Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a Caribbean nation composed of a main island (St. Vincent) and a number of smaller Islands (two thirds of "the Grenadines"). The islands are located in the Caribbean Sea, and are part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. The country has a French and British colonial history and is now part of the Commonwealth of Nations and CARICOM.
Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.
Its major environmental issues include: pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive
Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic Coordinates: 13 15 N, 61 12 W
Area: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005)
Coastline: 84 km
Maritime Claims: Territorial sea to 12 nautical miles; contiguous zone to 24 nautical miles; exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles; continental shelf to 200 nautical miles
Natural Hazards: Infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides.
Terrain: Relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region. The highest point is Mount Hillaby (336 meters)
Climate: Tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
Capital: Kingstown
Ecology and Biodiversity
Ecoregions:
See Biological diversity in the Caribbean Islands
International Environmental Agreements
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Whaling.
People and Society
Population: 104,574 (July 2009 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 25.9% (male 13,637/female 13,425)
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 35,693/female 33,701)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 3,659/female 4,459) (2009 est.)
Population Growth Rate: -0.344% (2009 est.)
Birthrate: 15.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death Rate: 5.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net Migration Rate: -11.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth: 73.65 years (2009 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Languages: English, French patois
Literacy: 96% (1970 est.)
Water
The total annual production from all currently used water resources is 9.95 million cubic meters (m3), with a storage capacity of about 5 million m3. All production is targeted for consumption, there being no water available from the system to support agricultural production. There is no official record of water use by sectors. Government institutions are estimated to use 1.6 million m3, unaccounted-for water is estimated at about 1.8 million m3, leakages 0.5 and domestic consumption at 5.3 million m3.
See Water profile
Economy
Economic growth slowed in 2008 after reaching a 10 year high of nearly 7% in 2006, and will likely slow in 2009 with the global economic downturn, though it will be above average for Latin America. Success of the economy hinges upon seasonal variations in agriculture, tourism, and construction activity as well as remittance inflows. Much of the workforce is employed in banana production and tourism, but persistent high unemployment has prompted many to leave the islands. This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. In 2007, the islands had more than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. The government's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high debt burden - 25% of current revenues are directed towards debt servicing. An agreement with Italy to write-off debt reduced the public debt-to-GDP ratio to about 70%
GDP: (Purchasing Power Parity): $1.103 billion (2008 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 5% (2008 est.)
GDP- per capita (PPP): $10,500 (2008 est.)
GDP- composition by sector:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 26%
services: 64% (2001 est.)
Industries: food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch
Natural Resources: hydropower, cropland
Currency: East Caribbean dollars (XCD)
Further Reading
- The CIA World Factbook
- World Wildlife Fund homepage
- Food and Drug Organization of the United Nations
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