Montserrat is an island in the Caribbean, southeast of Puerto Rico. A former popular resort, it is recovering from a hurricane and volcanic activity from the 1980s and 1990s.
Cities
Other destinations
Understand
Once a popular get-away destination (especially after Beatles producer George Martin opened a studio here), Montserrat has been hit hard by the four elements, both from without and from within. First the wind and waves of hurricane Hugo swept through in 1989, damaging 90% of the island's structures. Then the earth and fire welled up in 1995, with the volcano of Soufriere Hills forcing the long-term evacuation of 2/3 of the island's population, and catastrophically closing the airports and seaports in June 1997. The capital of Plymouth was covered by 40 feet of ash, and much of the south end of the island is now uninhabitable.
Government offices have since been set up in Brades on the northwest shore of the island, out of harm's way. Much of the island's population has returned, with estimates ranging from 4,700 to 9,500, compared to the pre-Hugo/Soufriere high of over 12,000.
Climate
Temperatures year-around average between 76-88°F (24-32°C), with constant cooling breezes. Rainfall is a little more common from July to November.
Landscape
Montserrat is small, but getting larger. The erupting volcano is gradually extending the southern end of the island.
Get in
Proof of citizenship is required. United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and CARICOM citizens may present a driver's license or other government photo ID; all others require passports. Visitors from Cuba require visas, obtainable from British Consulate offices. All visitors must have tickets for departure, proof of accommodations, and funds to cover their expenses while on Montserrat.
Several tour operators in Antigua offer day excursions to Montserrat, including observation of the Soufriere Hills volcano. Charter helicopters from Antigua offer another way to view the volcano.
By plane
Gerald's Airport was opened in 2005, providing daily flights to and from Antigua and St. Maarten via regional carrier Winair . Antigua and St. Maarten are served by several major international airlines from North America and Europe.
By boat
The primary transportation harbor is Little Bay, near the de facto capital of Brades.
Get around
Montserrat has one main road that winds along the coast on the east and west sides of the island. Cars can be rented from any of a number of agencies. Traffic is mild (there are no traffic lights to bother with), but be warned that there are only two gas/petrol stations on the island.
Bicycle rentals are also available.
Taxis and minibuses run mostly during the day.
Talk
The people of Montserrat all speak English (British dialect), albeit with a local accent.
Buy
There is currently only one ATM on the island, at the Royal Bank of Canada.
Costs
Visiting the island is a bargain compared to pre-eruption Montserrat and many of its less geologically active neighbors, as the island is anxious to reestablish its tourism industry. The tourism board boasts private villas for as little as US$700/week. Like www.milesawayvilla.com
Eat
John Ponteens Sunday BBQ Little Bay. DD Bar Friday night in Hope by the MVO. Chicken Wilsons in Salem
Drink
Gary Moores Wide awake Bar, Salem. Falming El Paso, St Peter Green Monkey Bar Little Bay Dessert Storm, Salem Misers in Salem. Jaxxons St John
Sleep
Travellers Palm Guest House Olveston www.travellerspalmmontserrat.com
Vue Pointe Hotel, Old Towne, www.vuepointe.com/
Tropical Mansion Suites, PO Box 404, Sweeny's, www.res99.com/hotel/10011213-11297824O.html?lang=ENG
Stay safe
The island is still vulnerable to hurricanes during the season from June to November.
Volcanic eruptions still pose some danger, though volcanic activity has been primarily on the level of a nuisance in recent years. Travel to the Exclusion Zone on the south end of the island is generally not permitted, for safety reasons.
Montserrat is generally a safe place, however in recent years, violent crime has increased. Assault is the most common form, with an annual rate of just over 10 assaults for every 1000 people. (By comparison, Canada's rate is about 7 per 1000). General safety precautions, including such as not walking in an alleyway at night, are advised.
Stay healthy
No vaccinations are required to enter Montserrat unless coming from a country that has suffered a cholera, yellow fever, or small pox epidemic.
Contact
Internet Cafes
Montserrat (IPA: ˌmɒntsəˈræt) 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 km of coastline. Montserrat was given its name by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, after its namesake located in Catalonia, Spain. Montserrat is often referred to as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, due both to its resemblance to coastal Ireland and to the Irish descent of most of its early European settlers.
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. This zone includes St. George's Hill which provided visitors with a spectacular view of the volcano and the destruction it has wrought upon the capital. A new airport at Gerald's in the northern part of the island opened in 2005.
History
Montserrat was populated by Arawak and Carib peoples when it was claimed by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage for Spain in 1493, naming the island Santa Maria de Montserrate, after the Blessed Virgin of the Monastery of Montserrat, which is located on the Mountain of Montserrat, in Catalonia, Spain. The island fell under English control in 1632 when a group of Irish fleeing anti-Roman Catholic sentiment in Saint Kitts and Nevis settled there. The import of slaves, common to most Caribbean islands, mainly coming from West Africa, followed during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and an economy based on sugar, rum, arrowroot and Sea Island cotton was established.
In 1782, during the American Revolutionary War, Montserrat was briefly captured by France. It was returned to the United Kingdom under the Treaty of Paris which ended that conflict. Slavery was abolished in Montserrat in 1834.
Falling sugar prices during the nineteenth century had an adverse effect on the island's economy and in 1869 the philanthropist Joseph Sturge of Birmingham formed the Montserrat Company to buy sugar estates that were no longer economically viable. The company planted limes starting production of the island's famous lime juice, set up a school, and sold parcels of land to the inhabitants of the island, with the result that much of Montserrat came to be owned by smallholders.
From 1871 to 1958 Montserrat was administered as part of the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands, becoming a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962.
With the advent of Beatles producer George Martin’s AIR Studios Montserrat in the 1970s, the island attracted world-famous musicians who came to record in the peace and quiet and lush tropical surroundings of Montserrat. The last several years of the 20th century, however, brought two events which devastated the island.
In September 1989, Hurricane Hugo struck Montserrat with full force, damaging over 90 percent of the structures on the island. AIR Studios closed, and the tourist trade upon which the island depended was nearly wiped out. Within a few years, however, the island had recovered considerably — only to be struck again by disaster.
In July 1995, Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano, dormant throughout recorded history, rumbled to life and began an eruption which eventually buried the island's capital, Plymouth, in more than 40 feet (12 m) of mud, destroyed its airport and docking facilities, and rendered the southern half of the island uninhabitable. This forced more than half of the population to flee the island because they lacked housing. After a period of regular eruptive events during the late 1990s including one on June 25, 1997 in which 19 people lost their lives, the volcano's activity in recent years has been confined mostly to infrequent ventings of ash into the uninhabited areas in the south. However, this ash venting does occasionally extend into the populated areas of the northern and western parts of the island. As an example, on May 20, 2006, the lava dome that had been slowly building collapsed, resulting in an ashfall of about an inch (2.5 cm) in Old Towne and parts of Olveston. There were no injuries or significant property damage.
Long referred to as "The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean" for both its Irish heritage and its resemblance to coastal Ireland, Montserrat today remains lush and green. A new airport, opened officially by the Princess Royal Princess Anne in February 2005, received its first commercial flights on July 11, 2005, and docking facilities are in place at Little Bay where a new capital is being constructed out of reach of any further volcanic activity.
The people of Montserrat were granted full residency rights in the United Kingdom in 1998, and citizenship was granted in 2002.
Primary schools
Parishes
Montserrat is divided into three parishes:
Towns
Geography
The island of Montserrat is located approximately 480 km (300 miles) east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 48 km (30 miles) Southwest of Antigua. It comprises only 104 km² (40 square miles) and is increasing gradually owing to volcanic deposits on the southeast coast of the island; it is 16 km (10 miles) long and 11 km (7 miles) wide, with dramatic rock faced cliffs rising 15 to 30 m (50-100 feet) above the sea and smooth bottomed sandy beaches scattered among coves on the west side of the island. Montserrat has been a quiet haven of extraordinary scenic beauty and near perfect climate to the mainly Canadian, British and US expatriates who sought privacy in its cliffside villas and estates.
Montserrat has only two islets: Little Redonda and Virgin.
The Soufrière Hills or Montserrat volcano is an active complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit on this island of Montserrat. After a long period of dormancy it became active in 1995, and eruptions have continued up to the present.
Economy
It was formerly the home of a branch of George Martin's AIR Studios (and other amenities) that made the island popular with working and vacationing musicians and other celebrities.
Famous Montserratians
Demographics
Population: 8,400 (2002 estimate)
Note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; many have returned. Pre-eruption population was 13,000 in 1994.
Age structure:
Median age:
Population growth rate: 4.5% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: 17.57 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: 195.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
Infant mortality rate:
Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS — adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS — people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS — deaths: NA
Nationality:
Ethnic groups: black, white — mainly of mixed Irish and African descent
Religions: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations
Languages: English
Literacy:
Culture
Montserrat has its own FIFA Affiliated Football Team, and has twice competed in the World Cup qualifiers. A field for the team was built near the airport by FIFA. The Montserrat team are currently tied for 199th place in the FIFA world rankings with seven other teams, including American Samoa and Guam.
Miscellaneous topics
Operation Montserrat
Currently, American and British middle school students are eligible to participate in an Operation Montserrat live simulation. This is a videoconference program based on events of 1996 in which a hurricane approaches and a volcanic eruption occur nearly at the same time. The students are responsible for rescuing all of the people. In the weeks leading up to this, they practice the skills they need in their classroom.
References
External links
