Plymouth is a ghost town and the de jure capital of the island of Montserrat, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom located in the Leeward Island chain of the Lesser Antilles, West Indies. Constructed on historical lava deposits near the then long-inactive Soufrière Hills volcano, the town was evacuated in 1995 when the volcano resumed erupting. Plymouth was eventually abandoned permanently in 1997 after it was substantially buried by a series of pyroclastic flows and lahars. For centuries, it had been the only port of entry to the island. Plymouth is still the de jure capital of Montserrat, making it the only ghost town that is the capital of a political territory. A new capital is under construction at Little Bay, with nearby Brades serving as the de facto capital for the time bein