Montserrat: Culture and History

Montserrat is a small volcanic island in the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. Plymouth is the island's capital and its chief port. It is about thirty-nine square miles and now has a population of about four thousand people. Prior to the eruption of Chance Peak, the population was over 11,500 people living there. The majority of the people there are of African descent and their religious affiliation is predominantly Christian.

It has in its southern area of the island Chance's Peak, which is 3,000 feet high. There were three mountain ranges around with the local population clustered in small villages around them. The north of the island is very arid and dry and has Silver Hills. It is almost amazing that slightly north of the centre of the island is Centre Hills, which gets moisture in the form of rain, which are softer and covered in thick vegetation.

The southern part of the island has another set of mountains in the form of Soufriere Hills, which are a chain of hills. Chances Peak is a part of this area and this chain of mountains and from which Montserrat derived its nickname, "The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean".

This area has both been a source of pride and sorrow for the island. The island obtains its water supply from this area on account of the area being rich in obtaining a great deal of rain water supply. This area is also visited by many naturalists, as there are bamboo forests and home to the Montserrat Oriole at the top of Chances Peak. Now with the eruption of Chances Peak, there are now volcanologists, seismologists and reporters visiting the area to find out what caused the eruption.