Saint Vincent & Grenadines Online Business Education. Administration. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Online Business Education. Economy. Politics. Culture. Religion. Media

Capital City: Kingstown

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Introduction

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Background: Disputed between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th
century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was
granted in 1969, and independence in 1979.

Geography Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad
and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N, 61 12 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) water: 0 sq km land:
389 sq km

Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 84 km

Maritime claims:   12 NM exclusive economic zone: Climate: tropical;
little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain: volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point:
Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources: hydropower, cropland

Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 18% other: 72% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint
Vincent is a constant threat

Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters and shorelines
from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas,
pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Whaling signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: the administration
of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is
comprised of 32 islands and cays

People Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Population: 116,394 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 28.9% (male 17,093; female 16,497) 15-64
years: 64.8% (male 38,718; female 36,689) 65 years and over: 6.3%
(male 3,188; female 4,209) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.37% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 17.54 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.12 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:   74.63 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.01 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: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) adjective:
Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Ethnic groups: black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian
2%, other 7%

Religions: Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu
Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant

Languages: English, French patois

Literacy:   age 15 and over has ever attended school total population:
Government Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Government type: parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state
within the Commonwealth

Capital: Kingstown

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint
Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Constitution: 27 October 1979

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 Sir Charles ANTROBUS (since NA)
elections: none; 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: Prime
Minister Ralph GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected
representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by
popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
election results: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006)

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint
Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders: National Reform Party or NRP [Joel
MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's
Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP
[leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity
Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint
Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU)

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Ellsworth I. A. JOHN chancery: 3216 New
[1] (202) 364-6730 FAX:
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador in Barbados is
accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag description: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold
(double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds
arranged in a V pattern

Economy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Economy - overview: Bananas and other agricultural products remain
the staple of this lower-middle income country's economy. Although
tourism and other services have been growing moderately in recent
years, the government has been ineffective at introducing new
industries. Unemployment remains high, and economic growth hinges upon
seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical
storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994 and 1995, and
tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following
September 11. St. Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector,
but its restrictive secrecy laws have come under international review. As
of June 2001, it remained on the Financial Action Task Force's list of
noncooperative jurisdictions.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $339 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -0.8% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 26% services:
64% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.4% (2001 est.)

Labor force: 67,000 (1984 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57%
(1980 est.)

Unemployment rate: 22% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $94.6 million expenditures: $85.8 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 82 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 73.17% hydro: 26.83%
other: 0% (1999) nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption: 76.3 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices;
small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Exports: $53.7 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot
starch, tennis racquets

Exports - partners: Caricom countries 49%, UK 16%, US 10% (1995)

Imports: $185.6 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals
and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Imports - partners: US 36%, Caricom countries 28%, UK 13% (1995)

Debt - external: $167.2 million (2000)

Economic aid - recipient: $47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million
(1998)

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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Telephones - main lines in use: 20,500 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system domestic:
islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from
Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international:
VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF
radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth
station in Martinique through Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 77,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 18,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .vc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000)

Internet users: 3,500 (2001)

Transportation Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,040 km paved: 320 km unpaved: 720 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Kingstown

Merchant marine: total: 788 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,000,660
GRT/10,702,776 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 142, cargo 382,
chemical tanker 24, combination bulk 11, combination ore/oil 3, container
47, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load
carrier 2, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 48, refrigerated cargo 39, roll
on/roll off 52, short-sea passenger 13, specialized tanker 10, vehicle
carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as
a flag of convenience: Albania 1, Anguilla 1, Argentina 1, Australia
2, Bahamas, The 1, Bangladesh 1, Barbados 2, Belgium 4, Bulgaria 14,
Canada 1, Cayman Islands 1, China 135, Colombia 1, Croatia 12, Cyprus 6,
Denmark 16, Egypt 7, Estonia 6, France 27, Germany 12, Greece 156, Guyana
7, Hong Kong 23, Iceland 1, India 11, Indonesia 3, Israel 2, Italy 19,
Japan 1, Kenya 4, Latvia 5, Lebanon 9, Liberia 5, Lithuania 1, Malta 1,
Man, Isle of 1, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Monaco 6, Netherlands 14,
Netherlands Antilles 1, Nigeria 3, Norway 33, Pakistan 5, Panama 2,
Poland 2, Portugal 2, Puerto Rico 2, Russia 8, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1,
Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 4, Slovenia 7, South Korea 4, Spain 1, Sweden
6, Switzerland 10, Syria 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1,
Tunisia 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 8, United Arab Emirates 45, United Kingdom
16, United States 25, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)

Airports: 6 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m:
1 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Military Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Military branches: Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force
(includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined
for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002