Edition 2003 — Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Administrative divisions

6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Age structure

0-14 years: 28.2% (male 16,755; female 16,163) 15-64 years: 65.5% (male 39,308; female 37,149) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,215; female 4,222) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Airports

6 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) Military Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Area

land: 389 sq km
total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

twice the size of Washington, DC

Background

Disputed between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. Geography Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Birth rate

17.16 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $85.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $94.6 million

Capital

Kingstown

Climate

tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Coastline

84 km

Constitution

27 October 1979

Country name

conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Currency

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code

XCD

Death rate

6.08 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$167.2 million (2000)

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730

Disputes - international

protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea

Economic aid - recipient

$47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998)

Economy - overview

Bananas and other agricultural products remain the staple of this lower-middle income country's economy. Although tourism and other services have been growing moderately in recent years, the government has been ineffective at introducing new industries. Unemployment remains high, and economic growth hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11 September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector, but its restrictive secrecy laws have come under international review. As of June 2001, it remained on the Financial Action Task Force's list of noncooperative jurisdictions. Saint Vincent is also the largest producer of marijuana in the Eastern Caribbean and is increasingly being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America.

Electricity - consumption

86 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

92.48 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 69.3%
hydro: 30.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Ethnic groups

black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7%

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998)

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 Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)

Exports

$53.7 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities

bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets

Exports - partners

France 25.2%, Greece 19.1%, Spain 16.4%, UK 9.5%, US 7.1% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 364-6736
consulate(s) general: New York

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag description

three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern Economy Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

GDP

purchasing power parity - $339 million (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 10%
industry: 26%
services: 64% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-0.5% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

13 15 N, 61 12 W

Geography - note

the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays People Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Government type

parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Highways

paved: 320 km
total: 1,040 km
unpaved: 720 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA%

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$185.6 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Imports - partners

France 32.7%, US 11.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.4%, Singapore 10.1%, Spain 7.9%, Greece 4.3% (2002)

Independence

27 October 1979 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.9% (1997 est.)

Industries

food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

Infant mortality rate

female: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 17.08 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 15.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-0.4% (2001 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO

Internet country code

.vc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

15 (2000)

Internet users

3,500 (2001) Transportation Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Labor force

67,000 (1984 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 10.26%
other: 71.79% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 17.95%

Languages

English, French patois

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 74.92 years (2003 est.)
male: 71.3 years
total population: 73.08 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
female: 96% (1970 est.) Government Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
male: 96%
total population: 96%

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM

Median age

female: 25.5 years (2002)
male: 25.1 years
total: 25.3 years

Merchant marine

convenience: Albania 1, Anguilla 1, Argentina 1, Australia 2, The Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Barbados 2, Belgium 4, Bulgaria 14, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 1, China 135, Colombia 1, Croatia 12, Cyprus 6, Denmark 16, Egypt 7, Estonia 6, France 27, Germany 12, Greece 156, Guyana 7, Hong Kong 23, Iceland 1, India 11, Indonesia 3, Israel 2, Italy 19, Japan 1, Kenya 4, Latvia 5, Lebanon 9, Liberia 5, Lithuania 1, Malta 1, Man, Isle of 1, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Monaco 6, Netherlands 14, Netherlands Antilles 1, Nigeria 3, Norway 33, Pakistan 5, Panama 2, Poland 2, Portugal 2, Puerto Rico 2, Russia 8, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 4, Slovenia 7, South Korea 4, Spain 1, Sweden 6, Switzerland 10, Syria 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tunisia 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 8, UAE 45, UK 16, US 25, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.)
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
ships by type: bulk 133, cargo 376, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk 7, container 58, liquefied gas 8, livestock carrier 4, multi-functional large-load carrier 2, passenger 5, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 46, roll on/roll off 45, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 1
total: 769 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,365,887 GRT/9,665,937 DWT

Military branches

Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA% Transnational Issues Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Nationality

adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)

Natural hazards

hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat

Natural resources

hydropower, cropland

Net migration rate

-7.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

1,250 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU)

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

116,812 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.34% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors