A Dependent Territory is a type of colony. Montserrat is a British Dependent Territory. Britain has 13 in total, amongst them Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands (where there was a war between Britain and Argentina in 1982) and St. Helena (thought to be the remotest island in the world). Montserrat has its own government with a Chief Minister, but Britain is represented by the Governor and the Queen is the head of state. Britain is legally bound to help its Dependent Territories when there are problems.

Montserrat is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. It is 39 square miles in area. There were 11,000 people living on Montserrat in 1994. At present, there are only between 4,000 and 5,000 people on the island because many have left due to the volcano's eruption. Farming (raising cattle and growing vegetables and cotton) and fishing are important means for people to earn a living. There are also factories (some making electronic goods), banks, radio stations and a small tourist industry.

Although given its name by the Spaniard, Christopher Columbus, in 1493, Montserrat was colonised by the English and Irish in 1632. These early settlers, and later visitors, thought that the island's countryside looked like Ireland. Montserrat is sometimes known as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean! Some of the present day islanders have names such as Galloway, O'Garro and Murraine.

Most of the current population are descendants of African slaves and the Irish settlers. The people speak English, although Montserratian, a local version of English, is spoken by most people as well. In 1966, the people voted to decide if they wanted to become independent and govern themselves. They chose to remain a British Dependent Territory.

In 1989, the island was badly damaged by Hurricane Hugo. The British government spent £17.5 million to help rebuild the island after that disaster. This money helped build more factories and develop the tourist industry, that is until the volcano erupted!