• Capital: Plymouth
• Population: (est.) 12 000
• Area: 38 sq mi
• Language: English

.In July of 1995 the Soufriere Hills Volcano, dormant for 400 years, began erupting. A catastrophic eruption occurred two years later in 1997 closing harbors and airports and destroying much of southern Montserrat, including the capital of Plymouth. Much of the land area was rendered uninhabitable and two-thirds of the 12 000 inhabitants fled the island. Agriculture has suffered severely due to lack of suitable land for farming.

 Britain has undertaken a three-year $122.8 million economic aid program. Half of the island will probably remain uninhabited for another decade.

 Montserrat , a rugged island of volcanic origin, was colonized by the English and Irish in 1632. Before the eruption of 1995, its economic mainstay was tourism and this will certainly resume when conditions permit.