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In general, information available as of 1 January 2003 was used in the preparation of The World Factbook 2003. This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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| Introduction | Grenada | 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.
| Geography | Grenada | 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: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 344 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: 5.88% permanent crops: 26.47% other: 67.65% (1998 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
| People | Grenada | Top of Page
Population: | 89,258 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 35.1% (male 15,840; female 15,492) 15-64 years: 61.3% (male 28,941; female 25,735) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 1,502; female 1,748) (2003 est.)
Median age: | total: 20.5 years male: 21 years female: 20 years (2002)
Population growth rate: | 0.08% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: | 22.87 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: | 7.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: | -14.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 14.18 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 64.52 years male: 62.74 years female: 66.31 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.45 children born/woman (2003 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: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)
| Government | Grenada | 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; 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 (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 27 November 2003 (next to be held by NA November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7
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]; People Labor Movement or PLM [leader NA]
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 (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE consulate(s) general: New York FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561 chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
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
| Economy | Grenada | Top of Page
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.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $440 million (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 2.5% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 7.7% industry: 23.9% services: 68.4% (2000)
Population below poverty line: | 32% (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 2.8% (2001 est.)
Labor force: | 42,300 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: | services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry 14% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 12.5% (2000)
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: | 138 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 128.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Agriculture - products: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables
Exports: | $78 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
Exports - partners: | Germany 14%, US 13.6%, Bangladesh 9.7%, Netherlands 8.6%, Saint Lucia 6.4%, Antigua and Barbuda 4.3%, France 4.1% (2002)
Imports: | $270 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel
Imports - partners: | US 30.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 27.3%, UK 4.4% (2002)
Debt - external: | $196 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: | $8.3 million (1995)
Currency: | East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: | XCD
Exchange rates: | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998)
Fiscal year: | calendar year
| Communications | Grenada | 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 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations: | 2 (1997)
Internet country code: | .gd
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 14 (2000)
Internet users: | 5,200 (2002)
| Transportation | Grenada | Top of Page
Railways: | 0 km
Highways: | total: 1,040 km paved: 638 km unpaved: 402 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | Grenville, Saint George's
Merchant marine: | none (2002 est.)
Airports: | 3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
| Military | Grenada | Top of Page
Military branches: | Royal Grenada Police Force, Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | NA%
| Transnational Issues | Grenada | Top of Page
Disputes - international: | none
Illicit drugs: | small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003