Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974, making Grenada 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 and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage.
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Location:
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 07 N, 61 40 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 344 sq km
land: 344 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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twice the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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121 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
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Terrain:
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volcanic in origin with central mountains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m
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Natural resources:
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timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors
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Land use:
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arable land: 5.88%
permanent crops: 29.41%
other: 64.71% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Total renewable water resources:
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NA
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Natural hazards:
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lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada
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Population:
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90,739 (July 2009 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 32% (male 14,608/female 14,410)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 31,278/female 27,873)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 1,268/female 1,302) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 22.8 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 22.3 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.468% (2009 est.)
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Birth rate:
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21.32 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-10.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 31% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 13.23 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 12.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 65.95 years
male: 64.06 years
female: 67.85 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.23 children born/woman (2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian
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Ethnic groups:
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black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
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Languages:
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English (official), French patois
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: NA
female: NA (2003 est.)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 12 years (2005)
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Education expenditures:
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5.2% of GDP (2003)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
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Capital:
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name: Saint George's
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick
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Independence:
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7 February 1974 (from the UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 7 February (1974)
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Constitution:
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19 December 1973
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Carlyle Arnold GLEAN (since 27 November 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Tillman THOMAS (since 9 July 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10 appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 8 July 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDC 11, NNP 4
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (two High Court judges are assigned to and reside in Grenada); Itinerant Court of Appeal three judges; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Committee for Human Rights in Grenada or CHRG; New Jewel Movement Support Group; The British Grenada Friendship Society; The New Jewel 19 Committee
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE
chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561
FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468
consulate(s) general: New York
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's
mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's
telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1177
FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) severely damaged the nutmeg industry, which was previously a key driver of economic growth, and the industry is not expected to recover in the near-term. The agricultural sector, particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation, has gradually recovered from the hurricanes, and the tourism sector has seen substantial increases in foreign direct investment as the regional share of the tourism market increases. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output; however, economic growth will likely slow in 2009 because of the global economic slowdown's effects on tourism and remittances. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of Hurricanes Ivan and Emily, but is now saddled with the debt burden from the rebuilding process. Public debt-to-GDP is nearly 110%, leaving the THOMAS administration limited room to engage in public investments and social spending.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$1.211 billion (2008 est.)
$1.168 billion (2007)
$1.12 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$657 million (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.7% (2008 est.)
4.3% (2007 est.)
-1.1% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$13,400 (2008 est.)
$13,000 (2007 est.)
$12,500 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 18%
services: 76.6% (2003)
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Labor force:
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42,300 (1996)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 24%
industry: 14%
services: 62% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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12.5% (2000)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Budget:
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revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million (1997)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.7% (2007 est.)
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Central bank discount rate:
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6.5% (31 December 2007)
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
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9.76% (31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
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$151.2 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money:
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$533.4 million (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit:
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$575.8 million (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$NA
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables
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Industries:
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food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction
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Electricity - production:
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167.2 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
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144.2 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2007 est.)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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2,043 bbl/day (2006 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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0 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - imports:
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1,844 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Current account balance:
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-$138 million (2007 est.)
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Exports:
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$38 million (2006)
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
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Exports - partners:
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Jamaica 92.8%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, US 1.2% (2007)
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Imports:
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$343 million f.o.b. (2006)
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Imports - commodities:
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food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel
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Imports - partners:
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Trinidad and Tobago 36.5%, US 23.3%, Italy 4.1% (2007)
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Debt - external:
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$347 million (2004)
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Exchange rates:
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East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
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This page was last updated on 14 May 2009
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