BackgroundResistance 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.
GeographyThe 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.Loion:Caribbn, islands between the Caribbn S and North Atlantic Ocn, north of Trinidad and TobagoGeographic coordinates:13 15 N, 61 12 WAr:total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq kmSize comparison: twice the size of Washington, DC
Land Boundaries:0 kmCoastline:84 kmMaritime claims:territorial s: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nmClimate:tropical; little ssonal temperature variation; rainy sson (May to November)Terrain:volcanic, mountainousElevation extremes:lowest point: Caribbn S 0 m
highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 mNatural resources:hydropower, croplandLand use:arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005)Irrigated land:10 sq km (2003)Natural hazards:hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant thrtCurrent Environment Issues:pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by plsure yachts and other effluents; in some ars, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitiveInternational Environment Agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertifiion, Endangered Species, Environmental Modifiion, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the S, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
PeoplePopulation:118,432 (July 2008 est.)Age structure:0-14 yrs: 25.1% (male 15,161/female 14,600)
15-64 yrs: 68.4% (male 41,855/female 39,105)
65 yrs and over: 6.5% (male 3,402/female 4,309) (2008 est.)Median age:total: 28 yrs
male: 27.8 yrs
female: 28.1 yrs (2008 est.)Population growth rate:0.231% (2008 est.)Birth rate:15.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)Dth rate:5.96 dths/1,000 population (2008 est.)Net migration rate:-7.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 yrs: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 yrs: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 yrs and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)Infant mortality rate:total: 13.62 dths/1,000 live births
male: 14.83 dths/1,000 live births
female: 12.36 dths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)Life expectancy at birth:total population: 74.34 yrs
male: 72.42 yrs
female: 76.31 yrs (2008 est.)Total fertility rate:1.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NAHIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NAHIV/AIDS - dths:NANationality:noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or VincentianEthnic groups:black 66%, mixed 19%, st Indian 6%, Europn 4%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 3%Religions:Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman holic 13%, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12%Languages:English, French patoisLiteracy:definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96%
male: 96%
female: 96% (1970 est.)
GovernmentCountry name:conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesGovernment type:parliamentary democracyCapital:name: Kingstown
geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahd of Washington, DC during Standard Time)Administrative divisions:6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint PatrickIndependence:27 October 1979 (from UK)National holiday:Independence Day, 27 October (1979)Constitution:27 October 1979Legal system:based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdictionSuffrage:18 yrs of age; universalExecutive branch:chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor eral Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
hd of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor eral on the advice of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor eral is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the lder of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor eral; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor eral on the advice of the prime ministerLegislative branch:unicameral House of Assembly (21 sts, 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote to serve five-yr 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%; sts by party - ULP 12, NDP 3Judicial branch:stern Caribbn Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)Political parties and lders: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)Political pressure groups and lders:NAInternational organization participation:ACP, C, Caricom, B, 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, WTODiplomatic representation in the US: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) eral: New YorkDiplomatic representation from the US: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
EconomyEconomic growth slowed in 2008 after rching a 10 yr high of nrly 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 ssonal 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 lve 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.GDP (purchasing power parity):$1.089 billion (2008 est.)GDP (official exchange rate):$597 million (2008 est.)GDP - rl growth rate:5% (2008 est.)GDP - per capita (PPP):$9,200 (2008 est.)GDP - composition by sector:agriculture: 10%
industry: 26%
services: 64% (2001 est.)Labor force:41,680 (1991 est.)Labor force - by occupation:agriculture: 26%
industry: 17%
services: 57% (1980 est.)Unemployment rate:15% (2001 est.)Population below poverty line:NA%Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%Inflation rate (consumer prices):6.1% (2007 est.)Budget:revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million (2000 est.)Agriculture - products:
Industries:food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starchIndustrial production growth rate:
Electricity - production:129 million kWh (2006 est.)Electricity - consumption:120 million kWh (2006 est.)Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2007 est.)Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2007 est.)Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2007 est.)Oil - consumption:1,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)Oil - exports:0 bbl/day (2005)Oil - imports:1,460 bbl/day (2005)Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - imports:0 cu m (2007 est.)Natural gas - proved reserves:0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)Current account balance:-$149 million (2007 est.)Exports:$193 million (2006)Exports - commodities:bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquetsExports - partners:Greece 28.4%, Italy 14.6%, France 12%, UK 7.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, Spain 4.6%, Germany 4.3%, Saint Lucia 4.2% (2007)Imports:$578 million (2006)Imports - commodities:foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuelsImports - partners:Singapore 15.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.9%, Italy 13.3%, US 13%, China 5% (2007)Debt - external:$223 million (2004)Currency ():st Caribbn dollar (X)Exchange rates:st Caribbn dollars (X) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)Fiscal yr:calendar yr
CommuniionsTele in use:22,800 (2007)Cellular in use:104,000 (2007)Telephone system:eral 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 roughly 100 tele per 100 persons
international: country - 1-784; the st Caribbn Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbn 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 sat rth station in Martinique through Saint LuciaRadio broadcast stations:AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)Television broadcast stations:1 (plus 3 repters) (2004)Internet country :.vcInternet hosts:124 (2008)Internet users:57,000 (2007)
TransportationAirports:6 (2007)Airports (paved runways):total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2007)Airports (unpaved runways):total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007)Roadways:total: 829 km
paved: 580 km
unpaved: 249 km (2003)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, Beium 8, Buaria 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, Laia 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, Tur 20, Ukraine 11, UAE 9, UK 13, UK 1, US 18, Venezuela 1) (2008)Ports and terminals:Kingstown
Military
Military branches:no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Coast Guard (2007)Manpower available for military service:males age 16-49: 34,373 (2008 est.)Manpower fit for military service:males age 16-49: 28,518 (2008 est.)
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