| 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. |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada |
| Government
type: |
constitutional
monarchy with Westminster-style parliament |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| Exchange
rates: |
East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| 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) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
2 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
33,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.gd |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
14 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
2,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
1,040 km
paved: 638 km
unpaved: 402 km (1996) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Grenville, Saint
George's |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (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.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Grenada
Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
small-scale
cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for
marijuana and cocaine to US |
|
