| Grenada |
Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Grenada | Introduction | Top of Page

Background: | 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.

Grenada | Geography | Top of Page

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: 340 sq km land: 340 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: | twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: | 0 km

Coastline: | 121 km

Maritime claims: | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 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: 15% permanent crops: 18% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 9% other: 55% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: | NA sq km

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, 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

Grenada | People | Top of Page

Population: | 89,227 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 37.05% (male 16,739; female 16,318) 15-64 years: 59.03% (male 27,850; female 24,820) 65 years and over: 3.92% (male 1,592; female 1,908) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: | -0.06% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: | 23.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: | 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: | -15.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: | at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: | 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 64.52 years male: 62.74 years female: 66.31 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: | 2.54 children born/woman (2001 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% some South Asians (East Indians) and Europeans, trace 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: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)

Grenada | Government | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Grenada

Government type: | constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

Capital: | Saint George's

Administrative divisions: | 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petit 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; prime minister appointed by the governor general from among the members of the House of Assembly

Legislative branch: | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three 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 18 January 1999 (next to be held by NA October 2004) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NNP 14, GULP 1

Judicial branch: | West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an associate judge resides in Grenada)

Political parties and leaders: | Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Herbert PREUDHOMME]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [leader vacant]; New National Party or NNP [George McGUIRE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA

International organization participation: | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO

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 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176 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

Grenada | Economy | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | In this island economy progress in fiscal reforms and prudent macroeconomic management have kept annual growth steady since 1998. The increase in economic activity has been led by construction and trade. Tourist facilities are being expanded; tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner. Major short-term concerns are the rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external account balance. Grenada shares a common central bank and a common currency with seven other members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $394 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: | 7% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 9.7% industry: 15% services: 75.3% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: | NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.5% (2000 est.)

Labor force: | 42,300 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation: | services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry 14% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: | 15% (1997)

Budget: | revenues: $85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997)

Industries: | food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction

Industrial production growth rate: | 0.7% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: | 120 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: | 111.6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables

Exports: | $62.3 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace

Exports - partners: | Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8% (1991)

Imports: | $217.5 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel (1989)

Imports - partners: | US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991)

Debt - external: | $182.8 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: | $8.3 million (1995)

Currency: | East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: | XCD

Exchange rates: | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: | calendar year

Grenada | Communications | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 27,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: | 976 (1997)

Telephone system: | general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad

Radio broadcast stations: | AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: | 57,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: | 2 (1997)

Televisions: | 33,000 (1997)

Internet country code: | .gd

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 14 (2000)

Internet users: | 2,000 (2000)

Grenada | Transportation | Top of Page

Railways: | 0 km

Highways: | total: 1,040 km paved: 638 km unpaved: 402 km (1996)

Waterways: | none

Ports and harbors: | Grenville, Saint George's

Merchant marine: | none (2000 est.)

Airports: | 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: | total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Grenada | Military | Top of Page

Military branches: | Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | NA%

Grenada | Transnational Issues | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | none

Illicit drugs: | small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US