Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada 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 and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage.
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
land
344 sq km
water
0 sq km
Area - comparative
twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
121 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 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
5.88%
permanent crops
29.41%
other
64.71% (2005)
Irrigated land
NA
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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
Population
89,971 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
32.8% (male 14,876/female 14,641)
15-64 years
64.1% (male 30,522/female 27,137)
65 years and over
3.1% (male 1,353/female 1,442) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
22.1 years
male
22.6 years
female
21.6 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.336% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
21.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-11.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.016 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.125 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.938 male(s)/female
total population
1.082 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
13.92 deaths/1,000 live births
male
13.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female
14.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
65.21 years
male
63.38 years
female
67.05 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.3 children born/woman (2007 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
96%
male
NA%
female
NA% (2003 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Grenada
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Capital
name
Saint George's
geographic coordinates
12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite 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
Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995)
cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections
none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10 appointed by the government and 3 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 27 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2008)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 46.6%, NDC 44.1%, other 9.3%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7
Judicial branch
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada)
Political parties and leaders
Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]
1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone
[1] (202) 265-2561
FAX
[1] (202) 265-2468
consulate(s) general
New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy
Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's
mailing address
P. O. Box 54, Saint George's
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 - overview
Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$440 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$454 million (2005)
GDP - real growth rate
0.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$3,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
5.4%
industry
18%
services
76.6% (2003)
Labor force
42,300 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
24%
industry
14%
services
62% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate
12.5% (2000)
Population below poverty line
32% (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
NA%
highest 10%
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3% (2005 est.)
Budget
revenues
$85.8 million
expenditures
$102.1 million; including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997)
Agriculture - products
Industries
food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction
Industrial production growth rate
0.7% (1997 est.)
Electricity - production
171.3 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
100%
hydro
0%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
159.3 million kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption
1,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Exports
$40 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Saint Lucia 17.2%, Antigua and Barbuda 11.7%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 10.5%, Dominica 10.5%, US 10.4%, Venezuela 4.7%, Barbados 4.5% (2006)
