Grenada Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Grenada
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Capital City: Saint George's

Grenada Board of Tourism

Introduction

Grenada

Background: One of the smallest independent countries in the western
hemisphere, Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October
1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of
six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and
their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the
following year.

Geography Grenada

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean,
north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 61 40 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 344 sq km

Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain: volcanic in origin with central mountains

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point:
Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

Natural resources: timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 26% other: 68% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts
from June to November

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the
selected agreements

Geography - note: the administration of the islands of the Grenadines
group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

People Grenada

Population: 89,211 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.9% (male 16,213; female 15,863) 15-64
years: 60.3% (male 28,460; female 25,307) 65 years and over: 3.8%
(male 1,546; female 1,822) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.02% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 23.05 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -15.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:   66.31 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.5 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian

Ethnic groups: black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and
East Indian 5% , and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian

Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%

Languages: English (official), French patois

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)

Government Grenada

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
Grenada

Government type: constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style
parliament

Capital: Saint George's

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and
Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John,
Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

Independence: 7 February 1974 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Constitution: 19 December 1973

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August
1996) head of government: appointed by the governor general on the
advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary;
governor general appointed by the monarch; prime minister appointed by
the governor general from among the members of the House of Assembly

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a
13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the leader
of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last
held on 18 January 1999 (next to be held by NA October 2004) election
results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NNP 14, GULP 1

Judicial branch: West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an associate
judge resides in Grenada)

Political parties and leaders: Grenada United Labor Party or GULP
[Herbert PREUDHOMME]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [leader vacant];
New National Party or NNP [George McGUIRE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW
(signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:   Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE
consulate(s) general: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the ambassador
to Barbados is accredited to Grenada; Charge d'Affairs Nadia TONGOUR
embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54,
Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173
through 1176 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820

Flag description: a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles
(top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with
a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars
with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom
red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag;
there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada
is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia);
the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions

Economy Grenada

Economy - overview: Despite government steadying of annual economic
growth in recent years through progress in fiscal reform and prudent
macroeconomic management, a downturn in tourist arrivals in 2001 threatens
government spending in 2002. Grenada relies on tourism as its main
source of foreign exchange, although it also supports a small agriculture
sector and a developing offshore financial industry. Short-term concerns
include a rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external
account balance.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $424 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6.5% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,750 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.7% industry: 23.9% services:
68.4% (2000)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 42,300 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation: services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry 14%
(1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1999)

Budget: revenues: $85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million, including
capital expenditures of $28 million (1997)

Industries: food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations,
tourism, construction

Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 110 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 102.3 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados,
root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables

Exports: $78 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables,
clothing, mace

Exports - partners: Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8%
(1991)

Imports: $270 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals,
fuel (1989)

Imports - partners: US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991)

Debt - external: $196 million (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $8.3 million (1995)

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: XCD

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed
rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Grenada

Telephones - main lines in use: 27,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 976 (1997)

Telephone system:   automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic:
radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and
UHF radio links to Trinidad

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 57,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)

Televisions: 33,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .gd

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2000)

Internet users: 4,100 (2001)

Transportation Grenada

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,040 km paved: 638 km unpaved: 402 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Grenville, Saint George's

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Airports: 3 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Military Grenada

Military branches: Royal Grenada Police Force, Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues Grenada

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment
point for marijuana and cocaine to US

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002