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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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| Geography |
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| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Geographic coordinates: | 12 07 N, 61 40 W |
| Map references: | Central America and the Caribbean |
| Area: | total: 344 sq km
land: 344 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
| Area—comparative: | twice the size of Washington, DC |
| Land boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 121 km |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Climate: | tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds |
| Terrain: | volcanic in origin with central mountains |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m |
| Natural resources: | timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors |
| Land use: | arable land: 5.88%
permanent crops: 29.41%
other: 64.71% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | NA |
| Total renewable water resources: | NA |
| Natural hazards: | lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November |
| Environment—current issues: | NA |
| 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 |
| 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: | 89,971 (July 2007 est.) |
| 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.) |
| Median age: | total: 22.1 years
male: 22.6 years
female: 21.6 years (2007 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.336% (2007 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 21.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -11.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| 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.) |
| 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.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 65.21 years
male: 63.38 years
female: 67.05 years (2007 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.3 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS—adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS—people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS—deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian |
| Ethnic groups: | black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% |
| Languages: | English (official), French patois |
| 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 |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | name: Saint George’s
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick |
| Independence: | 7 February 1974 (from UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 7 February (1974) |
| Constitution: | 19 December 1973 |
| Legal system: | based on English common law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| 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 |
| 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 early 2009)
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 |
| 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) |
| 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] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| 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, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
| 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 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | 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 |
| 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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| 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. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005), but is now saddled with the debt burden from the rebuilding process. The agricultural sector, particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation, has gradually recovered, and the tourism sector has seen substantial increases in foreign direct investment as the regional share of the tourism market increases. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | $982 million (2006 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | $553 million (2007 est.) |
| GDP—real growth rate: | 0.9% (2005 est.) |
| GDP—per capita (PPP): | $3,900 (2005 est.) |
| GDP—composition by sector: | agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 18%
services: 76.6% (2003) |
| Labor force: | 42,300 (1996) |
| Labor force—by occupation: | agriculture: 24%
industry: 14%
services: 62% (1999 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 12.5% (2000) |
| Population below poverty line: | 32% (2000) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3% (2005 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million (1997) |
| Agriculture—products: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables |
| Industries: | food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 0.7% (1997 est.) |
| Electricity—production: | 150 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity—consumption: | 139.5 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity—exports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity—imports: | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Oil—production: | 0 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil—consumption: | 1,800 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
| Oil—exports: | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
| Oil—imports: | 1,776 bbl/day (2004) |
| Oil—proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Natural gas—production: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) |
| Natural gas—consumption: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) |
| Natural gas—exports: | 0 cu m (2005 est.) |
| Natural gas—imports: | 0 cu m (2005) |
| Natural gas—proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Exports: | $38 million (2006) |
| Exports—commodities: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace |
| Exports—partners: | Saint Lucia 18.8%, Antigua and Barbuda 12.8%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 11.5%, Dominica 11.4%, US 11.4% (2006) |
| Imports: | $343 million (2006) |
| Imports—commodities: | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel |
| Imports—partners: | Trinidad and Tobago 33.7%, US 24.2%, UK 4.3% (2006) |
| Debt—external: | $347 million (2004) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Economic aid—recipient: | $44.87 million (2005) |
| Currency (code): | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
| Exchange rates: | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar – NA (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications |
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| Telephones—main lines in use: | 27,700 (2006) |
| Telephones—mobile cellular: | 46,200 (2006) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
domestic: interisland 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 |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 2 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .gd |
| Internet hosts: | 7 (2007) |
| Internet users: | 19,000 (2003) |
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| Transportation |
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| Airports: | 3 (2007) |
| Airports—with paved runways: | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2007) |
| Roadways: | total: 1,127 km
paved: 687 km
unpaved: 440 km (1999) |
| Ports and terminals: | Saint George’s |
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| Military |
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| Military branches: | no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2007) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 18-49: 24,031 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 18-49: 17,483 (2005 est.) |
| Manpower reaching military service age annually: | males age 18-49: 1,274 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures—percent of GDP: | NA |
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| Transnational Issues |
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| Disputes—international: | none |
| Illicit drugs: | small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US |
