from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Introduction
Background: Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on
St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the
United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island
was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate
administrative unit of the Federation of the West
Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence
in 1979.
Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North
Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic 13 15 N, 61 12 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
Area: total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - twice the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 84 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy
season (May to November)
Terrain: volcanic, mountainous
Elevation lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m
Natural hydropower, cropland
resources:
Land use: arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005)
Irrigated 10 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint
hazards: Vincent is a constant threat
Environment - pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from
current discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in
issues: some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming
prohibitive
Environment - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
international Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
agreements: Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - the administration of the islands of the Grenadines
note: group is divided between Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays
People
Population: 117,848 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,007/female 15,426)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 40,676/female 38,155)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,315/female 4,269) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 26.9 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 27.1 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.26% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 16.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -7.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant total: 14.4 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 15.67 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 13.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 73.85 years
expectancy at male: 71.99 years
birth: female: 75.77 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.83 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
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: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96%
male: 96%
female: 96% (1970 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
Government parliamentary democracy
type:
Capital: name: Kingstown
geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint
divisions: David, Saint George, Saint Patrick
Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK)
National Independence Day, 27 October (1979)
holiday:
Constitution: 27 October 1979
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 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)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on
the advice of the prime minister
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
Legislative unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected
branch: representatives and 6 appointed senators;
representatives are elected by popular vote from
single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held
2010)
election results: percent of vote by party - ULP
55.26%, NDP 44.68%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3
Judicial Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia;
branch: one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines)
Political New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity
parties and Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the
leaders: coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the
Movement for National Unity or MNU)
Political NA
pressure
groups and
leaders:
International ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
organization ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
participation: IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WTO
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
representation chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and
representation the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is
from the US: accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Flag three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double
description: width), and green; the gold band bears three green
diamonds arranged in a V pattern
Economy
Economy - Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country
overview: hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and
tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial
portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism
in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals
following 11 September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a
small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt
international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is
also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a
transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South
America.
GDP $342 million (2002 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $428 million
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 4.9% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $3,600 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 10%
composition by industry: 26%
sector: services: 64% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 41,680 (1991 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 26%
by occupation: industry: 17%
services: 57% (1980 est.)
Unemployment 15% (2001 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate 1% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Agriculture - bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small
products: numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish
Industries: food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch
Industrial -0.9% (1997 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 95 million kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 69.3%
production by hydro: 30.7%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 88.35 million kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 1,300 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $37 million (2004 est.)
Exports - bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot
commodities: starch; tennis racquets
Exports - France 50.3%, Italy 21%, Greece 11%, US 4.2% (2005)
partners:
Imports: $225 million (2004 est.)
Imports - foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and
commodities: fertilizers, minerals and fuels
Imports - France 36.1%, Singapore 12.5%, Italy 11.9%, Trinidad
partners: and Tobago 7.9%, US 7.2% (2005)
Debt - $223 million (2004)
external:
Economic aid - $10.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (2004)
recipient:
Currency East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
(code):
Currency code: XCD
Exchange East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7
rates: (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 22,500 (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 70,600 (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: adequate system
system: domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system;
VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other
islands of the Grenadines
international: country code - 1-784; 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 AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 77,000 (1997)
Television 1 (plus three repeaters) (2004)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 18,000 (1997)
Internet .vc
country code:
Internet 94 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 15 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 8,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 6 (2006)
Airports - total: 5
with paved 914 to 1,523 m: 4
runways: under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with unpaved under 914 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 829 km
paved: 580 km
unpaved: 249 km (2003)
Merchant total: 589 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,449,699 GRT/
marine: 8,051,250 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 106, cargo 351, chemical tanker
5, container 20, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 1,
passenger 5, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 18,
refrigerated cargo 38, roll on/roll off 20, specialized
tanker 3
foreign-owned: 529 (Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium
3, Bulgaria 17, Canada 6, China 103, Croatia 9, Cyprus
1, Czech Republic
registered in other countries: 1 (Comoros 1) (2006)
Ports and Kingstown
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the
branches: Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service
Unit), Coast Guard (2005)
Manpower males age 18-49: 31,489 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 25,787 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 1,204 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military NA
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military NA
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's
international: claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a
criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to
extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion
of the Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined
for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation