Montserrat - General information

Officially recognized name- Montserrat.

Location- the state of Montserrat is located in the Caribbean among the group of Lesser Antilles. It occupies the eponymous volcanic island of Montserrat, which was called the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean”, because. the first Europeans on this island were precisely the settlers from Ireland. Such a historical feature was also reflected in the state emblem - a red-haired girl in green robes with a Celtic harp in her hands.

Territory- 102 square kilometers (240th place in the world).

Population- approximately 6,046 people (232 in the world).

Ethnic composition According to approximate data, the population is represented by black Montserratians, while the rest - about 3% of the population - are the ancestors of the first settlers from Germany, England and Ireland.

Religion- most of the population are adherents of Protestantism and its trends (Anglicanism, Methodism, Adventism). The rest of the inhabitants of the island are Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Capital– Plymouth (remains the legal capital of Montserrat, but the city itself is abandoned after the volcanic eruption), the government is now located in the city of Brades.

Largest cities“Plymouth, Brades, Woodlands, Heralds, Bethel.

Official language- English. The literacy rate of the population is 97%.

Administrative division- the territory of Montserrat is divided into three parishes (St. Anthony, St. Georges, St. Peter), the last two were completely abandoned by the locals after the volcanic eruption. At the moment, only St. Anthony is a populated parish.

Form of government– Constitutional Monarchy (overseas territory of Great Britain).

dominant person is the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II, and the governor Adrian Davis represents the direct authority on the island.

© aglife.ru

© aglife.ru

Since 1995, the volcano has been erupting intermittently, but people somehow learned to live next to it (prohibiting, however, 2/3 of the country for economic activity). There is a volcanic observatory on the island Montserrat Volcano Observatory(MVO), which constantly measures the activity of the volcano, and a complex system of civil defense. The island is divided into zones marked with letters (A, B, ...) with different status, the observatory, based on observations, assigns a “danger level” from 1 to 5 (now the “danger level” is 3). Depending on the “level of danger”, some activity is allowed or prohibited in different zones: somewhere you can live and do whatever you want, fearing only the fall of ash from the sky and Caribbean cyclones; somewhere you can live for those who already live, but be ready for evacuation; no one can be anywhere except specialists. Each house has a usually silent battery-operated radio receiver, through which an evacuation alert can be transmitted at any time - in a sense, an analogue of our radio station (which, as we know, has the main purpose of civil defense and emergency alerts)

Most of the island (zone V), regardless of the level of danger, is always closed to normal human life

The EC$20 banknote still features the government house of Montserrat:

Some houses in zone V look like they are completely intact, but after a few cyclones and a few years, their roof will first collapse, and then trees will sprout through the roof

Light and brittle, volcanic pumice is easily washed away by tropical rains. Erosion is destroying Plymouth much faster than any pyroclastic flows

Scientists can see the cruise ship pier: from the ridge of concrete blocks that divides the frame horizontally in half, and from the remains of some port facilities at the bottom of the frame, you can guess its original length. All the rest of the sand further into the sea is “new land”, from a rock brought by a volcanic eruption or an ordinary mudflow

Scientists see a power plant: they say there are whole generators left inside, and although it is not clear how much time has spared them, there is a plan to dismantle them and restore them in a new place

This used to be the old airport of Montserrat. Nothing left

Scientists see a boulder the size of almost a floor on the roof of a house:

This stone rolled down from the volcano: it is 5 stories high

Everything below the cliffs is new land that has been formed by eruptions over the past 15 years.

The dome of the volcano is hidden by a cloud, which is densely mixed with sulfur evaporation. The smell is truly hellish

This is not a landing or hovering: the helicopter flies at 120-200 km/h 5-7 meters from the ground. The pilot says that this is taught to any helicopter pilot, because such flights (near the ground and objects) are one of the main niches for helicopters. “There are planes for flying at high altitudes and away from obstacles.” Helicopter flights are almost always visual, only very large and/or cool machines are equipped for instrument flight

People left the “zone”, but the animals remained and became wild. A special Montserrat pastime is to hunt wild sheep and goats in the "zone"

The sulfur erupted by the volcano oxidizes and, mixing with water, pours acid rain on the ground - it is because of this that there are so many dead trees here

On the house on the left you can clearly see how he was buried pyroclastic flow almost to the level of the 2nd floor, but nature managed to take its toll, everything is already overgrown with lush greenery. Ravines are formed when volcanic sand brought pyroclastic flow blurs the downpour

But along this river valley near Plymouth, I walked not pyroclastic flow, and an ordinary mudflow: when the Caribbean is flooded with water in a cyclone, the streams wash away the volcanic material and carry it down to the sea

The valley used to be a Montserrat golf club, a bridge across the river and a suburb of Plymouth with the most expensive real estate on the island. Now it's all buried under a 5-meter layer of volcanic sand.

Nowadays, volcanic sand is mined here, transported to the port by dump trucks, loaded onto barges and exported to neighboring Caribbean countries - volcanic sand concrete requires less cement

Plymouth again:

If you look closely at the roof of the workshop, you can see that it is completely covered with sand.

Plymouth mon amour

IKEA? Mega? Auchan?

Water stadium?

Hotel 5*

As elsewhere in the Caribbean, there are many sugarcane mills left from colonial times:

Plymouth stood on a cliff, but now, due to eruptions, brown sand beaches have formed around

This is zone B, people can already live here. House of the main Montserrat oligarch:

Island in the north arch. Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. It was discovered in 1493 by Columbus and named Montserrat in honor of the Catholic monastery of Montserrat, located on the mountain of the same name in Spain. Name from Spanish Monto sagrado sacred mountain.… … Geographic Encyclopedia

MONTSERRAT- Possession of Great Britain on the island of the same name, which is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. The area of ​​the territory is 102 km2. The population (estimated for 1998) is 12828 people, including over 1.3 thousand foreigners, the average density ... ... Cities and countries

MONTSERRAT- (Montserrat) General The official name of Montserrat. An overseas territory of Great Britain on the island of the same name in the West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles group. The total area is 102 km2, the population is 4.5 thousand people. (2001).… … Encyclopedia of the countries of the world

Montserrat- an island in the north arch. Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea. It was discovered in 1493 by Columbus and named Montserrat in honor of the Catholic monastery of Montserrat, located on the mountain of the same name in Spain. Name from Spanish Monto sagrado the sacred mountain... Toponymic Dictionary

Montserrat- (Montserrat), possession of Great Britain on the island of the same name in the West Indies, in the Lesser Antilles group. The area is 101 km2. Population 12.2 thousand people (1978). The dominant religions are Protestant and Catholic. Official language … … Encyclopedic reference book "Latin America"

Montserrat, about.- (Montserrat) Montserrat, an island in the West Indies, one of the Windward Islands; sq. 102 sq. km, 12000 people (1988, estimate); official language. English; ch. city ​​Plymouth. Visited by Columbus in 1493. and was named after the Benedictine ... ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

- (Montserrat) an island in the West Indies, as part of the Lesser Antilles; British possession. The area is 98 km2. Population 12 thousand people. (1971). The administrative center of Plymouth. The main occupation of the population is the cultivation of cotton, bananas ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (Montserrat) about in the West Indies, possession of Great Britain. The first stamps of the Antigua stamp overprinted with the name. about va vol. in 1876. In 1880 ed. stamps with a portrait of the queen and the names. colonies, 1917 19 military tax stamps, 1932 first commemorative stamps, ... ... Big philatelic dictionary

Montserrat- 1 name of the female family, the name of Montserrat 2 name of the human family of the island in the Antilles archipelasis ... Spelling Dictionary of Ukrainian Movies

Montserrat- (Montserrat) Montserrat, a mountain in Catalonia, northeast of Spain, to the northwest of Barcelona, ​​on which stands the famous Benedictine monastery, founded in the 2nd century. It is believed that the image of the Virgin Mary, located in it, was carved by St. Luke and brought ... Countries of the world. Dictionary

Books

• Montserrat Caballe. Casta diva, Robert Pullen, Stephen Taylor. The monograph of American authors about the world-famous Spanish prima donna attracts with its thoroughness, thoroughness in presenting the material, scrupulousness in collecting all kinds of ...
• Montserrat Catharsis of the Victim, A. Hellwald, T. Khmelnitskaya. To cope with recent stress, Montserrat Edelstahl, on the advice of a psychologist, goes to a resort in the Indian Ocean. Lovely atmosphere, saturated with romance, and next to…

On this page you can find past, present and future population statistics for Montserrat (from 1950-2100), population map, demographics, live population counter etc. Question: What is the population of Montserrat? Answer: To date, the population of Montserrat has: 5 259 * , area 102 km², population density 51.56 p/km². The capital of Montserrat is Plymouth. Continent: Latin America, Caribbean.

Montserrat Population 1950-2100

Montserrat · historical data and population forecast (both sexes) for the period 1950-2100 (million) The actual population of Montserrat on July 1 of the year is indicated. Source: United Nations Department of Population.

Current population of Montserrat

Sources:
Current statistics as of midnight 00:00.
Statistical data for this year from January 1st
Population = Births** - Mortality

Population Growth Rate: 0 / day= 0 / hour = 0 / minutes = 0 / seconds

Sources, Notes

* The value is calculated by linear interpolation using the two most closely spaced values ​​(Date->Population) (unofficial).
** Migration growth is included in the calculation of birth rate growth: Birth rate = Population + Mortality.
*** We do not have population figures prior to 1950. The figures shown are based on an approximate calculation using the function: population in 1900 = 70% of population in 1950.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Demographic Prospects: A 2015 Revision. These estimates and forecasts were made according to the medium-term birth rate option. Used with permission from the United Nations. Downloaded: 2015-11-15 (un.org)
City density map created from population.city using data provided to us by 1km.net. Each circle represents a city with a population of over 5,000.

The small Caribbean island of Montserrat, an overseas territory of Great Britain, lived its calm and measured life until 1995. Until in 1995, the complex of volcanoes Soufriere Hills (from French Soufriere - “sulphurous”, English Hills - “hills”) woke up here, sleeping since the 17th century. During the eruption, pyroclastic flows destroyed the capital, the city of Plymouth and 20 other settlements. 2/3 of the population were forced to leave Montserrat, and half of the island turned into an exclusion zone. This area is expected to be uninhabited for at least another 10 years…

Archival photos of the ghost island.

The island of Montserrat is only 16 km long and 10 km wide. There are four volcanic centers (massifs) of different age on the island: Silver Hills, Center Hills, active volcano Soufriere Hills, South Soufriere Hills.

Until 1995, 11,000 people lived on the island of Montserrat. When pyroclastic flows and mudflows became regular, the capital Plymouth was evacuated, and a few weeks later the city was covered with several meters of ash. 2/3 of the population, i.e. 7,000 inhabitants were forced to leave the island of Montserrat. (Photo by AP Photo | John McConnico):

The eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano began on July 18, 1995 and was the first since the 17th century. A major eruption on June 25, 1997 resulted in the death of 19 people. The island's airport was on the path of the main stream and was completely destroyed.

This is Plymouth, the former capital of Montserrat. Now it's a ghost town. Photo taken August 21, 1997. (Photo by Reuters | Colin Braley):

The Soufrière Hills Volcano is 915 meters high and is composed mainly of andesite. The crater, formed about 4 thousand years ago during the collapse of the summit, has a diameter of 1 km. The summit consists of several volcanic domes. Current activity consists of a period of dome growth and short dome collapses that result in pyroclastic flows, ash emissions, and explosive eruptions.

Seismic activity on the island was observed in 1897-1898, 1933-1937 and 1966-1967, but the eruption that began on July 18, 1995 was the first since the 17th century. When pyroclastic flows and mudflows became regular, Plymouth was evacuated, and a few weeks later the city was covered with several meters of ash. A major eruption on June 25, 1997 resulted in the death of 19 people. The island's airport was on the path of the main stream and was completely destroyed. The tourist industry of Montserrat was hit hard, but then began to recover, in particular due to assistance from the UK.

A strong volcanic eruption occurred on July 28, 2008 without previous activity. The ends of the pyroclastic flows reached Plymouth. The height of the eruptive column was estimated at 12 km above sea level. On February 11, 2010, a partial collapse of the volcano's dome occurred.

Listen to this story:

You can often see him here: a city madman nicknamed It-not-I stands for a long time, staring at the frozen lava and piles of stones that have come down to the Caribbean Sea. From the gray mass of the mudflow, like the wreckage of a sinking ship, roofs stick out. You can see a turret with a spire - once it was a church.

Silence. Ruin. The wind blows dust. Since the Soufrière Hills volcano awoke from its 400-year slumber in 1995, Plymouth, the former administrative center of the Caribbean island of Montserrat, has been nothing but a memory. A raging volcano in a few years forced the islanders out of most of the land.

In the Cash Hall of the BarVVVklais Bank, rock fragments are piled up. As if the giants played skittles here and left. Through the empty eye sockets of Plymouth houses, you can look into abandoned dwellings. A layer of ash several centimeters thick lies on phones, sofas, TVs. There is a pile of unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink. A pink hat is lying on the bed. It seems that the hostess has just left the store.

But she won't be back. So did the 5,000 people who had to leave Plymouth. In 1996, the last residents were evacuated from here. And in 1997, the city was covered with lava, and since then it has been covered with the ashes of a still active volcano.

It-not-me goes to look for the place where the fig tree once grew - in the center of the city, at the very end of Church Road. In the afternoon heat, the tree generously provided shade. Under its crown were tables and benches - a local eatery Fish & chips. And in the evenings, when a cool breeze blew from the sea, cheerful companies gathered here. There is no better place for laymin.

“Laimin” in the local language is “easy conversation”. This is from "lime" - the so-called variety of lemon. The word dates back to the days when slaves worked on the plantations of sugar cane and lime trees. Sugar and limes have always been Montserrat's main export.

The most enjoyable activity for the slaves was sorting and peeling the limes. You sit in the shade and chat about this and that.

So the inhabitants of Plymouth under the fig exchanged news and gossip - the evergreen tree attracted everyone to itself. So they said: "See you under the tree!" Each was assigned his favorite place, and It-not-I also had it. No one drove him away, although he spoke all sorts of nonsense. No one was angry that he fired cigarettes or begged for money for a glass of rum. And it never occurred to anyone to call him a worthless person on the grounds that he walks around in dirty clothes.

Under the canopy of figs, the self-esteem of the islanders grew. A sense of comradeship was ripening, the need to take care of one's own kind, a sense of freedom, which was expressed here in the fact that the doors of houses on the island were always wide open: you are truly free only when you completely trust your neighbor.

This-not-I lived in a hut near the bank. He was not always crazy, but why he was crazy is not clear. Fearing his own delusional speeches, he blurted out to everyone he met: “It's not me!” That's where the nickname came from, and his real name - William Daly - has long been forgotten by everyone.

Now William's home is a nursing home in the northern, safer part of the island. But from time to time he visits here, in the forbidden zone, and wanders through the ruins. "It's all over," he mutters. The wind drives from the volcano and circles a sulfuric stench over his hometown.

Memories, longing for the past, yes history - that's all that's left in Plymouth. For example, the story of Jerry Hall, then not yet a wife, but a girlfriend of the famous "rolling" Mick Jagger. Once at a disco, she began to stick to Danny Sweeney, the owner of the Jumping Jack's bar on the west coast of the island, where there are most of the tourists. Danny Sweeney was the most handsome guy on the island, and even now, at 56, he looks good: pumped up muscles, dark glasses, lush hair, almost untouched by gray hair. It is understandable why Jerry Hall could not resist the temptation to dance with him. Yes, and in front of her future husband. However, he didn't care.

Photo 1. Aerial view of the remains of the capital Plymouth after another eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano, August 20, 1997. (Photo by AP Photo | Kevin West):

“But Margaret could not stand it and attacked Jerry. Like, get out of here, this is my man!” Sweeney says, nodding towards his wife. Margaret clears the dishes from five small tables, then counting the daily receipts on the veranda, shouts to someone on a humid tropical night: “Good night!”. And turns off the light.

Half past ten. There's not a soul in the bar. Whether business earlier - noise, din, not to push through. Only the croaking of tree frogs and the whining of mosquitoes can be heard from the street. And the sound of the near sea. No one walks along the shore at night anymore. With the onset of darkness, the islanders disperse to their homes. And tourists on Montserrat - once or twice and miscalculated.

Montserrat's golden age began in the 1960s when an American businessman visited the volcanic island between Antigua and Guadeloupe. He immediately realized what a tourist place was disappearing. Although at first glance - what kind of tourism is there! Well, yes, grassy hills, but the shore is black and bare - no palms for you, nothing. However, the businessman purchased a strip of coastline, subdivided it into lots overlooking the sea, and built a golf course. And then he began to advertise in the newspapers: "The Caribbean, as they once were!"

Montserrat at that time remained just a remote colony of Great Britain, a land of fearless birds. Residents - mostly descendants of African slaves - were content with what they caught in the sea and what would grow in the beds, and on Sundays they sang psalms in church. It was this free atmosphere that appealed to those who are called "winter birds" here - wealthy pensioners from North America who go to warmer climes in winter.

The Americans came and built houses for themselves, which means that the locals got jobs and money.

Then George Martin came here, the former producer of the Beatles. In 1979, he built the Air Studios Montserrat recording studio at the foot of the volcano. Whoever did not work within its walls - Rolling Stones and Dire Straits, Elton John, Eric Clapton ... The Police group recorded the album Every Breath You Take here, and Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder - the hit Ebony and Ivory. In a word, world celebrities frequented Montserrat.

Sweeney taught the members of the Jet-Set the tricks of windsurfing. The singer Sting went out with him, the son of a poor fisherman, to catch barracudas in the sea. At night, rock stars sat in the same La Cave bar where Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall went to the disco. Until the summer of 1995, things on the island were going nowhere better. On July 18, Sweeney picked up his new boat from customs at Plymouth, put it on a trailer and drove it home. Suddenly he heard a roar - as if a Boeing was falling right on him. A black cloud hung over the volcano. Ashes fell in thick flakes like black snow. Sweeney was not so much frightened as surprised. The giant has been sleeping for centuries. So soon he will fall asleep again, Sweeney thought then.

But five weeks later, the Soufrière Hills showed signs of life again. A river of cooled ash crawled through the streets of Plymouth, penetrating the houses. The governor ordered the evacuation of citizens and homeowners from the southern part of the island to the almost deserted safe north. Someone found shelter with friends, someone was placed in churches and schools, and some spent the night in their cars. After two weeks, everyone was allowed to return.

On November 30, 1995, volcanologists noticed a lava dome at the edge of the crater - this usually indicates that the danger of an eruption is very high. The evacuation began again. And again, having turned over on the northern shore, the southerners returned to their homes. After these ordeals, they no longer believed that the volcano would ever "work" for real.

It happened on March 29, 1996 - the volcano broke up in earnest. Lava flowed into the valley, consisting of boiling ash and gases heated to 800 ° C. Fortunately, her current passed Plymouth. Again, people were evacuated, and again, leaving, the residents took only the most necessary with them. After all, they thought that they would definitely return.

For three months, the Montserratians hoped that the division of the island into a northern safe zone and a southern forbidden zone (more than half of Montserrat) was a temporary phenomenon. After all, all life was concentrated in the south: the administrative center, villages, country villas of Americans, golf courses. But permission to return did not wait.

Photo 2. This photo was taken 15 years later, on May 24, 2012. The ghost town of Plymouth on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. (Photo by Pat Hawks):

On June 25, 1997, pyroclastic flows - a mixture of hot gas and rock fragments - reached the airport and villages in the center and east of the island. 19 residents died - those who did not wait for permission and returned to the restricted area. On August 3, the first avalanche flowed towards Plymouth. She destroyed the city center, melted down abandoned cars and killed the last hope of returning.

The government in London helped the islanders with resettlement in the UK. Within a few months, most of the Montserratians left the island. This-not-me - the last inhabitant of the deceased Plymouth. Again and again at night, he sneaks into the restricted area, to his barracks next to Barclays Bank. And during the day he wanders among the ruins, accompanied by dogs who miss the man.

Once volcanologists examined the city buried under lava and mud flows. Having made his way to his barracks for the night, Eto-not-I heard them talking to each other - they say that the city turned from a “Caribbean pearl” into “tropical Pompeii”. Just in case It-not-I hid. Indeed, not only scientists, but also dark personalities from neighboring islands visited Plymouth - to loot in the surviving houses on the edge of the city.

And one night he heard a noise in the bank and called the police from the north. "Poltergeist, poltergeist!" yelled the poor man. The cops laughed, but they came anyway. And it turned out that a million dollars had disappeared from the bank vault. True, Caribbean. The robbers were caught.

This-not-I am the only one who saw firsthand how Plymouth was sinking in a mudflow - centimeter by centimeter, from year to year. In bad weather, new streams of mud rushed from the mountain, after each release of gas, "black snow" - ash fell on the city.

One day the streets of Marinedrive, George Street, Parliament Street disappeared ... They turned into dry riverbeds filled with mud and boulders. And Plymouth's long pier, where luxury ocean liners once moored, was getting shorter every day, because the coast continued to crumble into the sea, and nothing could stop the destruction.

The level of the mud flow was judged by the most conspicuous landmarks - a red telephone booth brought from England and a clock tower standing on concrete pillars - a monument to the inhabitants of Montserrat who died during the Second World War. The booth plunged into the mudflow at the beginning of 1999, the tower held out until the spring of 2004. The hands of the clock stopped forever at half past one.

“Good morning, Montserrat! local time - Six o'clock in the morning! This is Rose Willock starting her daily Listen Here! Recently, her news has been encouraging: “According to updated data received today from the Montserrat Volcanological Observatory, our volcano is currently emitting only 300 tons of sulfur dioxide per day. Do you remember the times when he threw out more than 1000 tons? The crater no longer forms a dome. So the probability of an eruption has dropped by as much as 60 percent!”

Rose turns on the record. Every little t'ing gonna be all right, Bob Marley sings to Radio ZJB, Montserrat's only station. Rose Willock removes her headphones and pulls a white baseball cap over her African braids. A beautiful woman in her forties, energetic and in love with her island.

Rose's job is to support and protect Montserrat. She took the initiative for the first time in 1989. Then Hurricane Hugo knocked down figs at the favorite meeting place of the townspeople. The administration ordered it to be sawn and taken out, but the tree had not died yet. “You need a tree and it needs you! Rose called out to the people of Plymouth. “So go and save him!” They didn't let me cut the tree. And, fallen down, it continued to grow, even the crown became more magnificent than before.

When the volcano woke up, Rose found a way to strengthen the morale of the islanders: not to think about the sad, not to talk about the bad, and even find positive moments in bad news. Like that Ash Monday, August 21, 1995. During the transmission, one of the technicians burst into the studio shouting: “Volcano!”. Rose ran outside and saw a huge black cloud moving towards her. Panic reigned in the streets, people ran to the cars. The day suddenly became darker than the night.

Beside herself, Rose crawled back into the studio. She calmed down, cleared her throat and said: “So, we continue the transmission! I know that everyone is very scared right now. This is understandable, nothing like this has ever happened to us. Hope you are not alone right now. If someone close to you is close, take his hand. Talk to each other! Cry! I can't tell you how long this night will last. But I know that it will pass. And nothing bad will happen to anyone!”

However, there were days when even such an optimist as Rose Willock could not find any pluses in what was happening. The exodus began: about two-thirds of the inhabitants of Montserrat moved to the UK. By the end of 1997, only 3,381 people remained on the island. The government in London said that if the number of citizens fell to 2,500 people, the colony as an administrative unit would have to be abolished.

But the islanders turned out to be tough nuts: ten years after the disaster, those who remained on Montserrat believed in its bright future, and Rose Willock warmed their faith every day.

She repeats the old advertising slogan: "The Caribbean as it once was!". Rose insists that Montserrat is still the same, because the islanders have not changed: the same peaceful, honest people. If someone lost their wallet, then soon ZJB radio broadcast: the loss was found, come. So on the back of the island phone book is printed: “Montserrat. Still good, still our home."

60-year-old Benett Roach is also fighting for the future of his island - publishes The Montserrat Reporter newspaper. 12 pages on cheap paper. George W. Bush Wants to Revoke 292 Montserrat Refugees of US Residence Permits? British Prime Minister Tony Blair again denied money for housing construction on the island? Roach responds with a furious editorial stigmatizing Montserrat's detractors. He is the main publicist, chief editor, chief artist and compositor all rolled into one. And at the same time the distributor of his publication.

Alas, there is no longer an evergreen tree on the island, the very one that brought up a sense of elbow in people. The islanders are fenced off from each other by car cabins, because now there is no time to walk anywhere: a new bank building has been built on a hill, an Angelo supermarket is in the valley, a complex of administrative buildings is somewhere to the side, a police station, a post office and a landing stage, to which the ferry from Antigua lands, - in the north of the island. And the best place on the slope overlooking the sea (there used to be the villas of American pensioners) is occupied by a new prison. Through the work of twenty-one of her "guests" restored the tower-monument to those who died in World War II. Rebuilt and put on the road. You won't notice right away.

There are 4,500 people living in the safe zone in the north. But more than half of them are immigrants, doing jobs that locals don't want to do: patching potholes in roads or sweeping up volcanic ash. They are also needed to ensure that the number of inhabitants of the colony does not fall below the mark of 2500 people. And there are a little less than 2,000 native islanders left. They live on benefits that London gives out.

Most of the refugees settled in London, Leicester and Manchester.

It happens that immigrants call the studio. So in December 2004, Stanley Pope Kilman Dyer did. Everyone who comes from Montserrat knows this name. Dyer won the Calypso Junior Music Festival before the volcano forced everyone to leave. In a foreign land, he was diagnosed with cancer. Chemotherapy didn't help. He called to say goodbye to his friends and sing a song he composed in honor of Montserrat. It was called "The Last Dance Before I Go."

Church in the center of the ghost town of Plymouth, August 28, 1997. The entire territory in the district is covered with volcanic ash. (Photo by AP Photo | John McConnico):

Dyer until the last hoped to come for Christmas to the place where he was born and raised. It is a diaspora tradition to gather for the Montserrat Christmas Festival with its carnivals and music competitions. The annual arrival of refugees is proof of the unity of the islanders. It's more than just homesickness.

"Our future," says Reuben Mead, "will begin when we part with the past." The former chief minister of Montserrat came to show us Plymouth. And now silently wanders among the ruins. In the two years he's been away, the courthouse has almost completely sunk into the mud. The gray stream has reached the clock face on the pediment - the numbers 4 and 8 are still visible, but 6, 5 and 7 are no longer there.

But the old administration building is still standing. Reuben Mead worked in it before the eruption. In order not to sit idly by, he went up every morning with volcanologists to the crater, and in the evening he reported the news to the people by radio.

One day he saw yellow butterflies fluttering over the slope and announced to the people: “Trust me, this is a sign that the volcano will calm down in the near future!” The prediction didn't come true. He was never re-elected for a new term.

What is the thing that Mid misses the most about the island's past life? "Nothing. The Montserrat that I aspire to is in the future.” The athletically fit politician and construction investor in his mid-fifties looks far ahead when he talks about the future: “Montserrat needs a new city. The place where it can be built is called Little Bay. A ferry from Antigua is now docking there.”

And you can build a marina if London will give money. A new airfield has already been opened in the center of the northern part of the island, and a golf course has been laid in the western part. They poured a whole plain from the ashes accumulated over ten years. Tourists with golf clubs will soon be drawn to Montserrat again. And in Plymouth - not a bad idea! - You can open an open-air museum of volcanology.

Will it appeal to the islanders who yearn for their old city? Reuben Mead says: “People have been grieving for so long because no one had time to say goodbye to the city because of the evacuation. Plymouth was dearer to us than our own. It was our custom to arrange a civil memorial service for each deceased, so that all the townspeople would come to say goodbye to him.

Somehow Mead brought his father here to say goodbye to the ruins. He stood with his head bowed, crossed himself and said: "Let's go, everything is fine now."

Now farewell to Plymouth and the southern part of the island, which is ruled by a volcano, has become a kind of healing ritual. On Fridays, the administration of Montserrat rents a ferry to Antigua. He circles the island. Hundreds of Montserratians stand by the railings and look at the south bank, some brushing away tears.

And when they go ashore in Little Bay, they will see a fig, an evergreen tree, on the site of the future city. And on the construction site next to the pier, a poster: "Montserrat - still good, still our home."

Road sign. In some parts, the city was covered with a layer of ash, up to 3 meters high, on August 28, 1997. (Photo by AP Photo | John McConnico):

Videocassette store, Plymouth Island, August 28, 1997. (Photo by AP Photo | John McConnico):

The amount of volcanic ash can be estimated from this half-buried telephone booth on March 2, 1998. (Photo by AP Photo | Gregory Bull):

It's already October 11, 2002. Abandoned houses on an island next to a pyroclastic flow. (Photo by AP Photo | Tomas van Houtryve):

Observation deck outside the exclusion zone of the island of Montserrat. The Soufrière Hills Volcano continues its activity, May 4, 2006. (Photo by AP Photo | Brennan Linsley):

The ash-covered downtown of the ghost town of Plymouth, on May 5, 2006. Almost 10 years after the Soufrière Hills erupted. (Photo by AP Photo | Brennan Linsley):

The former capital of the island of Montserrat is almost completely buried under a thick layer of ash. Here and there, some remnants of structures stick out, May 5, 2006. (Photo by AP Photo | Brennan Linsley):

Satellite photo, 2010. It shows part of the runway of the local airport. (Photo by Google, Inc.):

Another photo with a view of the former airport. The same place, but viewed from the ground, May 1, 2012. The economy of Montserrat, an island in the Caribbean, was based on tourism. (Clickable, 2500×635 px) . (Photo by Pat Hawks):

It was once a tourist paradise. A pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea, almost completely covered in volcanic ash. (Photo by Pat Hawks):