Location

Montserrat (pronounced /mɒntsəˈræt/) is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It measures approximately 16 km (10 miles) long and 11 km (7 miles) wide, giving 40 kilometers (25 mi) of coastline.

Its Georgian era capital city of Plymouth was destroyed and two-thirds of the island’s population forced to flee abroad by an eruption of the previously dormant Soufriere Hills volcano that began on July 18, 1995. The eruption continues today on a much reduced scale, the damage being confined to the areas around Plymouth including its docking facilities and the former W.H. Bramble Airport.

An exclusion zone extending from the south coast of the island north to parts of the Belham Valley has been closed because of an increase in the size of the existing volcanic dome.

Visitors are no longer permitted entry into Plymouth, however a spectacular view of the volcano and the destruction it has brought upon the capital can be had from Garibaldi Hill which is accessible on foot or by all terrain vehicle from Isles Bay.