Background: Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. 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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 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: La Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources: hydropower cropland

Land use
Arable land: 17.95%
Permanent crops: 17.95%
Other: 64.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2003)

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; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays

Population: 118,149 (July 2007 est.)
Growth rate: 0.248% (2007 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% other 7%

Languages: English French patois

Religions: Anglican 47% Methodist 28% Roman Catholic 13% other (includes Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist other Protestant) 12%

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.9% (male 15,596/female 15,027)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 41,259/female 38,620)
65 years and over: 6.5% (male 3,358/female 4,289) (2007 est.)

Median age
Total: 27.4 years
Male: 27.3 years
Female: 27.6 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.248% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 16.02 births/1000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 5.97 deaths/1000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.58 migrant(s)/1000 population (2007 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.038 male/female
15-64 years: 1.068 male/female
65 years and over: 0.783 male/female
Total population: 1.039 male/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 14.01 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 15.25 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 12.72 deaths/1000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.09 years
Male: 72.21 years
Female: 76.04 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (2007 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

Capital
Name: Kingstown
Geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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 Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
Head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. 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 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
Election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%; 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: New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; 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 FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO (subscriber) ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OAS OECS OPANAL OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. 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
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to 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: Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994 1995 and 2002 and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean suffered low arrivals in the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001. The islands had more than 160,000 tourist arrivals in 2005 mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $864 million (2006 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 4.9% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $3,600 (2005 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10%
Industry: 26%
Services: 64% (2001 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: 41,680 (1991 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 26%
By occupation industry: 17%
By occupation services: 57% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Budget
Revenues: $94.6 million
Expenditures: $85.8 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1% (2005 est.)

Exports: $37 million (2004 est.)
Commodities: bananas 39% eddoes and dasheen (taro) arrowroot starch; tennis racquets
Partners: France 26.2% Greece 21.3% Italy 18.9% Russia 7.2% UK 6.8% (2006)

Imports: $225 million (2004 est.)
Commodities: foodstuffs machinery and equipment chemicals and fertilizers minerals and fuels
Partners: Singapore 17.3% Trinidad and Tobago 12.1% US 11.1% Italy 11% Spain 9.5% Turkey 4.6% Germany 4.4% (2006)

Debt external: $223 million (2004)

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006) 2.7 (2005) 2.7 (2004) 2.7 (2003) 2.7 (2002)

Electricity
Production: 115 million kWh (2005)
Consumption: 107 million kWh (2005)
Exports: 0 kWh (2005)
Imports: 0 kWh (2005)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2005 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2005 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 22,600 (2006)
Mobile cellular: 87,600 (2006)

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: country code - 1-784; 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
Hosts: 97 (2007)
Users: 10,000 (2005)

Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA

Airports: 6 (2007)
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways
Total: 829 km
Paved: 580 km
Unpaved: 249 km (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 582 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,598,917 GRT/8,255,014 DWT
By type: bulk carrier 92, cargo 353, carrier 19, chemical tanker 4, container 17, liquefied gas 6, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 31, roll on/roll off 21, specialized tanker 3
Foreign owned: 536 (Austria 2, Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium 9, Bulgaria 13, Canada 6, China 106, Croatia 7, Cyprus 3, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 16, Egypt 4, Estonia 20, France 7, Germany 3, Greece 81, Guyana 2, Hong Kong 7, Iceland 15, India 5, Iran 1, Israel 4, Italy 19, Kenya 2, Latvia 20, Lebanon 7, Lithuania 7, Malta 1, Monaco 6, Montenegro 1, Netherlands 5, Norway 19, Pakistan 1, Philippines 1, Poland 1, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 1, Romania 1, Russia 19, Singapore 6, Slovenia 5, Sweden 2, Switzerland 12, Syria 11, Turkey 20, Ukraine 12, UAE 12, UK 9, US 21) (2007)

Ports and terminals: Kingstown

Disputes international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation a criterion under UNCLOS which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation