Montserrat is a dependency of the United Kingdom, one of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea. Montserrat is located southwest of Antigua and northwest of Guadeloupe. The island, 102 sq km (39 sq mi) in area, is mountainous, rising to the peak of the Soufriere Hills volcano (about 900m/about 3000ft). After centuries of lying dormant, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted violently on several occasions in 1997, killing 19 people in June and pelting the southern portion of Montserrat with fiery gas, rocks, and ash on a number of occasions.