MONTSERRAT
MONTSERRAT. A British dependency in the Leeward Islands. Languages: English, CREOLE. Columbus named the island when he visited it in 1493, its terrain reminding him of Montserrat in Catalonia (from Latin Mons Serratus Saw-Toothed Mountain). In 1632, the island was colonized by English and Irish settlers from St Christopher, followed by more Irish from Virginia. Slaves from Africa began arriving in 1664. Although the French took the island for brief periods in 1664, 1667, and 1782, it remained British, but did not become a colony until 1871. In 1958, it became a member of the Federation of the West Indies, and did not seek independence on the dissolution of the Federation in 1962. The island's active volcanoes are known as soufrières (French: sulphurous ones).
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MONTSERRAT
