| Introduction - Grenada: |
Country | Grenada |
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Background | 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. |
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| Location - Grenada: |
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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Map references | Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area | total: 344 sq km
land: 344 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC |
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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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Irrigated land | NA |
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Natural hazards | lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November |
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Environment current issues | NA |
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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 |
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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 - Grenada: |
Population | 89,971 (July 2007 est.) |
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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.) |
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Median age | total: 22.1 years
male: 22.6 years
female: 21.6 years (2007 est.) |
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Population growth rate | 0.336% (2007 est.) |
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Birth rate | 21.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Death rate | 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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Net migration rate | -11.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
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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.) |
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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.) |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 65.21 years
male: 63.38 years
female: 67.05 years (2007 est.) |
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Total fertility rate | 2.3 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
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Hiv aids adult prevalence rate | NA |
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Hiv aids people living with hiv aids | NA |
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Hiv aids deaths | NA |
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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 - Grenada: |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada |
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Government type | parliamentary democracy |
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Capital | name: Saint Georges
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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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 UK) |
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National holiday | Independence Day, 7 February (1974) |
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Constitution | 19 December 1973 |
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Legal system | based on English common law |
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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 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 |
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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 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 |
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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) |
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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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Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |
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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, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the us | 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 | chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint Georges
mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint Georges
telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176
FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820 |
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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 worlds second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions |
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| Economy - Grenada: |
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. |
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Gdp purchasing power parity | $982 million (2006 est.) |
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Gdp official exchange rate | $454 million (2005) |
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Gdp real growth rate | 0.9% (2005 est.) |
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Gdp per capita ppp | $3,900 (2005 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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Population below poverty line | 32% (2000) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate consumer prices | 3% (2005 est.) |
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Budget | revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million; including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997) |
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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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Industrial production growth rate | 0.7% (1997 est.) |
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Electricity production | 171.3 million kWh (2004) |
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Electricity consumption | 159.3 million kWh (2004) |
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Electricity exports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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Electricity imports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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Oil production | 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil consumption | 1,800 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil exports | NA bbl/day |
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Oil imports | NA bbl/day |
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Oil proved reserves | 0 bbl |
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Natural gas production | 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas consumption | 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
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Exports | $40 million (2004 est.) |
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Exports commodities | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace |
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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) |
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Imports | $276 million (2004 est.) |
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Imports commodities | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel |
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Imports partners | Trinidad and Tobago 32.3%, US 23.2%, Barbados 4.6%, UK 4.1% (2006) |
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Debt external | $347 million (2004) |
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Economic aid recipient | $15.4 million (2004) |
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Currency code | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002) |
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| Communications - Grenada: |
Fiscal year | calendar year |
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Telephones main lines in use | 27,700 (2006) |
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Telephones mobile cellular | 46,200 (2006) |
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Telephone system | general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international: country code - 1-473; new 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 | 2 (1997) |
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Internet country code | .gd |
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Internet hosts | 17 (2006) |
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Internet users | 19,000 (2003) |
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| Transportation - Grenada: |
Airports | 3 (2006) |
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Airports with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
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Roadways | total: 1,127 km
paved: 687 km
unpaved: 440 km (1999) |
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Ports and terminals | Saint Georges |
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| Military - Grenada: |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2007) |
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Manpower available for military service | males age 18-49: 24,031 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service | males age 18-49: 17,483 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually | males age 18-49: 1,274 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures percent of gdp | NA |
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Disputes international | none |
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This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007
