Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat became active on the 18th of July 1995. The eruptions destroyed the capital of Plymouth and forced two-thirds of the island's population to flee between 1995 and 2000.
The Lesser Antilles formed as a result of the ongoing subduction of oceanic crust from the South American plate under the Caribbean plate. This process created an island arc stretching from Grenada in the south to Anguilla in the north.
Archaeological evidence identifies the Ortoiroid people as the primary settlers who divided into the Banwarian and Ortoiran subseries. These communities established sites like St. John and Banwari Trace in Trinidad dating between 7700 and 6100 B.P.
Christopher Columbus reached the coast of the Caribbean Sea in 1493, leading Spanish claims to islands such as Dominica and Guadeloupe. Subsequent centuries saw conflict among the Spanish, French, Dutch, Danish, and English over several islands including Martinique and Saint Christopher.
The Lesser Antilles are divided into eight independent nations and numerous dependent states. Over one third of the total area and population lies within Trinidad and Tobago while other entities include Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Aruba.