Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

I

Introduction

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, independent country in the West Indies, consisting of the island of Saint Vincent and the northern islands of the Grenadines group. Part of the Windward Islands group in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada. The largest of the Grenadines include Bequia, Canouan, Mustique, Mayreau, and Union.

An active volcano named La Soufrière dominates the island of Saint Vincent. Except for this volcanic peak, lush green rain forests blanket the mountainous interior of the island. The sandy beaches and coral reefs of the Grenadines make these small islands popular with travelers, especially the wealthy who arrive by yacht or small aircraft. The country does not yet have an airport that can handle large international airplanes.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the third smallest country in the Western Hemisphere in area, after Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada. The country’s total area is 389 sq km (150 sq mi), of which the island of Saint Vincent constitutes 344 sq km (133 sq mi). The capital and principal port, Kingstown (population, 2003 estimate; 29,382), is located on the southwestern coast of Saint Vincent. Most of the country’s people are descended from black Africans who were brought to the islands as slaves.

II

Land

The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic in origin. Mountains covered by thick rain forest cross the island from north to south. The mountains rise to a maximum elevation of 1,234 m (4,049 ft) at La Soufrière in the northern part of the island. This active volcano erupted violently in 1821, 1902, and 1979. The 1902 eruption killed 2,000 people. The 1979 eruption blasted ash, steam, and rock up to 20 km (12 mi) in the air, and caused considerable agricultural damage. The people had been evacuated, and there were no casualties as a result.

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Streams filled by heavy rainfall descend the steep mountain slopes to the sea, producing many waterfalls along the way. Most of the beaches on Saint Vincent are of black volcanic sand, but there are some white sand beaches on the southern end of the island. The larger Grenadines are generally much less rugged and hilly; Mount Toboi on Union Island, at nearly 305 m (1,000 ft), is the highest point. These islands are best known for their white sand beaches and the coral reefs that lie off many of their coasts.

The country has a tropical climate with strong trade winds blowing from the northeast. The average annual temperature is about 24° C (76° F). Saint Vincent’s average annual rainfall ranges from about 1,500 mm (about 60 in) on the southeast coast to about 3,800 mm (about 150 in) in the interior mountains.

Most of the trees and plants of Saint Vincent can be seen in the Botanical Gardens in Kingstown, which were founded in 1765 and are among the oldest in the Western Hemisphere. They include a breadfruit tree descended from the original brought to the island in 1793 by Captain William Bligh of the Bounty, from Tahiti. The national bird, found in the interior forests, is the endangered Saint Vincent parrot. Another protected bird unique to Saint Vincent is the whistling warbler, found in the tropical forest of the Buccament Valley on the western side of the island. Other rare birds in this area are the black hawk, the cocoa thrush, the crested hummingbird, the red-capped green tanager, and the green heron. Marine life is abundant in the coral reefs and offshore waters.

III

People

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a total population of 118,149 (2007 estimate), giving a population density of 304 persons per sq km (787 persons per sq mi), one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. About a quarter of the country’s people live in Kingstown and the surrounding area. Kingstown has a population of 29,382 (2003 estimate).

Blacks make up the great majority of the population. They are descended primarily from Africans who were brought to the islands in the 18th and 19th centuries to work as slaves. Almost 14 percent of the people are of mixed ethnic origins, with small minorities of whites and East Indians. About 2 percent are black Caribs, whose ancestry is African and Carib Indian. Many Vincentians have emigrated to the United Kingdom, the United States, and the other Caribbean islands in search of greater economic opportunities.

English is the official language, but an English-based Creole is the first language of most of the people. Anglicans and Methodists are the two major religious groups, but there are also congregations of Roman Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Hindus.

Education is compulsory in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from the ages of 5 to 15, and government-run primary and secondary schools are free. There are few state-run secondary schools, however, and most students pay fees to attend private secondary schools. The literacy rate is about 96 percent.

IV

Economy

Agriculture is central to the economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines although tourism is growing in importance. The chief commercial crop is bananas; sugarcane, arrowroot, and coconuts are also grown and exported. The country is the world’s leading producer of arrowroot, a starch used in cooking to thicken sauces. Marijuana is grown illegally and exported to other islands. Some livestock are raised, and efforts are being made to expand the fishing industry. Japan has granted funds to develop fisheries, jetties, and refrigeration plants.

The agricultural sector generally, and the output of bananas in particular, is vulnerable to weather conditions. Since the volcanic eruption of 1979 the agricultural sector has suffered from several other natural disasters, including hurricanes, drought, and tropical storms. A World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling in 1997 against the European Union's special quota on Caribbean bananas imperiled Saint Vincent’s main market for its most important export, the European Union (EU). The EU had given preference to Caribbean-grown bananas over bananas from U.S.-owned plantations, but the U.S. government filed suit with the WTO, arguing that the quota was unfair. The WTO decided in favor of the United States.

Although tourism has grown in importance both on Saint Vincent and on Bequia, a small island noted for its beaches, the tourism industry still remains relatively undeveloped in comparison with other Caribbean islands. During the 1990s the Grenadines began to attract wealthy tourists and yacht owners. A number of celebrities have homes in the Grenadines.

The industrial sector is small-scale and dominated by food processing, although it also includes garment and metal manufacture, and some assembly of electronic components.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $430 million (2005), giving it a GDP per person of $3,611.90, one of the lower per capita figures for the Caribbean islands. In 2001 the national budget showed revenue of $106.9 million and expenditure of $130.8 million. The national currency is the East Caribbean dollar (2.70 E.C. dollars equal U.S.$1; 2005 average).

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