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History
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Comms.
Transport
Security |
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Introduction |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, "Hairouna" |
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History:
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Carib Indians aggressively
prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. African
slaves--whether shipwrecked or escaped from St. Lucia and Grenada and
seeking refuge in St. Vincent--intermarried with the Caribs and became known
as "black Caribs." Beginning in 1719, French settlers cultivated coffee,
tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar on plantations worked by African slaves.
Disputed between France and the United Kingdom in the later part of the 18th
century, in 1763, St. Vincent was ceded to Britain. Restored to French rule
in 1779, St. Vincent was regained by the British under the Treaty of
Versailles in 1783. Conflict between the British and the black Caribs
continued until 1796, when General Abercrombie crushed a revolt fomented by
the French radical Victor Hugues. More than 5,000 black Caribs were
eventually deported to Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras.
Slavery was abolished in 1834; the
resulting labor shortages on the plantations attracted Portuguese immigrants
in the 1840s and east Indians in the 1860s. Conditions remained harsh for
both former slaves and immigrant agricultural workers, as depressed world
sugar prices kept the economy stagnant until the turn of the century.
From 1763 until independence, St.
Vincent passed through various stages of colonial status under the British.
A representative assembly was authorized in 1776, Crown Colony government
installed in 1877, a legislative council created in 1925, and universal
adult suffrage granted in 1951.
During this period, the British made
several unsuccessful attempts to affiliate St. Vincent with other Windward
Islands in order to govern the region through a unified administration. The
most notable was the West Indies Federation, which collapsed in 1962. St.
Vincent was granted associate statehood status in 1969, giving it complete
control over its internal affairs. Following a referendum in 1979, St.
Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain
independence. Natural disasters have plagued the country throughout the 20th
century.
In 1902, La Soufriere volcano
erupted, killing 2,000 people. Much farmland was damaged, and the economy
deteriorated. In April 1979, La Soufriere erupted again. Although no one was
killed, thousands had to be evacuated, and there was extensive agricultural
damage. In 1980 and 1987, hurricanes devastated banana and coconut
plantations; 1998 and 1999 also saw very active hurricane seasons, with
hurricane Lenny in 1999 causing extensive damage to the west coast of the
island.
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Geography |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, "Hairouna" |
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Geographic Composition |
consists of the island of
St Vincent and the islands of the Grenadines group including -- Bequia,
Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Tobago Cays and Union Island being the larger
ones. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays
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Geographic
Location:
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South of St Lucia
and north of Grenada in the Eastern Caribbean between the Caribbean
Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13o 15'
N, 61o 12' W
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Area:
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Saint Vincent: 344
sq km
The Grenadines: 35 sq km |
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Climate:
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tropical; little seasonal
temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
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Terrain:
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volcanic,
mountainous and forested |
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Elevation extremes:
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Highest point:
La Soufriere 1,234 m
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Natural hazards:
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Hurricanes (June - November); Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint
Vincent. Kick 'em Jenny in the Southern Grenadines sea. |
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Environment - current
issues:
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pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure
yachts and other effluents |
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Tourist Attractions |
La Soufriere Volcano, Botanical Gardens
(oldest in Western Hemisphere), Fort Charlotte, Artifact Museum, Vermont
Nature Trail, Falls of Balline, Trinity Falls, Overland Carib Country,
Tobago Cays Marine Park, Kings Hill Forest Reserve, The Grenadines Islands
(each of which has some unique to see, offer and enjoy!), Carnival
(June-July), Nine Mornings (December), Caroling Contest, (December), Drama
Festival, Mustique Blues Festival and more!! |
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Getting Here |
The ways of getting islands of St. Vincent
and the Grenadines is via Barbados, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Grenada,
Antigua, and Puerto Rico. From those with one of the indigenous airlines
will fly direct to St. Vincent or a Grenadine Island. Air Taxi service
is also available from local airlines which operates charter flights
throughout all the islands of the Eastern Caribbean and as far as
Guyana, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Venezuela.
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People |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines "Hairouna" |
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Population:
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116,812 (July 2003
est.)
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Nationality:
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Vincentian,
affectionately known as "Vincy" |
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Ethnic groups:
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black, mixed, East
Indian, Carib Amerindian & other . |
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Religions:
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Pentecostal,
Evangelical, Protestants, Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic,
Jehovah's Witness, Seventh-Day Adventist, Rasta Farian, and others |
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Languages:
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English and Dialect
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Government |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines "Hairouna" |
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Country name:
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Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth |
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Capital and divisions:
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Kingstown. The country is divided into 6 parishes; Charlotte, Saint Andrew,
Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick, & Grenadines |
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Independence:
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27
October 1979 (from UK) ; Independence Day, 27 October is a National Holiday. |
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Executive branch:
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Chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
Sir Fredrick Nathaniel Ballantyne (since 2 September 2002)
The monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the
monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime
minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime
minister
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Head of
government: Dr. Prime Minister Ralph E. Gonsalves (since 29 March
2001)
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International
organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
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Diplomatic
representation in the US:
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Chief of mission:
Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
Chancery: 3216 New
Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
Telephone: [1]
(202) 364-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
Consulate
General: New York |
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US Diplomatic
Info.
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There is no US embassy in
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The US Ambassador in Barbados is
accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Economy |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines "Hairouna" |
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Economy overview:
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Bananas and other
agricultural products remain the staple of the country's economy. The is
also a moderate thriving manufacturing sector. Tourism and other services
have been growing moderately in recent years. Saint Vincent is home to a
small and growing offshore banking sector.
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Industries:
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food processing,
manufacturing, furniture, clothing, starch, agro-processing etc |
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Agriculture- products:
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bananas, coconuts,
vegetables, ground foods e.g. sweet potatoes, yams etc, spices; cattle,
sheep, pigs, goats; fish
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Exports
commodities:
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bananas, beverages, processed foods e.g. flour, ground foods e.g. eddoes and
dasheen, arrowroot starch, |
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Imports
commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and
fuels
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Currency, code &
exchange:
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East Caribbean dollar , XCD
,East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.67 (2005) |
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Communications |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines "Hairouna" |
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Telephone, Radio and
Television Network:
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fully automatic telephone
system (land and wireless) with adequate domestic &
international coverage, 7 FM radio broadcast stations, and 2 televisions
stations |
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Transport |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Island Access:
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An adequate network of
highways, major and minor roads allows access throughout the islands. |
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Ports and harbors:
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2, Kingstown and
Camden Park |
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Airports:
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6 airports: St. Vincent (E.T. Joshua), Bequia (J.F. Mitchel), Mustique, Canouan, Union Island and
Rabacca (unpaved and restricted) |
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Security |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines "Hairouna" |
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Military branches:
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Royal Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines Police Force (including Special Services and Rapid Response
Units) and Coast Guard . The Regional Security System also serves this
country's security needs. |
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