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.

Geographic coordinates: 12 07 N 61 40 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Comparative: twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 121 km

Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain: volcanic in origin with central mountains

Natural resources: timber tropical fruit deepwater harbors

Irrigated land: NA km²

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

Population: 89,018 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: -0.36% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

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

Languages: English (official) French patois

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

Population growth rate: -0.36% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 20.96 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 8.02 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -16.54 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA

Infant mortality rate: 14.63 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Government type: constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

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

Independence: 7 February 1974 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 7 February (1974)

Constitution: 19 December 1973

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

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)

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

Political parties and leaders: Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Herbert PREUDHOMME]; Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement or MBPM [Terrence MARRYSHOW]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [George BRIZAN]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]; The Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Francis ALEXIS]; The National Party or TNP [Ben JONES]

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

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

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).

Real gdp growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,700 (1999 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: 0.7% (1997 est.)

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

Unemployment rate: 15% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.3% (1998)

Exports: $26.8 million (1998)
Commodities: bananas cocoa nutmeg fruit and vegetables clothing mace
Partners: Caricom 32.3% UK 20% US 13% Netherlands 8.8% (1991)

Imports: $200 million (1998)
Commodities: food manufactured goods machinery chemicals fuel (1989)
Partners: US 31.2% Caricom 23.6% UK 13.8% Japan 7.1% (1991)

Debt external: $89.2 million (1998)

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

Electricity
Production: 105 million kWh (1998)
Consumption: 98 million kWh (1998)
Exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Imports: 0 kWh (1998)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 23,000 (1995)
Mobile cellular: 400 (1995)

Telephone system: automatic islandwide telephone system

Internet
Service providers isps: 1 (1999)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $N/A
Percent of gdp: NA%

Airports: 3 (1999 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)

Disputes international: none

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