Montserrat, at 12 miles long and almost 7 miles wide, was once known as a 'haven of tranquility'. The island was most appropriately named "the Emerald isle of the Caribbean ". It was a slice of the old Caribbean with a smattering of beaches and hotels, and a lush, mountainous interior that invited exploration. The island's peaceful surroundings were shattered by the devastating eruption of the Soufriere (French for sulfur) Volcano, known by locals as Chance's Peak, in 1995. As ash, rocks, and lava rained down from the newly reactivated volcano, two-thirds of the population of 12,000, the entire southern portion of the island, was evacuated. In 1997, the increased volcanic activity destroyed the abandoned capital, Plymouth . At the present time, volcanologists constantly monitor the activity, and though they can predict the activity, they have
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