Montserrat is an island in the eastern Caribbean, 40 km southwest of Antigua. It is a British Overseas Territory. Since 1995 it has been threatened by the Soufrière Hills volcano in the south of the island. In 1997 pyroclastic flows from the volcano killed 20 people and destroyed the south, centre and east of the island, including the main town, Plymouth, and the airport. This area is now an exclusion zone. The north of the island has remained safe throughout.
Before the volcano, the population was 12,000. It is now around 5,000.
A new airport has been built in the north, at the site shown on the map as "Gerald's heliport". Regular Winair flights link the island with Antigua, for connections to the UK and north America.
