Map of Grenada | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 12 07 N, 61 40 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 340 km²
Land: 340 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain: volcanic in origin with central mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

Natural resources: timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Land use
Arable land: 15%
Permanent crops: 18%
Permanent pastures: 3%
Forests and woodland: 9%
Other: 55% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

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


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Population: 95,537 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 0.66% (1997 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Grenadian(s)
Adjective: Grenadian

Ethnic groups: black

Languages: English (official), French patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant sects 33.2%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 21,051; female 20,335)
15-64 years: 52% (male 26,473; female 23,181)
65 years and over: 5% (male 2,090; female 2,407) (July 1997 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.66% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 28.61 births/1000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 5.53 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -16.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 11.6 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.13 years
Male: 68.58 years
Female: 73.72 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.71 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98%
Male: 98%
Female: 98% (1970 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Grenada

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Saint George's

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

Dependent areas

Independence: 7 February 1974 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Constitution: 19 December 1973

Legal system: based on English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996)
Head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen; prime minister appointed by the governor general from among the members of the House of Assembly

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)
Elections: last held on 20 June 1995 (next to be held by NA October 2000)
Election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 5, GULP 2

Judicial branch: West Indies Associate States Supreme Court, an associate judge resides in Grenada

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE
In the us chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 265-2,561
From the us chief of mission: the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada; Charge d'Affaires Dennis CARTER
From the us embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies
From the us telephone: [1] (809) 444-1173 through 1178
From the us FAX: [1] (809) 444-4,820

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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The agriculturally based economy was hurt in 1996 by the emergence of the pink mealy bug which destroyed much of the cocoa harvest. Bananas, a major foreign exchange earner, also suffered due to falling prices, low production, and poor quality. Tourism, the leading foreign exchange earner, continued to do well, as did manufacturing. Construction boomed in 1996 due to concessions for low and middle income mortgages. The government introduced a 5% tax on electricity and telephones and doubled the general consumption tax, which caused a small rise in the inflation rate. The tourist industry faces stiff competition over the next few years.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,160 (1996 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10.2%
Industry: 40.3%
Services: 49.5% (1994 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: 1.8% (1992 est.)

Labor force
Total: 36,000
By occupation services: 31%
By occupation agriculture: 24%
By occupation construction: 8%
By occupation manufacturing: 5%
By occupation other: 32% (1985)

Unemployment rate: 20% (1 October 1996)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $75.7 million (1996 est.)
Expenditures: $126.7 million, including capital expenditures of $51 million (1996 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports
Total value: $24 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
Partners: Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8% (1991)

Imports
Total value: $128 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
Commodities: food 25%, manufactured goods 22%, machinery 20%, chemicals 10%, fuel 6% (1989)
Partners: US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $97 million (1996 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)


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Electricity
Capacity: 17,300 kW (1995)
Production: 88 million kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 794 kWh (1995 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 5,650 (1988 est.)

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

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $NA
Percent of gdp: NA%

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 3 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: none

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US