6 | 0.19 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.06 | 2.8 | 8.6 | 43.0 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 61.0 | 78.6 | 119.0 | 140.0 | 169.4 | 186.6 | 192.3 | 194.3 | 174.1 | 138.3 | 80.2 | 61.8 | 1,595.5 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 21.2 | 26.6 | 32.2 | 34.8 | 37.1 | 40.4 | 41.1 | 44.8 | 46.3 | 40.4 | 27.6 | 22.2 | 34.6 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Government and Politics
Economy
Today, the main revenue producers in Montilla are agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, shipping and tourism.
Exports include sardines, dairy products, beef, canned vegetables and timber; imports include machinery and equipment, consumer goods, and fuels. In contrast, mining activity is very low. The country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light-industry sector caters to the local market. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, and long distances between the islands from main markets. Shipping companies
Fishing
Fishing is central to the islands' economy today, with about 68,000 people (roughly 3% of the population) being employed by fisheries, although it is estimated that a total of between 450,000-460,000 (up to 20 per cent of the workforce) depend on the ocean for their livelihood. Many of these jobs are provided by canneries, processing plants, shipping companies, or technological companies that manufacture equipment for fisheries firms. Montillan fishing waters yield a total catch of between 2.1m and 2.4m tonnes of fish annually, although this is down from a peak of over 3m tonnes in 2007.
Herring remains the most important species harvested by Montillan fisheries, which is canned and sold domestically or exported to North America or Europe. Other species harvested include haddock, cod, monkfish and shellfish. Foreign fishing contracts also provide a steady source of revenue for Montilla.
Farming
Agriculture is used for consumption as well as for export. It provides a living for 65% of the population. Popular cattle breeds include Holstein, Fleckvieh and Simmental cattle, all of which provide substantial revenue. Raising cattle leads to beef production for export. One estimate predicted the total value of cattle heads sold in Montilla was $7 million.
It is estimated that over 480,000 Montillans work on small family farms, usually 1-2 hectares (2-5 acres) in size and raising a variety of animals such as cows, pigs or chickens. Important crops grown on Montilla include potatoes, beets, cabbage and rutabaga. Many dairy farmers grow their own feed to offset the price of buying it wholesale. The production of feeder-crops for cattle requires large areas of farmland to meet demand. As a result of this, most cattle on Montilla are grass-fed and free-range in small pastures wherever possible. Agricultural products are sold to both foreign and domestic markets through agricultural cooperatives. In order to reduce the need for food products to be imported from foreign countries, the domestic markets remain a priority. While some farmers sell their crops independently, agricultural co-ops help farmers get their produce to markets at competitive prices.
Mining and Forestry
Montilla hosts a number of quarries for extracting construction sand, gravel, crushed stone, and clay. Mining on Montilla is generally unprofitable for export, and thus most extracted materials are used for domestic construction. Similar to mining, forestry is a limited sector in Montilla. While the country does have several sawmills, most wood products are used domestically for the construction industry, or used for consumer goods.
Manufacturing
Montilla imports steel, chemical raw stock, and machine tools that are then sold to local machine and metal shops. These shops provide employment and domestically produced metal parts, motors, agricultural equipment, maritime equipment, and other machinery and metal products.
Financial Services
Financial services are an important part of the economy. Montilla is a tax haven that does not release account information to other governments or law-enforcement agencies. International pressure, mainly from the United States, has been influencing the Montillan government to begin adhering to international norms to improve transparency. In Montilla, there is no income tax, withholding tax, capital gains tax, or inheritance tax. Many international ship-management companies choose to flag their ships under the Montillan flag, because of the tax benefits.