Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is approximately 16 km in length and 11 km in width. On 18 July 1995, the previously dormant volcano, in the southern part of the island, became active. Eruptions destroyed Montserrat’s capital city of Plymouth. Two-thirds of the island’s population was forced to flee leaving fewer than 1,200 people on the island in 1997. The volcanic activity continues even today, though, relatively quiet since 2010. Because of that an exclusion zone, encompassing the southern part of the island, was imposed. Visitors are generally not permitted entry into the exclusion zone.
