2000 Edition

Background

The smallest independent country 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.

Area

land

340 sq km

total

340 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Coastline

121 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

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

Geographic coordinates

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land

15%

forests and woodland

9%

other

55% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

18%

permanent pastures

3%

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Terrain

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Age structure

0-14 years: 38% (male 17,106; female 16,634) 15-64 years: 58% (male 27,267; female 24,356) 65 years and over: 4% (male 1,653; female 2,002) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

20.96 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

8.02 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

black 82% some South Asians (East Indians) and Europeans, trace Arawak/Carib Amerindian

Infant mortality rate

14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

English (official), French patois

Life expectancy at birth

female

66.31 years (2000 est.)

male

62.74 years

total population

64.52 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

98% (1970 est.)

male

98%

total population

98%

Nationality

adjective

Grenadian

noun

Grenadian(s)

Net migration rate

-16.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

89,018 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.36% (2000 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%

Sex ratio

at birth

1.02 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 (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.42 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Saint George's

Constitution

19 December 1973

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional short form

Grenada

Data code

GJ

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada; Charge d'Affairs Lloyd MOSS

embassy

Point Salines, Saint George's

mailing address

P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies

telephone

(473) 444-1173 through 1176

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE

consulate(s) general

New York

telephone

(202) 265-2561

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

chief of state

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996)

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

head of government

Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995)

FAX

(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

Government type

constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

Independence

7 February 1974 (from UK)

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, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an associate judge resides in Grenada)

Legal system

based on English common law

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)

election results

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NNP 15

elections

last held on 18 January 1999 (next to be held by NA October 2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Political parties and leaders

Grenada United Labor Party or GULP ; Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement or MBPM ; National Democratic Congress or NDC [George BRIZAN]; New National Party or NNP ; The Democratic Labor Party or DLP ; The National Party or TNP [Ben JONES]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables

Budget

expenditures

$102.1 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997)

revenues

$85.8 million

Currency

1 East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$89.2 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$8.3 million (1995)

Economy - overview

In this island economy progress in fiscal reforms and prudent macroeconomic management have boosted annual growth to 5%-6% in 1998-99. 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).

Electricity - consumption

98 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

105 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

100%

hydro

0%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (1998)

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Exports

$26.8 million (1998)

Exports - commodities

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace

Exports - partners

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

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $360 million (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

9.7%

industry

15%

services

75.3% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,700 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$200 million (1998)

Imports - commodities

food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel (1989)

Imports - partners

US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991)

Industrial production growth rate

0.7% (1997 est.)

Industries

food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.3% (1998)

Labor force

42,300 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

15% (1997)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

1 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios

57,000 (1997)

Telephone system

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

Telephones - main lines in use

23,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular

400 (1995)

Television broadcast stations

2 (1997)

Televisions

33,000 (1997)

Airports

3 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

638 km

total

1,040 km

unpaved

402 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

none (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors

Grenville, Saint George's

Railways

0 km

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

GUADELOUPE