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Also Known as: |
The Spice Isle |
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Motto: |
Ever Conscious of God
We Aspire, and Advance as One People |
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History |
Carib Indians inhabited
Grenada when Columbus landed on the island
in 1498. Grenada was not settled until the French colonized it in 1650. It was alternately
ruled by the French and British until 1783 when, under the Treaty of
Versailles, the island became British. It was joined to the Windward
Islands in 1833, and was a part of the West Indies Federation from
1958-62. It gained independence on 7 February 1974 making it 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. |
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Geography |
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Location: |
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea
and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates: |
12 07 N, 61 40 W |
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Area: |
total: 344 sq km
country comparison to the world: 213
land: 344 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Land boundaries: |
0 km |
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Coastline: |
121 km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate: |
tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
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Terrain: |
volcanic in origin with central mountains
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m |
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Natural resources: |
timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors |
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Land use: |
arable land: 5.88%
permanent crops: 29.41%
other: 64.71% (2005) |
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Natural hazards: |
lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane
season lasts from June to November |
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Geography - note: |
the administration of the islands of the
Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and
Grenada |
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People |
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Population: |
90,739 (July 2009 est) |
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 32% (male 14,608/female 14,410)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 31,278/female 27,873)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 1,268/female 1,302) (2009 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
0.468% (2009 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
21.32 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
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Death rate: |
6.09 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009
est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-10.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009
est.) |
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Urbanization: |
urban population: 31% of total population
(2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
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Nationality: |
noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian |
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Ethnic groups: |
black 82%, mixed black and European 13%,
European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian |
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Religions: |
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other
Protestant 33.2% |
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Languages: |
English (official), French patois |
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and
write
total population: 96%
male: NA
female: NA (2003 est.) |
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Government |
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Country name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada |
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Government type: |
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth
realm
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Capital: |
name: Saint George's
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W |
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Administrative divisions: |
6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and
Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John,
Saint Mark, Saint Patrick |
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Independence: |
7 February 1974 (from the UK) |
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National holiday: |
Independence Day, 7 February (1974); Good
Friday; Easter Monday; Labour Day (01 May); Whit Monday; Corpus Christi
(as decreed); Emancipation Day (First Monday in August); Carnival
(Second Monday and Tuesday in August); Thanksgiving Day (25 October);
Christmas Day (25 December); Boxing Day (26 December); New Year's Day
(01 January) |
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Constitution: |
19 December 1973 |
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Legal system: |
based on English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch: |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952); represented by Governor General Carlyle Arnold GLEAN
(since 27 November 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Tillman THOMAS (since 9 July 2008).
Born 13 June 1935, Prime Minister Thomas earned his Bachelor's degree in
Economics from Fordham University in New York, USA and qualified as an
Attorney-at-Law from the University of the West Indies. He completed his
Law Studies at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago. Prime
Minister Thomas started as a Junior Minister in the Ministry of Legal
Affairs in 1984 and held various posts in the National Democratic
Congress until his election to post of Prime Minister in 2008.
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the
prime minister
elections: 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 |
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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 8 July 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - NDC 11, NNP 4 |
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Judicial branch: |
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting
of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (two High Court judges
are assigned to and reside in Grenada); Itinerant Court of Appeal three
judges; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
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] |
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International organization
participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC,
MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G.
ANTOINE
chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561
FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468
consulate(s) general: New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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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 1177
FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820 |
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Date of CARICOM Membership: |
1 May 1974 |
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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 |
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Economy |
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Overview: |
Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange
especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985.
Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) severely damaged the
agricultural sector - particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation - which
had been a key driver of economic growth. Grenada has rebounded from the
devastating effects of the hurricanes but is now saddled with the debt
burden from the rebuilding process. public debt-to-GDP is nearly 110%,
leaving the THOMAS administration limited room to engage in public
investments and social spending. Strong performances in construction and
manufacturing, together with the development of tourism and an offshore
financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output;
however, economic growth will likely slow in 2009 because of the global
economic slowdown's effects on tourism and remittances.
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GDP - purchasing power parity (PPP): |
$1.161 billion (2008 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate): |
$639 million (2008 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
0.3% (2008 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$12,900 (2008 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 18%
services: 76.6% (2003) |
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Labor force: |
42,300 (1996) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 24%
industry: 14%
services: 62% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate: |
12.5% (2000) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million (1997) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.7% (2007 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus,
avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables |
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Industries: |
food and beverages, textiles, light
assembly operations, tourism, construction |
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Total Exports: |
$38 million (2006) |
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Exports - commodities: |
bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and
vegetables, clothing, mace
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Exports - partners: |
Jamaica 92.2%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, US 0.9%
(2008) |
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Total Imports: |
$343 million (2006) |
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Imports - commodities: |
food, manufactured goods, machinery,
chemicals, fuel |
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Imports - partners: |
Trinidad and Tobago 40.1%, US 22.8%,
Barbados 3.4% (2008) |
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Exchange Rate: |
Eastern Caribbean Dollars (XCD) per US
dollar - 2.7 (2007) |
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Business Hours: |
General: 8:00am-5:00pm Monday
to Thursday. 8:00am-6:00pm Friday. There is a one-hour
break from 12:00noon-1:00pm. |
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National Holidays: |
New Year's Day (01 January);
Independence Day (07 February); Good Friday; Easter Monday; Labor Day
(01 May); Whit Monday; Corpus Christi (as decreed); Emancipation Day (First
Monday in
August); Carnival (Second Monday and Tuesday in August); Thanksgiving Day (25 October);
Christmas Day (25 December); Boxing Day (26 December) |
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Communications |
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Telephones - main lines: |
28,600 (2008) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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60,000 (2008) |
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Telephone system: |
general assessment: automatic, island wide
telephone system
domestic: inter-island VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: country code - 1-473; landing point for the East
Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13
other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin
Islands to Trinidad; SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and
Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (1997) |
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Internet country code: |
.gd |
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Internet hosts: |
9 (2008) |
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Internet users: |
23,000 (2007) |
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Transportation |
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Airports: |
3 (2009) Main airport: Point Salines
International |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009) |
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Roadways: |
total: 1,127 km
country comparison to the world: 183
paved: 687 km
unpaved: 440 km (2000) |
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Ports and terminals: |
Saint George's |
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Military |
no regular military forces; Royal Grenada
Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2008) |
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Main Source of Information: the Central Intelligence Agency
World Factbook |
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Items of Interest |
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National Anthem: |
Hail!
Grenada, land of ours,
We pledge ourselves to thee,
Heads, hearts and hands in unity
To reach our destiny.
Ever conscious of God,
Being proud of our heritage,
May we with faith and courage
Aspire, build, advance
As one people, one family.
God bless our nation. |
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Highest National Award: |
Grenada holds an annual
grand awards ceremony on Independence day to recognize the achievements
of individuals, but there are no structured national awards |
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Favourite local Cuisine: |
Oil Down/ Ile dung - a one
pot mix of breadfruit, dasheen callaloo, root vegetables and
salted meat or fish, cooked in coconut milk and spices. |
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Government website: |
http://www.gov.gd |
