Montserrat, << `mont` suh RAT, >> is one of the Leeward Islands in the West Indies. It is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It lies about 250 miles (402 kilometers) southeast of Puerto Rico. Montserrat has an area of 39 square miles (102 square kilometers). Montserrat has three groups of mountains. The highest group is the Soufrière Hills, which rise to about 3,000 feet (910 meters) in the southern part of the island.
Christopher Columbus reached Montserrat in 1493 and named the island after a mountain in Spain. Irish settlers came to Montserrat in 1632, and today many of the people speak with a brogue (Irish accent). The United Kingdom has controlled the island since 1783. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck Montserrat, severely damaging most of its buildings. Beginning in 1995, a number of volcanic eruptions occurred in the Soufrière Hills. Many people were evacuated to the northern part of the island and to neighboring islands. An eruption in 1997 destroyed Plymouth, the capital. Another massive eruption took place in 2003. Prior to the evacuations, about 13,000 people lived in Montserrat. The island now has a population of about 5,000. Government business takes place at Brades Estate, in the northwest.
