Background: Disputed between France and Great Britain in the 18th century Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N 61 12 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 389 km² (Saint Vincent 344 km²)
Land: 389 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: twice the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 84 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

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

Terrain: volcanic mountainous

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

Natural resources: hydropower cropland

Land use
Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 18%
Permanent pastures: 5%
Forests and woodland: 36%
Other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1993 est.)

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

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

Population: 115,942 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 0.4% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
Adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Ethnic groups: black 66% mixed 19% East Indian 6% Carib Amerindian 2%

Languages: English French patois

Religions: Anglican 47% Methodist 28% Roman Catholic 13% Seventh-Day Adventist Hindu other Protestant

Age structure
0-14 years: 29.61% (male 17,466; female 16,865)
15-64 years: 64.04% (male 38,074; female 36,179)
65 years and over: 6.35% (male 3,162; female 4,196) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.4% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 17.91 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.16 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.72 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male/female
Total population: 1.03 male/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.61 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.56 years
Male: 70.83 years
Female: 74.34 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 96%
Male: 96%
Female: 96% (1970 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Government type: parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Capital: Kingstown

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte Grenadines Saint Andrew Saint David Saint George Saint Patrick

Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 27 October (1979)

Constitution: 27 October 1979

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 September 1989)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ralph GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
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

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by NA March 2006)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3

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

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)

International organization participation: ACP C Caricom CDB ECLAC FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat (nonsignatory user) Interpol IOC ITU OAS OECS OPANAL OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth JOHN
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-6,730
In the us fax: [1] (202) 364-6,736
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

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 overview: Agriculture dominated by banana production is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector based mostly on a growing tourist industry is also important. The government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new industries and a high unemployment rate persists. The continuing dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands' development; tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in both 1994 and 1995. The tourism sector has considerable potential for development over the next decade. Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism. There is a small manufacturing sector and a small offshore financial sector whose particularly restrictive secrecy laws have caused some international concern.

Real gdp growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2000 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10.6%
Industry: 17.5%
Services: 71.9% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas coconuts sweet potatoes spices; small numbers of cattle sheep pigs goats; fish

Industries: food processing cement furniture clothing starch

Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 67,000 (1984 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 26%
By occupation industry: 17%
By occupation services: 57% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate: 22% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $85.7 million
Expenditures: $98.6 million, including capital expenditures of $25.7 million (1997 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2% (1999 est.)

Exports: $53.7 million (2000 est.)
Commodities: bananas 39% eddoes and dasheen (taro) arrowroot starch tennis racquets
Partners: Caricom countries 49% UK 16% US 10% (1995)

Imports: $185.6 million (2000 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment chemicals and fertilizers minerals and fuels
Partners: US 36% Caricom countries 28% UK 13% (1995)

Debt external: $99.3 million (1998)

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

Electricity
Production: 82 million kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 73.17%
Production by source hydro: 26.83%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1999)
Consumption: 76.3 million kWh (1999)
Exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 20,500 (1998)
Mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate system
Domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines
International: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia

Internet
Country code: .vc
Service providers isps: 15 (2000)
Users: 2000 (2000)

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

Airports: 6 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Railways: 0 km

Waterways: none

Merchant marine
Total: 800 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,705,336 GRT/10,134,002 DWT
Ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 131, cargo 395, chemical tanker 29, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 1, container 46, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 42, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 11, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 1
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 4, Ireland 1, France 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 1, Croatia 10, India 1, Japan 2, Monaco 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Pakistan 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, UAE 1 (2000 est.)

Disputes international: none