An island in the Caribbean, one of the Leeward Islands. Visited by Columbus in 1493 and named after a Benedictine monastery on the mountain of Montserrat in Spain, it was colonized by Irish settlers in 1632. It was part of the British federal colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871 to 1956 when it became a separate UK Dependent Territory. In addition to offshore finance, it is a base for the production of light consumer goods, electronic components, and goods made from locally grown cotton. It is governed by a Governor who presides over an Executive Council and a Legislative Council. Many of the islanders were evacuated in 1997 following a major volcanic eruption.