Topographic map of Montserrat showing the "exclusion zone" due to volcanic activity, and the new airport in the north. The roads and settlements in the exclusion zone have mostly been conquered by natural forces.
On 18 July 1995, the previously dormantSoufrière Hills volcano in the southern end of the island became active, and its eruptions destroyedPlymouth, Montserrat'sGeorgian era capital city situated on the west coast. Between 1995 and 2000, two-thirds of the island's population was forced to flee, mostly to theUnited Kingdom, leaving fewer than 1,200 people on the island in 1997. (The population had increased to nearly 5,000 by 2016).[11][12] The volcanic activity continues, mostly affecting the vicinity of Plymouth, including its docks, and the eastern side of the island around the formerW. H. Bramble Airport, the remnants of which were buried by flows from further volcanic activity on 11 February 2010.
Anexclusion zone was imposed, encompassing the southern part of the island as far north as parts of the Belham Valley, because of the size of the existing volcanic dome and the resulting possibility ofpyroclastic activity. Visitors are generally not permitted to enter the exclusion zone,[13] but a view of destroyed Plymouth can be seen from the top of Garibaldi Hill in Isles Bay. The volcano has been relatively quiet since early 2010 and continues to be closely monitored by theMontserrat Volcano Observatory.[14][15]
In 2015, it was announced that planning would begin on a new town and port atLittle Bay on the northwest coast of the island, and the centre of government and businesses was moved temporarily toBrades.[16] After a number of delays, includingHurricanesIrma andMaria in2017[17] and theCOVID-19 pandemic beginning in early 2020,[18] the Little Bay Port Development Project, a £28 million project funded by the UK and theCaribbean Development Bank, began in June 2022.
A view of half of the coastline of Little Bay, and a glimpse of Carrs Bay, taken from partway up the headland between Little Bay and Rendezvous Bay, 2012Map of Montserrat (top) andPlymouth (bottom) in 1869
Archaeological field work in 2012 in Montserrat's Centre Hills indicated that there had been an Archaic (pre-Arawak) occupation between 2000 and 500 BC.[20] Later coastal sites showed the presence of theSaladoid culture (until 550 AD).[21] The native Caribs are believed to have called the islandAlliouagana, meaning 'Land of the Prickly Bush'.[22]
In 2016, ninepetroglyphs were discovered by local residents hiking in a wooded area nearSoldier Ghaut.[23][24] Another was discovered in 2018 in the same area of the island.[24] The carvings are believed to be 1,000–1,500 years old.[23]
The preponderance of protestantAnglo-Irish (Irish of British descent) in the first wave of European settlers led a leading legal scholar to remark that a "nice question" is whether the original settlers took with them the law of theKingdom of Ireland insofar as it differed from the law of theKingdom of England.[28]
The Irish being historical allies of theFrench, especially in their qualified disdain of the English, invited the French to claim the island in 1666, although no troops were sent by France to maintain control.[26] The French attacked and briefly occupied the island in the late 1660s;[29] it was captured shortly afterwards by the English, and English control of the island was confirmed under theTreaty of Breda the following year.[26] Despite the seizing by force of the island by the French, the island's legal status is that of a "colony acquired by settlement", as the French gave up their claim to the island at Breda.[26]
Aneo-feudal colony developed amongst the so-called "redlegs".[30] The protestantAnglo-Irish colonists began to transport bothSub-Saharan African slaves and catholic Irish indentured servants for labour, as was common to mostCaribbean islands. By the late 18th century, numerousplantations had been developed on the island.
There was a brief French attack on Montserrat in 1712.[29] On 17 March 1768, aslave rebellion failed but their efforts were remembered.[31][29] Slavery was abolished in 1834. In 1985, the people of Montserrat madeSt Patrick's Day a ten-day public holiday to commemorate the uprising.[32] Festivities celebrate the culture and history of Montserrat in song, dance, food and traditional costumes.[33]
During the nineteenth century, falling sugar prices had an adverse effect on the island's economy, asBrazil and other nations competed in the trade.[36][37]
The first lime tree orchards on the island were planted in 1852 by a local planter, Mr Burke.[38] In 1857, the British philanthropistJoseph Sturge bought a sugar estate to prove that it was economically viable to employ paid labour rather than use slaves.[22] Numerous members of the Sturge family bought additional land. In 1869, the family established the Montserrat Company Limited and plantedKey lime trees; started the commercial production of lime juice, with more than 100,000 gallons produced annually by 1895; set up a school; and sold parcels of land to the inhabitants of the island. The pure lime juice was transported in casks to England, where it was clarified and bottled by Evans, Sons & Co, of Liverpool, with a trade mark on each bottle intended to guarantee quality to the public.[27]
Corruption allegations within the PLM party resulted in the collapse of the Osborne government in 1991, withReuben Meade becoming the new chief minister,[45] and early elections were called.[45]
In 1995–1999, Montserrat was devastated by catastrophic volcanic eruptions in theSoufrière Hills, which destroyed the capital city ofPlymouth, and necessitated the evacuation of a large part of the island. Many Montserratians emigrated abroad, mainly to the United Kingdom, although some have returned. The eruptions rendered the entire southern half of the island uninhabitable, and it is currently designated an Exclusion Zone with restricted access.
Criticism of the Montserratian government's response to the disaster led to the resignation of Chief MinisterBertrand Osborne in 1997 after only a year in office. He was replaced byDavid Brandt, who remained in office until 2001. Since leaving office, Brandt has been the subject of multiple criminal investigation into alleged sex offences with minors.[46] He was found guilty of six counts of sexual exploitation and sentenced to fifteen years in July 2021.[47]
John Osborne returned as Chief Minister following victory in the 2001 election. He was ousted byLowell Lewis of theMontserrat Democratic Party in 2006. Reuben Meade returned to office in 2009 to 2014.[48] During his term, the post of Chief Minister was replaced with that ofPremier.
The locations of settlements on the island have been vastly changed since the volcanic activity began. Only the Parish of Saint Peter in the northwest of the island is now inhabited, with a population of between 4,000 and 6,000,[51][52] the other two parishes being still too dangerous to inhabit.
A significantly more up-to-date statistical division would be the 3 census regions, primarily used for the population census.[53] Going north to south, these are:
Northern Region (2,369 pop.)
Central Region (1,666 pop.)
South of Nantes river (887 pop.)
For census purposes, these are further divided into 23 enumeration districts.
The defence of Montserrat is the responsibility of the United Kingdom. TheRoyal Navy maintains a ship on permanent station in the Caribbean (HMS Medway)[54] and from time-to-time may send another Royal Navy orRoyal Fleet Auxiliary ship as a part of the Atlantic Patrol (NORTH) tasking. These ships' main mission in the region is to maintain British sovereignty for the overseas territories, provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief during disasters such as hurricanes, which are common in the area, and conduct counter-narcotics operations. In October 2023, the destroyerHMSDauntless (which had temporarily replacedMedway on its Caribbean tasking), visited the territory in order to assist local authorities in preparing for the climax of the hurricane season.[55]
TheRoyal Montserrat Defence Force is the home defence unit of the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. Raised in 1899, the unit is today a reduced force of about forty volunteer soldiers, primarily concerned with civil defence and ceremonial duties. The unit has a historical association with theIrish Guards.
The island is served by landline telephones, fully digitalised, with 3000 subscribers and by mobile cellular, with an estimated number of 5000 handsets in use. An estimated 2860 users have internet access. These are July 2016 estimates. Public radio service is provided byRadio Montserrat. There is a single television broadcaster, PTV.[56] Cable and satellite television service is available.[8]
TheUK postcode for directing mail to Montserrat is MSR followed by four digits according to the destination town; for example, the postcode for Little Bay is MSR1120.[57]
The island of Montserrat is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) southwest ofAntigua, 13 miles (21 km) southeast ofRedonda (a small island owned byAntigua and Barbuda), and 35 miles (56 km) northwest of the French overseas region ofGuadeloupe. Beyond Redonda lies the island ofNevis (which is part of the federation ofSt Kitts and Nevis), about 30 miles (48 km) to the north-west.
Montserrat comprises 104 km2 (40 sq mi) and is gradually increasing owing to the buildup of volcanic deposits on the southeast coast. The island is 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 11 km (6.8 mi) wide and consists of a mountainous interior surrounded by a flatter littoral region, with rock cliffs rising 15 to 30 m (49 to 98 ft) above the sea and a number of smooth bottomed sandy beaches scattered amongcoves on the western (Caribbean Sea) side of the island.
The major mountains are (from north to south)Silver Hill,Katy Hill in the Centre Hills range, theSoufrière Hills and theSouth Soufrière Hills.[32] The Soufrière Hillsvolcano is the island's highest point; its pre-1995 height was 915 metres (3,002 ft). However, it has grown after the eruption due to the creation of alava dome, with its current height being estimated at 1,050 metres (3,440 ft).[8]
The 2011 estimate by theCentral Intelligence Agency {CIA) indicates that 30% of the island's land is classified as agricultural, 20% as arable, 25% as forest and the balance as "other".[8]
Eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano on 22 September 1997Plymouth City (former capital and major port of Montserrat) on 12 July 1997, afterpyroclastic flows burned much of what was not covered in ashFalse-colour time-lapse images of the Soufrière Hills volcanic dome collapse in 2010, fromNASADevastated Plymouth City and volcano (2003)
In July 1995, Montserrat's Soufrière Hills volcano, dormant for centuries, erupted and soon buried the island's capital, Plymouth, in more than 12 metres (39 ft) of mud, destroyed its airport and docking facilities, and rendered the southern part of the island, now termed the exclusion zone, uninhabitable and not safe for travel. The southern part of the island was evacuated and visits are severely restricted.[58] The exclusion zone also includes two sea areas adjacent to the land areas of most volcanic activity.[11]
After the destruction of Plymouth and disruption of the economy, more than half of the population left the island, which also lacked housing. During the late 1990s, additional eruptions occurred. On 25 June 1997, a pyroclastic flow travelled down Mosquito Ghaut. Thispyroclastic surge could not be restrained by theghaut (a steep ravine leading to the sea) and spilled out of it, killing 19 people who were in the (officially evacuated) Streatham village area. Several others in the area suffered severe burns.
British nationality law has changed over time with respect to the status granted to Montserrat residents. In recognition of the disaster, in 1998, the people of Montserrat were granted full residency rights in the United Kingdom, allowing them to migrate if they chose.British citizenship was granted in 2002 toBritish Overseas Territories citizens in Montserrat and all but one other British Overseas Territory.[59]
For a number of years in the early 2000s, the volcano's activity consisted mostly of infrequent ventings ofash into the uninhabited areas in the south. The ash falls occasionally extended into the northern and western parts of the island. In the most recent period of increased activity at the Soufrière Hills volcano, from November 2009 through February 2010, ash vented and there was avulcanian explosion that sentpyroclastic flows down several sides of the mountain. Travel into parts of the exclusion zone was occasionally allowed, though only by a licence from the Royal Montserrat Police Force.[60] Since 2014 the area has been split into multiple subzones with varying entry and use restrictions, based on volcanic activity: some areas even being (in 2020) open 24 hours and inhabited. The most dangerous zone, which includes the former capital, remains forbidden to casual visitors due to volcanic and other hazards, especially due to the lack of maintenance in destroyed areas. It is legal to visit this area when accompanied by a government-authorised guide.[61][62]
The northern part of Montserrat has largely been unaffected by volcanic activity, and remains lush and green. In February 2005,Princess Anne officially opened what is now called theJohn A. Osborne Airport in the north. Since 2011, it handles several flights daily operated byFly Montserrat Airways. Docking facilities are in place at Little Bay, where the new capital town is being constructed; the new government centre is at Brades, a short distance away.
Montserrat oriole, the official bird of the island
Montserrat, like many isolated islands, is home to rare,endemic plant and animal species. Work undertaken by the Montserrat National Trust in collaboration with theRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew has centred on the conservation of pribby (Rondeletia buxifolia) in the Centre Hills region. Until 2006, this species was known only from one book about the vegetation of Montserrat.[63] In 2006, conservationists also rescued several plants of the endangered Montserrat orchid (Epidendrum montserratense) from dead trees on the island and installed them in the security of the island's botanic garden.
Montserrat is also home to the critically endangeredgiant ditch frog (Leptodactylus fallax), known locally as the mountain chicken, found only in Montserrat andDominica. The species has undergone catastrophic declines due to the amphibian diseaseChytridiomycosis and the volcanic eruption in 1997. Experts fromDurrell Wildlife Conservation Trust have been working with the Montserrat Department of Environment to conserve the frogin-situ in a project called "Saving the Mountain Chicken",[64] and anex-situ captive breeding population has been set up in partnership with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,Zoological Society of London,Chester Zoo, Parken Zoo, and the Governments of Montserrat and Dominica. Releases from this programme have already taken place in a hope to increase the numbers of the frog and reduce extinction risk from Chytridiomycosis.
The national bird is the endemicMontserrat oriole (Icterus oberi).[65] TheIUCN Red List classifies it as vulnerable, having previously listed it as critically endangered.[66] Captive populations are held in several zoos in the UK including: Chester Zoo,London Zoo,Jersey Zoo andEdinburgh Zoo.
TheMontserrat galliwasp (Diploglossus montisserrati), a type of lizard, is endemic to Montserrat and is listed on the IUCN Red List as critically endangered.[67][68] A species action plan has been developed for this species.[69]
In 2005, a biodiversity assessment for the Centre Hills was conducted. To support the work of local conservationists, a team of international partners, including Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,Royal Society for the Protection of Birds andMontana State University, carried out extensive surveys and collected biological data.[70] Researchers from Montana State University found that the invertebrate fauna was particularly rich on the island. The report found that the number of invertebrate species known to occur in Montserrat is 1241. The number of known beetle species is 718 species from 63 families. It is estimated that 120 invertebrates are endemic to Montserrat.[70]
Montserrat is known for its coral reefs and its caves along the shore. These caves house many species of bats, and efforts are underway to monitor and protect the ten species of bats from extinction.[71][72]
The Montserrat tarantula (Cyrtopholis femoralis) is the only species of tarantula native to the island. It was first bred in captivity at the Chester Zoo in August 2016.[73]
TheMVCaribe Queen is aNevis ferry boat which formerly shuttled passengers betweenAntigua and Montserrat several times a week
Montserrat's economy was devastated by the 1995 eruption and its aftermath;[32] currently the island's operating budget is largely supplied by the British government and administered through theDepartment for International Development (DFID) amounting to approximately £25 million per year.[citation needed] Additional amounts are secured through income and property taxes, licence and other fees as well as customs duties levied on imported goods.
The limited economy of Montserrat, with a population under 5000, consumes 2.5 MW of electric power,[75] produced by five diesel generators.[76] Two exploratorygeothermal wells have found good resources and the pad for a third geothermal well was prepared in 2016.[77] Together the geothermal wells are expected to produce more power than the island requires.[78] A 250 kW solar PV station was commissioned in 2019, with plans for another 750 kW.[75]
A report published by the CIA indicates that the value of exports totalled the equivalent of US$5.7 million (2017 est.), consisting primarily of electronic components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, limes, live plants and cattle. The value of imports totalled US$31.02 million (2016 est.), consisting primarily of machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels and lubricants.[8]
In 1979,the Beatles' producerGeorge Martin openedAIR Studios Montserrat,[79] making the island popular with musicians who often went there to record while taking advantage of the island's climate and beautiful surroundings.[80] In the early hours of 17 September 1989,Hurricane Hugo passed the island as a Category 4 hurricane, damaging more than 90% of the structures on the island.[22] AIR Studios Montserrat closed, and the tourist economy was virtually wiped out.[81] The slowly recovering tourist industry was again wiped out with the eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano in 1995, although it began partially to recover within fifteen years.[82]
Ferry service to the island was provided by the Jaden Sun Ferry. It ran from Heritage Quay inSt. John's, Antigua and Barbuda toLittle Bay on Montserrat. The ride was about an hour and a half and operated five days a week.[85]
This service stopped in 2020 due to being financially unsustainable and the only access to Montserrat now is by air.[86]
The island had a population of 5,879 (according to a 2008 estimate). An estimated 8,000 refugees left the island (primarily to the UK) following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; the population was 13,000 in 1994. The 2011 Montserrat census indicated a population of 4,922.[88] In early 2016, the estimated population had reached nearly 5,000 primarily due to immigration from other islands.[12]
Age structure (2003 estimates):
up to 14 years: 23.4% (male 1,062; female 1,041)
15 to 64 years: 65.3% (male 2,805; female 3,066)
65 years and over: 11.3% (male 537; female 484)
The median age of the population was 28.1 as of 2002 and the sex ratio was 0.96 males/female as of 2000.
The population growth rate is 6.9% (2008 est.), with a birth rate of 17.57 births/1,000 population, death rate of 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.), and net migration rate of 195.35/1,000 population (2000 est.) There is an infant mortality rate of 7.77 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.). The life expectancy at birth is 75.9 years: 76.8 for males and 75.0 for females (2023 est.).[89] Globally, only Montserrat has a higher life expectancy for males than females, a difference of 1.8 years.[90] The total fertility rate is 1.8 children born/woman (2003 est.).
According to the Montserrat government's 2024 population census, the island has a total population of 4,386, a 10.9% drop compared to 2011.[91]
The Irish constituted the largest proportion of the white population from the founding of the colony in 1628. Most wereindentured servants; others were merchants or plantation owners. The geographer Thomas Jeffrey claimed inThe West India Atlas (1780) that the majority of those on Montserrat were either Irish or of Irish descent, "so that the use of theIrish language is preserved on the island, even among the Negroes."[95]
African slaves and Irish indentured servants of all classes were in constant contact, with sexual relationships being common and a population of mixed descent appearing as a consequence.[96] The Irish were also prominent in Caribbean commerce, with their merchants importing Irish goods such as beef, pork, butter and herring, and also importing slaves.[97]
There is indirect evidence that the use of the Irish language continued in Montserrat until at least the middle of the nineteenth century. TheCounty Kilkenny diarist and Irish scholarAmhlaoibh Ó Súilleabháin noted in 1831 that he had heard that Irish was still spoken in Montserrat by both black and white inhabitants.[98]
In 1852, Henry H. Breen wrote inNotes and Queries that "The statement that 'the Irish language is spoken in the West India Islands, and that in some of them it may be said to be almost vernacular,' is true of the little Island of Montserrat, but has no foundation with respect to the other colonies."[99]
In 1902,The Irish Times quoted theMontreal Family Herald in a description of Montserrat, noting that "the negroes to this day speak the old Irish Gaelic tongue, or English with an Irish brogue. A story is told of aConnaught man who, on arriving at the island, was, to his astonishment, hailed in a vernacular Irish by the black people."[100]
A letter byW. F. Butler inThe Atheneum (15 July 1905) quotes an account by aCork civil servant, C. Cremen, of what he had heard from a retired sailor called John O'Donovan, a fluent Irish speaker:
He frequently told me that in the year 1852, when mate of the brig Kaloolah, he went ashore on the island of Montserrat which was then out of the usual track of shipping. He said he was much surprised to hear the negroes actually talking Irish among themselves, and that he joined in the conversation...[98]
The BritishphoneticianJohn C. Wells conducted research into speech in Montserrat in 1977–78 (which included also Montserratians resident in London).[101] He found media claims that Irish speech, whetherAnglo-Irish orIrish Gaelic, influenced contemporary Montserratian speech were largely exaggerated.[101] He found little in phonology, morphology or syntax that could be attributed to Irish influence, and in Wells' report, only a small number of Irish words in use, one example beingminseach[ˈmʲiɲʃəx] which he suggests is the noungoat.[101]
In 2001, the CIA estimated the primary religion as Protestant (67.1%, includingAnglican 21.8%, Methodist 17%, Pentecostal 14.1%, Seventh-day Adventist 10.5%, and Church of God 3.7%), with Catholics constituting 11.6%, Rastafarian 1.4%, other 6.5%, none 2.6%, unspecified 10.8%.[8] By 2018, the statistics were Protestant 71.4% (includes Anglican 17.7%, Pentecostal/Full Gospel 16.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 15%, Methodist 13.9%, Church of God 6.7%, other Protestant 2%), Roman Catholic 11.4%, Rastafarian 1.4%, Hindu 1.2%, Jehovah's Witness 1%, Muslim 0.4%, unspecified 5.1%, none 7.9% (2018 est.)[102]
Residents of Montserrat are known as Montserratians. The population is predominantly, but not exclusively, of mixed African-Irish descent.[103] It is not known with certainty how many African slaves and indentured Irish labourers were brought to the West Indies, though according to one estimate some 60,000 Irish were "Barbadosed" byOliver Cromwell,[104] some of whom would have arrived in Montserrat.
The national dish of Montserrat isgoat water, a hearty stew made from goat meat, typically served with crusty bread rolls.[12] Montserrat's cuisine reflects a blend of British andCaribbean culinary traditions, owing to its status as a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. The local diet features a variety of light meats, including fish, seafood, and chicken, which are commonly grilled or roasted. Montserrat's culinary heritage is a fusion of multiple cultural influences, includingSpanish,French, African, Indian, andAmerindian, contributing to the complexity and diversity of Caribbean cuisine. Sophisticated dishes, such asMontserrat jerk shrimp, flavored with rum, cinnamon bananas, and cranberry, showcase this multicultural influence. In more rural areas, traditional homemade dishes likemahi mahi and locally baked breads remain popular, emphasizing fresh, local ingredients.
The Montserrat Cultural Centre overlooking Little Bay
Montserrat is served by a single national radio station, Radio Montserrat. The station provides a diverse range of programming, including music and news, catering to both local residents and the Montserratian diaspora via online streaming. Prominent programs include theMorning Show, hosted by Basil Chambers, and theCultural Show, presented by Rose Willock.
Montserrat has been a filming location for notable media projects. In the 1980s, the island was used as the backdrop for music videos by the rock band The Police, specifically for their songs "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Spirits in the Material World." Additionally, significant portions of the 2020 filmWendy were shot on the island in 2017.[109][110]
In 2023, a documentary titledBen Fogle and the Buried City, produced byBen Fogle, explored the abandoned capital of Plymouth, which was devastated by volcanic ash. The 90-minute film premiered on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and was also screened at the Montserrat Cultural Centre, attracting a substantial local audience.[111][112][113][114]
AIR Montserrat was a residential recording studio located in Salem, Montserrat, at coordinates 16°44′28″N 62°12′53″W. Established by Associated Independent Recording (AIR) and constructed near the residence of producer George Martin, the studio opened in July 1979. It featured several villas to accommodate clients during recording sessions. The studio was equipped with a 46-channel Neve mixing console, two MCI 24-track recorders, three Ampex ATR-102 2-track tape recorders, an MCI synchronizer for 46-track work, and JBL and Tannoy monitors.
The first band to record at AIR Montserrat was the Climax Blues Band, working on their albumReal to Reel. Other prominent artists and bands who recorded there included Dire Straits, Elton John, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jimmy Buffett, Michael Jackson, the Police, the Rolling Stones, and Rush.[80] Notable albums produced at the studio include:
AIR Montserrat operated for over a decade until it was severely damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, leading to its closure. The island faced further challenges due to volcanic eruptions between 1995 and 1997. In response to these events, George Martin organized fundraising initiatives to support Montserrat's residents.[citation needed]
In September 1997, Martin hostedMusic for Montserrat at London's Royal Albert Hall, featuring performances by artists such as Paul McCartney, Mark Knopfler, Elton John, Sting, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, and Midge Ure. The event raised £1.5 million for short-term relief efforts. Additionally, Martin released 500 limited-edition lithographs of his score for the Beatles' song "Yesterday," signed by himself and Paul McCartney. The sale of these lithographs raised over US$1.4 million, which funded the construction of a cultural and community center to aid the island's recovery.[80][116]
Miguel Francis who now represents the United Kingdom and previously represented Antigua and Barbuda was born in Montserrat. He holds the Antiguan National record over200m in 19.88.[120][121]
Basketball is growing in popularity in Montserrat with the country now setting up their own basketball league.[122][123] The league contains six teams, which are the Look-Out Shooters, Davy Hill Ras Valley, Cudjoe Head Renegades, St. Peters Hilltop, Salem Jammers and MSS School Warriors.[124] They have also built a new 800 seater complex which cost $1.5 million.
In common with many Caribbean islands,cricket is a very popular sport in Montserrat. Players from Montserrat are eligible to play for theWest Indies cricket team.Jim Allen was the first to play for the West Indies and he represented theWorld Series Cricket West Indians, although, with a very small population, no other player from Montserrat had gone on to represent the West Indies untilLionel Baker made his One Day International debut against Pakistan in November 2008.[125]
TheMontserrat cricket team forms a part of theLeeward Islands cricket team in regional domestic cricket; however, it plays as a separate entity in minor regional matches,[126] as well having previously playedTwenty20 cricket in theStanford 20/20.[127] Two grounds on the island have heldfirst-class matches for the Leeward Islands, the first and most historic wasSturge Park in Plymouth, which had been in use since the 1920s. This was destroyed in 1997 by the volcanic eruption. A new ground, theSalem Oval, was constructed and opened in 2000. This has also held first-class cricket. A second ground has been constructed at Little Bay.[128]
Montserrat has its ownFIFA affiliatedfootball team, and has competed in the World Cup qualifiers five times but failed to advance to the finals from 2002 to 2018. A field for the team was built near the airport by FIFA. In 2002, the team competed in a friendly match with the second-lowest-ranked team in FIFA at that time,Bhutan, inThe Other Final, the same day as the final of the2002 World Cup. Bhutan won 4–0. Montserrat has failed to qualify for anyFIFA World Cup. They have also failed to ever qualify for theGold Cup andCaribbean Cup. The current national team relies mostly on thediaspora resident inEngland and in the last World Cup qualification game againstCuraçao nearly all the squad members played and lived in England.[citation needed]
Montserrat has a club league, theMontserrat Championship, which has played sporadically since 1974. The league was most recently on hiatus from 2005 until 2015 but restarted play in 2016.
Surfer brothers Carrll and Gary Robilotta at Isle's Bay, Montserrat
Carrll Robilotta, whose parents moved from the United States to Montserrat in 1980, was responsible for pioneering the sport of surfing on the island. He and his brother Gary explored, discovered, and named the surf spots on the island during the 80s and early 90s.[129]
Chadd Cumberbatch, visual and performing artist, poet and playwright.
Margaret Dyer-Howe, Montserrat's second woman to be appointed a cabinet minister.
Ettore Ewen, American professional wrestler and former WWE Heavyweight Champion, 11-time tag team champion, former college football player and powerlifter.
^"God Save the King" is thenational anthem by custom, not statute, and there is no authorised version. Typically only the first verse is usually sung, although the second verse is also often sung as well at state and public events.[1] The wordsKing, he, him, his, used at present, are replaced byQueen, she, her when the monarch is female.
^Abandoned in 1997, following a volcanic eruption, although it is still thede jure capital.
^Government buildings are now located in Brades, making it thede facto capital.
^Includes thenew airport in the north of the island.
^abcSchuessler, Ryan (14 February 2016)."20 years after Montserrat volcano eruption, many still in shelter housing". Al Jazeera.Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved23 November 2016.Montserrat's population has grown to nearly 5,000 people since the eruption — mostly due to an influx of immigrants from other Caribbean nations.
^Reid, Basil A. (2009).Myths and Realities of Caribbean History.University of Alabama Press. p. 21.ISBN978-0-8173-5534-0.However, archaeological investigations of the very large site of Trants in Montserrat ... [suggest that Trants was] one of the largest Saladoid sites in the Caribbean.
^Bergreen, Laurence (2011).Columbus: The Four Voyages. Viking. p. 140.ISBN978-0-670-02301-1.At daybreak on November 10, Columbus and his fleet departed fromGuadeloupe, sailing northwest along the coast to the island of Montserrat. The handful of Indians aboard his ship explained that the island had been ravaged by the Caribs, who had 'eaten all its inhabitants'.
^abcdRoberts-Wray, Kenneth (1966).Commonwealth and Colonial Law. London: Stevens. p. 855.
^abc"The Island of Montserrat".The Illustrated London News.106 (Summer Number): 37. 1895 – via Internet Archive.
^Roberts-Wray, Kenneth (1966).Commonwealth and Colonial Law. London: Stevens. p. 856.
^O'Shaughnessy, A. J. (2006)."Caribbean". In Boatner, III, M. M. (ed.).Landmarks of the American Revolution: Library of Military History (2nd ed.). Detroit, MI: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 33.ISBN978-0-684-31473-0.Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved20 September 2020 – via Gale Virtual Reference.
^Finkleman, Paul; Calder Miller, Joseph, eds. (1998)."Plantations: Brazil".Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery. Macmillan Reference USA.Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved14 February 2018 – via GALE World History in Context.
^"The Island of Montserrat".The Illustrated London News.106 (Summer Number): 37. 1895 – via Internet Archive.
^National Research Council (1994).Hurricane Hugo, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Charleston, South Carolina, September 17-22, 1989. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.doi:10.17226/1993.ISBN978-0-309-04475-2.
^The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.IV. London: Charles Knight. 1848. p. 772.
^"Census 2011 At a Glance"(PDF).Government of Montserrat. Statistics Department, Montserrat. 2011. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 3 April 2019. Retrieved23 November 2016.
^Cited in:Truxes, Thomas M. (2004).Irish-American Trade, 1660-1783.Cambridge University Press. p. 100. See also:The late Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to the King (1780).The West India Atlas or, A Compendious Description of the West-Indies. Fleet Street, London: Robert Sayer and John Bennett.
^Rodgers, Nini (November 2007)."The Irish in the Caribbean 1641-1837: An Overview".Irish Migration Studies in Latin America.5 (3):145–156. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved25 March 2016.
^McGarrity, Maria (2008).Washed by the Gulf Stream: The Historic and Geographic Relation of Irish and Caribbean Literature. Associated University Presses. pp. 33–34.ISBN978-0-87413-028-7.
^abDe Bhaldraithe, Tomás, ed. (1979). "Entry 2700, 1 Aibreán 1831 [1 April 1831]".Cín Lae Amhlaoibh (in Irish).Baile Átha Cliath: An Clóchomhar Tta. p. 84.Is clos dom gurb í an teanga Ghaeilge is teanga mháthartha i Monserrat san India Thiar ó aimsir Olibher Cromaill, noch do dhíbir cuid de chlanna Gael ó Éirinn gusan Oileán sin Montserrat. Labhartar an Ghaeilge ann go coiteann le daoine dubha agus bána. [I heard that the Irish language is the mother tongue in Montserrat in the West Indies since the time of Oliver Cromwell, who banished some Gaelic Irish families there. Irish speaking is common among both blacks and whites.]
24Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under theAntarctic Treaty.
^Anderson, E. N. (Spring 1999). "Review: Native American Cultural Representations of Flora and Fauna".Ethnohistory.46 (2). Duke University Press:378–382.JSTOR482966.
^Glazier, Stephen D. (July–September 1987). "Review".The Journal of American Folklore.100 (397):363–365.doi:10.2307/540351.JSTOR540351.
^Chester, David K. (June 2001). "Review".The Geographical Journal.167 (2). Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers):183–184.JSTOR3060497.
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