THE GEOGRAPHY (Foreign Office UK)
Area: 344 sq km; (133 sq mi)
Population: 89,211 (July 2002 est.)
Capital City: St George's (population:
33,734)
People: Most of Grenada's population is
of African descent; there is some
trace of the early Arawak and Carib
Indians. A few East Indians and a small
community of the descendants of early
European settlers reside in Grenada.
About 50% of Grenada's population is
under the age of 30. English is the
official language; only a few people
speak French patois. A more significant
reminder of Grenada's historical link
with France is the strength of the
Roman Catholic Church to which about
60% of Grenadians belong. The Anglican
Church is the largest Protestant
denomination.
Languages: The official language is
English.
Religion(s): Roman Catholic 53%,
Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar
(XCD)
Major Political Parties: Grenada United
Labour Party (GULP); National
Democratic Congress (NDC); New
National Party (NNP); People's Labour
Movement (PLM)
Government: Grenada is governed
under a parliamentary system based on
the British model. It has a
Governor-General, a Prime Minister
and a cabinet, a bicameral Parliament
with an elected House of
Representatives and an appointed
Senate. Citizens enjoy a wide range of
civil and political rights guaranteed by
the constitution. Grenada's constitution
provides citizens with the right to
change their government peacefully.
Citizens exercise this right through
periodic, free, and fair elections held
on the basis of universal suffrage.
Security in Grenada is maintained by
the 650 members of the Royal Grenada
Police Force (RGPF), which includes an
80-member paramilitary special
services unit (SSU) and a 30-member
coast guard.
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
GEOGRAPHY
Grenada, and it's sister islands of
Carriacou and Petit Martinique, are the
most southerly islands of the Eastern
Caribbean and are located
approximately 90 miles north of
Trinidad. Grenada is volcanic in origin
with tropical rainforests and mangrove
swamps contributing to its rich and
diverse natural vegetation. It enjoys a
tropical climate with a rainy season
from June to December and a drier,
less humid climate, from January to
May.
THE HISTORY (Foreign Office UK)
Grenada was originally inhabited by
Arawaks and Caribs. In 1498 Grenada
was discovered by Christopher
Columbus and named Concepcion. The
island was later colonised by the
French and, in 1763, ceded to Great
Britain at the Treaty of Versailles.
Grenada became a self governing
Associated State in 1967 and gained
Independence on 7 February 1974. The
elected Government was overthrown
in 1979 by the New Jewel Movement
led by Maurice Bishop who formed a
People's Revolutionary Government
(PRG). Disagreements within the PRG
resulted in the arrest and subsequent
execution of Bishop in October 1983.
The PRG was replaced briefly by a
Revolutionary Military Council. These
events led to an intervention by US and
Caribbean forces in late 1983 and a
return to democracy. The current
Prime Minister, Dr the Hon Keith
Mitchell, was elected to a second
successive term of office in January
1999.
BBC News Online Country Timeline
POLITICS
Dr Keith Mitchell has been Prime
Minister since June 1995. In November
1998, Prime Minister Mitchell's New
National Party (NNP) was forced into
an early election when it lost its
parliamentary majority. The General
Election, which took place on 18
January 1999, resulted in the NNP
taking all 15 seats in Parliament (and
62% of the vote), and in so doing, is the
first party in Grenada to have won two
successive terms in Government since
1984, when parliamentary government
was restored. Michael Baptiste,
formerly NNP Minister for Agriculture,
crossed the floor in June 2000. He
joined the Grenada United Worker's
Party (GULP) and became leader of
the opposition.
THE ECONOMY (Foreign Office UK)
The main sources of employment in
Grenada are agriculture, construction
and tourism. The main export and
principal crop is nutmeg but banana,
cocoa and fish exports also contribute
to the economy. The importance of
agriculture has been reduced over the
last decade with natural disasters,
declining international prices and
disease affecting this sector. Economic
growth averaged 5,7% between 1997
and 2000, mainly due to the buoyancy
in the construction and communications
sectors, along with agricultural
recovery and the expansion of tourism
and financial services sectors.
However, growth declined by 3% in
2001. Growth was estimated at 0.6% in
2002. The government's efforts to
contain the central government deficit
for 2002 were partly undermined by
unexpected expenditures to cope with
the immediate after-effects of tropical
storm Lili, which hit Grenada in
September 2002. It is now estimated
that in 2002 the central government
deficit was approximately 8% of the
GDP. The government was granted
emergency assistance from the IMF to
help deal with the extensive damaged
caused by the storm. The government
is forecasting growth of 2.5% in 2003.
In February 2003, Grenada was
removed from the Financial Action
Task Force's list of non co-operating
countries.
The government issued a US $100
million international bond in June 2002.
The proceeds have been used to retire
more expensive debts and to eliminate
government arrears.
Unemployment was estimated at 12.2%
in 2002.
Tourism, now Grenada's main foreign
exchange earner, enjoyed sustained
annual growth until 2000, with a total
of 128,864 visitors that year. The
number of British tourists has also
continued to grow with 32,236 visitors
in 2000 (up 18%). The UK now ranks a
close second to the United States as
Grenada's main source of stay-over
visitors. Declining passenger
confidence following the events of 11
September led to a fall in visitor
numbers in 2001 (123,351 total visitors
of which 28,488 were from the UK).
There is however optimism of a
sustained recovery following the
announcement of a new service to
Grenada by Virgin Atlantic from May
2003 and the introduction of a second
weekly British Airways flight from
October 2002. The number of hotel
rooms remains the critical impediment
to further growth. Two leading hotels,
the Grand Beach Resort and the Spice
Island Resort, have both completed
refurbishment and expansion projects
but there is no sign of any major new
investment.
Basic Economic Facts:
Nominal GDP (2002): EC$1118 million
(US$414 million)
Nominal GDP per head (2002):
EC$10,893 (US$4033.75)
Annual growth (2002): -3.0%
Inflation (2002): 3.0%
Major industries: Agriculture (nutmeg,
banana, cocoa), construction, tourism
Major trading partners: Imports: USA
(45%), Trinidad (20%), EU (37%),
OECS (13%). UK market share is 8.4%
(2001)
Exports: USA (44%), EU (37%), OECS
(13%)
Flags Of The World: Grenada
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