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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. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island
between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of
Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 07 N, 61 40 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 344
sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 344 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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twice the size of
Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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121 km |
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Climate:
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tropical;
tempered by northeast trade winds |
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Terrain:
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volcanic in
origin with central mountains |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m |
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Natural resources:
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timber, tropical
fruit, deepwater harbors |
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Land use:
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arable land:
5.88%
permanent crops: 26.47%
other: 67.65% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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lies on edge of
hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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the
administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is
divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada |
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Population:
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89,357 (July 2004
est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
34.5% (male 15,580; female 15,212)
15-64 years: 62% (male 29,321; female 26,104)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 1,467; female 1,673)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
20.9 years
male: 21.4 years
female: 20.4 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.14% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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22.61
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.31 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-13.92 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
14.62 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 14.18 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 64.52 years
male: 62.74 years
female: 66.31 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black 82%, mixed
black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5% , and
trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic
53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% |
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Languages:
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English
(official), French patois |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98% (1970 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada |
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Government type:
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constitutional
monarchy with Westminster-style parliament |
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Capital:
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Saint George's |
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Administrative divisions:
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6 parishes and 1
dependency*; Carriacou and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew,
Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint
Patrick |
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Independence:
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7 February 1974
(from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day,
7 February (1974) |
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Constitution:
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19 December 1973 |
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Legal system:
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based on English
common law |
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Executive branch:
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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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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West Indies
Associate States Supreme Court (an associate judge resides in
Grenada) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E.
KRAMER, is accredited to Grenada
embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, 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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $440 million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.5% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $5,000 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
7.7%
industry: 23.9%
services: 68.4% (2000) |
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Population below poverty line:
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32% (2000) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.8% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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42,300 (1996) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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services 62%,
agriculture 24%, industry 14% (1999 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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12.5% (2000) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million, including capital
expenditures of $28 million (1997) |
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Industries:
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food and
beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism,
construction |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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0.7% (1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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138 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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128.3 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001
est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,000 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, cocoa,
nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn,
vegetables |
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Exports:
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$46 million (2002
est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas, cocoa,
nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace |
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Exports - partners:
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US 15.2%, Germany
13%, Bangladesh 10.9%, Netherlands 8.7%, Saint Lucia 6.5%,
Antigua and Barbuda 4.3%, Dominica 4.3%, France 4.3%, Saint
Kitts and Nevis 4.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.3%, UK 4.3% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$208 million
(2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food,
manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel |
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Imports - partners:
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US 29.8%,
Trinidad and Tobago 26.9%, UK 4.3% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$196 million
(2000) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$8.3 million
(1995) |
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Currency:
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East Caribbean
dollar (XCD) |
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Currency code:
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XCD |
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Exchange rates:
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East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001),
2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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33,500 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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7,600 (2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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 |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM 13,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.gd |
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Internet hosts:
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14 (2002) |
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Internet users:
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15,000 (2002) |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total:
1,040 km
paved: 638 km
unpaved: 402 km (1999 est.) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Grenville, Saint
George's |
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Merchant marine:
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none |
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Airports:
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3 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no regular
military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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small-scale
cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana
and cocaine to US |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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