1989 Edition

Climate

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

subtropical tempered by trade winds; relatively high humidity

Coastline

121 km

306 km

Comparative area

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

10 times the size of Washington, DC

Contijienlal shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November

subject to hurricanes (June to October); La Soufriere is an active volcano

Extended economic zone

200 nm

200 nm

Land boundaries

none

14 km with Netherlands Antilles

Land use

1 5% arable land; 26% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 9% forest and woodland; 47% other

18% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 24% other; includes 1% irrigated

Natural resources

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

cultivable land, beaches, and climate that foster tourism

Note

islands of the Grenadines group are divided politically with St. Vincent and the Grenadines

located 500 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea

Terrain

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grand-Terre is low limestone formation

Territorial sea

1 2 nm

1 2 nm

Total area

340 km2; land area: 340 km2

1,780 km2; land area: 1,760 km2

Birth rate

36 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

20 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Death rate

7 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

7 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

mainly of black African descent

90% black or mulatto; 5% white; less than 5% East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese

Infant mortality rate

30 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

1 7 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

36,000; 31% services, 24% agriculture, 8% construction, 5% manufacturing, 32% other (1985)

120,000; 53.0% services, government, and commerce, 25.8% industry, 21.2% agriculture

Language

English (official); some French patois

French, Creole patois

Life expectancy at birth

69 years male, 74 years female (1990)

70 years male, 77 years female (1990)

Literacy

85%

over 70%

Nationality

noun — Grenadian(s); adjective— Grenadian

noun — Guadeloupian(s); adjective— Guadeloupe

Net migration rate

—33 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

—6 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

20% of labor force

1 1% of labor force

Population

84,135 (July 1990), growth rate -0.4% (1990)

342,175 (July 1990), growth rate 0.8% (1990)

Religion

largely Roman Catholic; Anglican; other Protestant sects

95% Roman Catholic, 5% Hindu and pagan African

Total fertility rate

4.9 children born/ woman (1990)

2.1 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Little Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

none (overseas department of France)

Capital

Saint George's

Basse-Terre

Communists

about 450 members of the New Jewel Movement (pro-Soviet) and the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (proCuban)

3,000 est.

Constitution

19 December 1973

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Albert O. XAVIER; Chancery at 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 265-2561; there is a Grenadian Consulate General in New York; US— Charge d'Affaires James F. COOPER; Embassy at Ross Point Inn, Saint George's (mailing address is P. O. Box 54, Saint George's); telephone [440] 1731 or 1734

as an overseas department of France, the interests of Guadeloupe are represented in the US by

Elections

House of Representatives — last held on 13 March 1990 (next to be held by March 1 996); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (15 total) NDC 8, GULP 3, TNP 2, NNP 2

General Council — last held NA 1986 (next to be held by NA 1992); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats — (42 total) number of seats by party NA; Regional Council — last held on 16 March 1986 (next to be held by 16 March 1992); results— RPR 33.1%, PS 28.7%, PCG 23.8%, UDF 10.7%, others 3.8%; seats— (41 total) RPR 15, PS 12, PCG 10, UDF 4; French Senate — last held on 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1994); Guadeloupe elects two representatives; results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (2 total) PCG 1, PS 1; French National Assembly — last held on 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1994); Guadeloupe elects four representatives; results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (4 total) PS 2 seats, RPR 1 seat, PCG 1 seat

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Ministers of Government (cabinet)

government commissioner

Flag

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

Independence

7 February 1974 (from UK)

none (overseas department of France)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel) with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique

Leaders

Chief of State— Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Paul SCOON (since 30 September 1978); Head of Government — Prime Minister Nicholas BRATHWAITE (since 13 March 1990) Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nicholas Brathwaite; Grenada United Labor Party (GULP), Sir Eric Gairy; The National Party (TNP), Ben Jones; New National Party (NNP), Keith Mitchell; Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (MBPM), Terrence Merryshow; New Jewel Movement (NJM), Bernard Coard

Chief of State — President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); Head of Government — Commissioner of the Republic Jean-Paul PROUST (since November 1989) Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR), Marlene Captant; Communist Party of Guadeloupe (PCG), Christian Medard Celeste; Socialist Party (PSG), Dominique Larifla; Independent Republicans; Union for French Democracy (UDF); Union for a New Majority (UNM)

Legal system

based on English common law

French legal system

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

unicameral General Council and unicameral Regional Council

Long-form name

none

Department of Guadeloupe

Member of

ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAS, DECS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO Grenada (continued)

WFTU

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Other political or pressure groups

Popular Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG); Popular Movement for Independent Guadeloupe (MPGI); General Union of Guadeloupe Workers (UGTG); General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers (CGTG); Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (KLPG)

Suffrage

universal at age 18

universal at age 18

Type

parliamentary democracy

overseas department of France

Agriculture

accounts for 20% of GDP and 90% of exports; bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, and mace account for two-thirds of total crop production; world's second-largest producer and fourth-largest exporter of nutmeg and mace; small-size farms predominate, growing a variety of citrus fruits, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, and vegetables

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY84-88), $60 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $32 million

Budget

revenues $74.2 million; expenditures $82.3 million, including capital expenditures of $27.8 million (1989 est.)

Currency

East Caribbean dollar (plural — dollars); 1 EC dollar (ECS) = 100 cents

Electricity

1 1,400 kW capacity; 24 million kWh produced, 280 kWh per capita (1989) Guadeloupe (overseas department of France)

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (ECS) per US$1— 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Exports

$31.8 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities — nutmeg 35%, cocoa beans 15%, bananas 13%, mace 7%, textiles; partners— US 4%, UK, FRG, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago

External debt

$108 million (1989 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$129.7 million, per capita $1,535; real growth rate 5% (1988)

Imports

$92.6 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities — machinery 24%, food 22%, manufactured goods 19%, petroleum 8%; partners— US 32%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada

Industrial production

growth rate 5.8% (1989 est.)

Industries

food and beverage, textile, light assembly operations, tourism, construction

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.0% (1989 est.)

Overview

The economy is essentially agricultural and centers on the traditional production of spices and tropical plants. Agriculture accounts for about 20% of GDP and 90% of exports and employs 24% of the labor force. Tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner, followed by agricultural exports. Manufacturing remains relatively undeveloped, but with a more favorable private investment climate since 1983, it is expected to grow. Despite an impressive average annual growth rate for the economy of 5.5% during the period 1984-88, unemployment remains high at about 26%.

Unemployment rate

26% (1988)

Airports

1 1 total, 8 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Royal Grenada Police Force

Civil air

2 major transport aircraft

no major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

NA 20km BasseTerre Caribbean Sea St Martin and St Barthelemy are not shown

Highways

80 km

1,000 km total; 600 km paved, 300 km otherwise improved; 100 km unimproved

Merchant marine

1 refrigerated cargo (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,021 GRT/ 1,778 DWT; note— operates under the registry of Denmark

Military manpower

NA

Note

defense is responsibility of Denmark 15 km Caribbean Sea Hillsborough . t ..Qftonde *> Is/and Caribbean Sea L SAINT GEORGE'S

Ports

Kangerluarsoruseq (Faeringehavn), Paamiut (Frederikshaab), Nuuk (Godthaab), Sisitniut (Holsteinsborg), Julianehaab, Maarmorilik, North Star Bay, and at least 10 minor ports

Saint George's

Telecommunications

adequate domestic and international service provided by cables and radio relay; 17,900 telephones; stations— 5 AM, 7 (35 relays) FM, 4 (9 relays) TV; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces

automatic, islandwide telephone system with 5,650 telephones; new SHF links to Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent; VHF and UHF links to Trinidad and Carriacou; stations— 1 AM, no FM, 1 TV Defense Forces