High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The Island of Montserrat is approximately 16 km (9.9 mi) long and 11 km (6.8 mi) wide with 40 kilometres (25 mi) of coastline. The island was given its name by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, after its namesake located in Catalonia. Montserrat is often referred to as the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, due both to its resemblance to coastal Ireland and to the Irish descent of most of its early European settlers.