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SAINT VINCENT & THE
GRENADINES
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Also known as: |
Jewels of the Caribbean |
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Motto: |
Peace and Justice |
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History |
St. Vincent was originally settled by
the Caribs. Struggle for possession by the French and British ended
with British control in 1783 (apart from French occupation from
1778-83). Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a
separate administrative unit of the Federation of the west Indies. The island gained independence in 1979. |
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Geography |
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Location: |
St. Vincent is situated in the Windward
Islands at the lower end of the Caribbean chain; the Grenadines comprise
a chain of little islands and rocks between St Vincent and Grenada |
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Geographic Coordinates: |
13 15 N, 61 12 W |
Area:
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total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
country comparison to the world: 209
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Land Boundaries: |
0 km |
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Coastline: |
84 km |
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
Climate:
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tropical; little seasonal temperature
variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Terrain:
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volcanic, mountainous |
Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m |
Natural resources:
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hydropower, cropland |
Land use:
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arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005) |
Natural hazards:
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hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island
of Saint Vincent is a constant threat |
Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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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; Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays |
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Population |
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People: |
104,574 (July 2009 est.) |
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Age structure: |
0-14 years: 25.9% (male 13,637/female
13,425)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 35,693/female 33,701)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 3,659/female 4,459) (2009 est.) |
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Population growth rate: |
-0.344% (2009 est.) |
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Birth rate: |
15.27 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
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Death rate: |
6.91 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) |
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Net migration rate: |
-11.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
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Urbanization: |
urban population: 47% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.) |
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Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
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Nationality: |
noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
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Government |
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Country Name: |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Government type:
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parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth
realm |
Capital:
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name: Kingstown
geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W |
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Administrative divisions: |
6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint
Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |
Independence:
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27 October 1979 (from the UK)
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National Holidays: |
New Year's Day (1 January); National
Heroes' Day (22 January); Good Friday; Easter Monday; May Day (5 May);
Whit Monday; CARICOM Day (first Monday in July); Carnival Tuesday (day
after CARICOM Day); August Monday (first Monday in August); Independence
Day (27 October); Christmas Day (25 December); Boxing Day (26 December)
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Constitution:
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27 October 1979 |
Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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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 Sir Fredrick Nathaniel
BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002) head
of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001).
Ralph Everard Gonsalves (born August 8, 1946), also known as "Comrade
Ralph", is leader of the Unity Labour Party.
He first entered political life as a student at the University of the
West Indies at Mona, Jamaica; in 1968, as president of the Guild of
Undergraduates, Gonsalves led the student protest at the banning of
popular historian and intellectual Walter Rodney.
Gonsalves received his Ph.D. in political science from UWI, Mona, and
went on to receive a law degree from the University of the West Indies,
Cave Hill, Barbados before returning to practice law and become an
active politician in his homeland.
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: 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 |
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Legislative branch: |
unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15
elected representatives and six appointed senators; representatives are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%; seats
by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
Judicial branch:
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Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consisting
of a High Court and Court of Appeals; based on Saint Lucia; two judges
of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
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Major Political Parties: |
New Democratic Party or NDP
[Arnhim EUSTACE]; 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) |
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International organization
participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador La Celia A.
PRINCE
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
consulate(s) general: New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited
to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Date of CARICOM Membership: |
1 May 1974 |
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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 |
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Economy |
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Overview: |
Economic growth slowed in 2008 after
reaching a 10-year high of nearly 7% in 2006, and will likely slow in
2009 with the global economic downturn, though it will be above average
for Latin America. Success of the economy hinges upon seasonal
variations in agriculture, tourism, and construction activity as well as
remittance inflows. Much of the workforce is employed in banana
production and tourism, but persistent high unemployment has prompted
many to leave the islands. This lower-middle-income country is
vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial
portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. In 2007, the islands had more
than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent
is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt
international regulatory standards. The government's ability to invest
in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its
high debt burden - 25% of current revenues are directed towards debt
servicing. An agreement with Italy to write-off debt reduced the public
debt-to-GDP ratio to about 70%. The GONSALVES administration is
directing government resources to infrastructure projects, including a
new international airport that is expected to be completed in 2011.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.07 billion (2008 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$601 million (2008 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate: |
0.9% (2008 est.) |
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GDP - per capita (PPP): |
$10,200 (2008 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector: |
agriculture: 10%
industry: 26%
services: 64% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force: |
57,520 (2007 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation: |
agriculture: 26%
industry: 17% |
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Unemployment rate: |
15% (2001 est.) |
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Budget: |
revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices;
small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish |
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Industries: |
food processing, cement, furniture,
clothing, starch |
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Exports: |
$193 million (2006) |
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Exports - commodities: |
bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro),
arrowroot starch; tennis racquets |
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Exports - partners: |
Greece 38.8%, France 23.1%, Italy 9.2%
(2008) |
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Imports: |
$578 million (2006) |
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Imports - commodities: |
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment,
chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels |
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Imports - partners: |
Singapore 27.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.3%,
US 12.2%, China 7.3%, Italy 7.2%, Norway 5.2% (2008) |
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Business Hours: |
Commercial: 8:00-12:00; 13:00-16:00
hrs Monday to Friday
Government: 8:30-12:00, 13:00-16:00
hrs Monday to Friday |
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Exchange rates: |
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar
- 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) |
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Communications |
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Telephones Main lines in use: |
22,800 (2008) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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130,100 (2008) |
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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; mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 100 telephones per 100
persons
international: country code - 1-784; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic
System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine
cables carry international calls; connectivity also provided by VHF/UHF
radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; SHF radiotelephone to
Grenada and Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique
through Saint Lucia |
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Radio broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2004) |
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Internet country code: |
.vc |
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Internet hosts: |
124 (2008) |
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Internet users: |
57,000 (2007) |
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Transportation |
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Airports: |
6 (2009) Main airports: Ebenezer Joshua; James Mitchell
International |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2009) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009) |
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Roadways: |
total: 829 km
country comparison to the world: 186
paved: 580 km
unpaved: 249 km (2003) |
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Merchant marine: |
total: 525
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 83, cargo 315, carrier 20,
chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 6, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 17,
petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 20, roll on/roll off 18,
specialized tanker 2, container 21
foreign-owned: 476 (Austria 2, Barbados 1, Belgium 8, Bulgaria 15,
Canada 1, China 94, Croatia 7, Cyprus 1, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 16,
Egypt 3, Estonia 16, France 6, Germany 3, Gibraltar 1, Greece 71, Guyana
2, Hong Kong 6, Iceland 7, India 7, Iran 1, Israel 2, Italy 17, Japan 3,
Kenya 2, Latvia 17, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 9, Monaco 5, Montenegro 1,
Namibia 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 13, Poland 1, Puerto Rico 1, Romania 1,
Russia 21, Singapore 4, Slovenia 5, South Africa 1, Sweden 2,
Switzerland 6, Syria 13, Turkey 20, Ukraine 11, UAE 9, UK 14, US 18,
Venezuela 1) (2008) |
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Ports and terminals: |
Kingstown
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Military |
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no regular military forces; royal Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines Police force, Coast Guard (2009) |
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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: |
St. Vincent Land so beautiful with joyful
hearts we pledge to thee
Our loyalty and love, and vow to keep you ever free.
Whate'er the future brings
Our faith will see us through.
May peace reign from shore to shore,
And God bless and keep us true.
Hairoun our fair and blessed isle,
Your mountains high,
So clear and green, are home to me, though I may stray, a haven,
calm, serene.
Our little sister islands are these gems,
the lovely Grenadines,
Upon their seas and golden sands, the sunshine ever beams!
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Highest National Award: |
GCMG :
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
(A British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of
Wales (later George IV) whilst he was acting as Prince Regent for his
father, George III. The Order includes three classes, in descending order
of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCMG) |
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National Dish: |
Pickled Flying or Jack Fish
and roasted breadfruit. |
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Government Website: |
http://www.gov.vc |
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