Grenada

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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.

Table of contents

1 Geography 2 People 3 Government 4 Economy 5 Communications 6 Transportation 7 Transnational Issues

Geography

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

Geography - note 

the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

People

Population 

89,211 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure 

0-14 years: 35.9% (male 16,213; female 15,863)
15-64 years: 60.3% (male 28,460; female 25,307)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 1,546; female 1,822) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 

0.02% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 

23.05 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 

7.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 

-15.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 

14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth 

total population: 64.52 years
female: 66.31 years (2002 est.)
male: 62.74 years

Total fertility rate 

2.5 children born/woman (2002 est.)

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

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

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

Economy - overview 

Despite government steadying of annual economic growth in recent years through progress in fiscal reform and prudent macroeconomic management, a downturn in tourist arrivals in 2001 threatens government spending in 2002. Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, although it also supports a small agriculture sector and a developing offshore financial industry. Short-term concerns include a rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external account balance.

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 

2.8% (2001 est.)

Labor force 

42,300 (1996) (1996)

Labor force - by occupation 

services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry 14% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate 

11.5% (1999) (1999)

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 

110 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source 

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 

102.3 million kWh (2000)

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 

Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8% (1991)

Imports 

$270 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)

Currency 

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code 

XCD

Exchange rates 

East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

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)

Radios 

57,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

2 (1997)

Televisions 

33,000 (1997)

Internet country code 

.gd

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

14 (2000)

Internet users 

5,200 (2002)

Transportation

Railways 

0 km

Highways 

total: 1,040 km
paved: 638 km
unpaved: 402 km (1996)

Waterways 

none

Ports and harbors 

Grenville, Saint George's

Airports 

3 (2001)

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)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

none

Illicit drugs 

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US