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Montserrat
Montserrat (pronounced /mɒntsəˈræt/) is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, 40km (30 miles) southwest of Antigua. It measures approximately 16 km (10 miles) long and 11 km (7 miles) wide, giving 40 kilometres (25 miles) of coastline and is increasing gradually owing to volcanic deposits on the southeast coast of the island. Today, Montserrat is a British dependacy territory.
Soufriere Hills Volcano
July 18th 1995 was the day the Soufriere Hills awoke in Montserrat. Over the next few years, there were many evacuations back and forth between the south (where the volcano is situated) and the north of the island. The largest evacuation in 1996 meant that everyone was permanently evacuated from the southern part of the island. Those who remained on island, were confined to the north. Plymouth, the capital, was destroyed.
Capital
 Montserrat’s Capital is Plymouth but since the evacuation of all villages south of the Belham valley following increased public risk from volcanic activity the capital has been abandoned (1997).
All Government offices and private businesses have relocated to Brades and surrounding areas. Brades has been established as the ‘Town’ until a more permanent infrastructure could be finalised. Here you will find The Government Headquarters, banks, restaurants, and supermarkets to name a few all conveniently situated within a short distance of each other. A permanent ‘Capital Town’ is currently under construction in the Little Bay area. The Montserrat Development Corporation's vision is to create ‘a thriving town centre, meeting the needs and expectations of residents, businesses and visitors.’ The Public Market (opened 2008) and Cultural Centre (opened 2007) are both recent additions to the Little Bay area development.
Clmate and Weather
Tropical and Wet
Motto: Each Endeavouring, All Achieving
National Dress
National Bird
 
National Flower
National Anthem
God Save Our Queen
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen;
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen.
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall:
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix:
God save us all.
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign:
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen.
Currency
Like many other neighbouring islands, Montserrat uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD). The United States Dollar (US) is also accepted at some businesses. The rate of the EC may vary depending on the daily fluctuation of currencies. Feel free to use our currency converter here for your convenience.
Language
The official language of Montserrat is English.
a ‘Caribbean English’ or ‘dialect’ is predominantly spoken on the island influenced by a mixture of its English and African settlers in the 17th century. Colourful and expressive words are used in dialect making it sometimes hard for non natives to comprehend what is being said.
Words such as:
‘lime’ = to hang around
‘jumbie’ =Ghost
‘Wey yah go?’ = where are you going?
‘Tek um bak’= carry it back
The dialects have some common traits and it is very frequent to have different pronouns, such as:
me - meh, or mi
you - yuh, (he, she, it,)
we - wi or all-awe, allyuh
Religion
Montserrat is predominantly a Christian nation with many denominations including Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist and other Christian denominations.
Taxes ( departure tax, hotel tax, VAT)
Departure & Security Tax: Payable upon departure of Montserrat: US$13 (EC$35.00) for CARICOM nationals and US$21 (EC$55) for all other nationals.
Accommodation Tax: 10% for hotels and 7% for Guesthouses, B&Bs and Villas.
Tipping: 10% service charge added at most restaurants, otherwise at your discretion.
Yachting Charges: There is an EC$35 (about US$13) charge for all yacht arrivals at the port levied by the Port Authority. Customs makes no charge for attendance from Monday-Friday between the hours of 8am-4 pm. There is however a charge levied outside of those hours and on Public Holidays to cover staff overtime; this is set presently at 50 EC$ per hour with a minimum of EC$100 per call out.
Click here for Flight and Travel information
Electricity
220 volts AC, 60Hz. Some buildings are wired to accept 110-volt appliances.
Time
GMT -4
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Montserrat