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

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Background: 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: 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: 344 km²
Land: 344 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 5.88%
Permanent crops: 29.41%
Other: 64.71% (2005)

Irrigated land: NA

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: NA

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: 90,343 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: 0.406% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Grenadian
Adjective: Grenadian

Ethnic groups: black 82% mixed black and European 13% European and East Indian 5% and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian

Languages: English (official) French patois

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

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 32.4% (male 14,725/female 14,524)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 30,911/female 27,502)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,310/female 1,371) (2008 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 22.4 years
Male: 22.9 years
Female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.406% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 21.61 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 6.31 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -11.23 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: NA
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male/female
15-64 years: 1.12 male/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male/female
Total population: 1.08 male/female (2008 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 13.58 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 13.25 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 13.91 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 65.6 years
Male: 63.74 years
Female: 67.47 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.2% of GDP (2003)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 96%
Male: NA
Female: NA (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 12 years (2005)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital
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)

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
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

Legislative branch
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

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada)

Political parties and leaders: Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]

International organization participation: 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

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
In the us fax: [1] (202) 265-2,468
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
From the us embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's
From the us telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1177
From the us fax: [1] (473) 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: Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing together with the development of an offshore financial industry have also contributed to growth in national output. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) but is now saddled with the debt burden from the rebuilding process. The agricultural sector particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation has gradually recovered and the tourism sector has seen substantial increases in foreign direct investment as the regional share of the tourism market increases.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.108 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.1% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $10,500 (2007 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.4%
Industry: 18%
Services: 76.6% (2003)

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: 0.7% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 42,300 (1996)
By occupation agriculture: 24%
By occupation industry: 14%
By occupation services: 62% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12.5% (2000)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $85.8 million
Expenditures: $102.1 million (1997)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 9.76% (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $575.8 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$138 million (2007 est.)

Exports: $38 million (2006)
Commodities: bananas cocoa nutmeg fruit and vegetables clothing mace
Partners: Jamaica 92.8% Saint Lucia 1.3% US 1.2% (2007)

Imports: $343 million (2006)
Commodities: food manufactured goods machinery chemicals fuel
Partners: Trinidad and Tobago 36.5% US 23.3% Italy 4.1% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $347 million (2004)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: 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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Electricity
Production: 167.2 million kWh (2006 est.)
Consumption: 144.2 million kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2007 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2006 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 27,700 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 46,200 (2006)

Telephone system
General assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
Domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
International: country code - 1-473; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .gd
Hosts: 9 (2008)
Users: 23,000 (2007)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 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 (2007)
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 (2007)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1,127 km
Paved: 687 km
Unpaved: 440 km (2000)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Saint George's


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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