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This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
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| Introduction | Grenada | Top of Page

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.

| 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 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
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

| People | Grenada | Top of Page

Population: | 89,703 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 33.4% (male 15,097/female 14,820) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 30,106/female 26,764) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,394/female 1,522) (2006 est.)
Median age: | total: 21.7 years male: 22.1 years female: 21.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate: | 0.26% (2006 est.)
Birth rate: | 22.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: | 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate: | -12.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 64.87 years male: 63.06 years female: 66.68 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 2.34 children born/woman (2006 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.)

| Government | Grenada | Top of Page

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 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 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 November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 46.65%, NDC 44.12%; 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: | Good Old Democracy or GOD [Justin MCBURNIE]; Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]; People Labor Movement or PLM [Dr. Francis ALEXIS]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, 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 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 (official exchange rate): | $454 million
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% (2000)
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; including capital expenditures of $28 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: | 159.8 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption: | 148.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 1,800 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: | NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports: | $40 million (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities: | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
Exports - partners: | Saint Lucia 12.1%, US 11.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.2%, Germany 7.9%, Netherlands 7.8%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 7.4%, Dominica 7.4%, UK 6.8%, France 4.2% (2005)
Imports: | $276 million (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities: | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel
Imports - partners: | Trinidad and Tobago 27.8%, US 27%, UK 6% (2005)
Debt - external: | $347 million (2004)
Economic aid - recipient: | $15.4 million (2004)
Currency (code): | East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Exchange rates: | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

| Communications | Grenada | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 32,700 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 43,300 (2004)
Telephone system: | general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: country code - 1-473; 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 hosts: | 17 (2006)
Internet users: | 19,000 (2005)

| Transportation | Grenada | Top of Page

Airports: | 3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways: | total: 1,127 km paved: 687 km unpaved: 440 km (1999)
Ports and terminals: | Saint George's

| Military | Grenada | Top of Page

Military branches: | no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force
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

| 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 19 December, 2006