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.

Geographic coordinates: 12 07 N 61 40 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 344 km²
Rank: 206
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: 15 km² (2008)

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

Population: 108,419 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 189
Growth rate: 0.551% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 148
Below poverty line: 32% (2000)

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%

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.4%
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 36,245/female 34,960)
65 years and over: 8.9% (male 4,372/female 5,300) (2011 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.6 years
Male: 28.6 years
Female: 28.6 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.551% (2011 est.)
Rank: 148

Birth rate: 17.01 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 119

Death rate: 7.94 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Net migration rate: -3.56 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 183

Urbanization
Urban population: 39% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.098 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.43 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 141
Male: 10.54 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 12.41 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.04 years
Rank: 121
Male: 70.51 years
Female: 75.82 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.18 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 107

Drinking water source:

Physicians density: 0.9756 physicians/1000 population (1998)
Rank: 103

Hospital bed density: 2.4 beds/1000 population (2009)
Rank: 90

Sanitation facility access:

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

Education expenditures: 4.9% of GDP (2003)
Rank: 60

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: 16 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2009)

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

Government type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

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

Independence: 7 February 1974 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 7 February (1974)

Constitution: 19 December 1973

Legal system: common law based on English model

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II ; 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 monarchy 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: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats 10 members appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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 (two High Court judges are assigned to and reside in Grenada); Itinerant Court of Appeal three judges; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

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 AOSIS C Caricom CDB FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ITU ITUC LAES MIGA NAM OAS OECS OPANAL OPCW PetroCaribe UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WHO WIPO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian M.S. BRISTOL
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 consulate 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 stand for the seven administrative divisions with the central star denoting the capital St. George; yellow represents the sun and the warmth of the people green stands for vegetation and agriculture and red symbolizes harmony unity and courage

National anthem
Name: 'Hail Grenada'
Lyricsmusic: Irva Merle BAPTISTE/Louis Arnold MASANTO
Note: adopted 1974

Economy overview: Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) severely damaged the agricultural sector - particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation - which had been a key driver of economic growth. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of the hurricanes but is now saddled with the debt burden from the rebuilding process. Public debt-to-GDP is nearly 110% leaving the THOMAS administration limited room to engage in public investments and social spending. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing together with the development of tourism and an offshore financial industry have also contributed to growth in national output; however economic growth was stagnant in 2010 after a sizeable contraction in 2009 because of the global economic slowdown's effects on tourism and remittances.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 198
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 202

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 107
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10.2%
Industry: 28.8%
Services: 61% (2010 est.)

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

Industries: food and beverages textiles light assembly operations tourism construction

Labor force: 42,300 (1996)
Rank: 191
By occupation agriculture: 24%
By occupation industry: 14%
By occupation services: 62% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 12.5% (2000)
Rank: 134

Population below poverty line: 32% (2000)

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

Budget
Revenues: $175.3 million
Expenditures: $215.9 million (2009 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -6% of GDP (2009 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 162

Taxes and other revenues: 26% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 117

Inflation rate consumer prices: -0.3% (2009 est.)
Rank: 149

Central bank discount rate: 6.5% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 57

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.983% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 99

Stock of narrow money: $105.9 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 183

Stock of broad money: $785.6 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 170

Stock of domestic credit: $625.9 million (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 162

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$174.8 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 84

Exports: $38.69 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 199
Commodities: bananas cocoa nutmeg fruit and vegetables clothing mace
Partners: St. Lucia 16.6% Egypt 15.9% Antigua and Barbuda 11.3% US 11% St. Kitts and Nevis 10.1% Dominica 10.1% (2010)

Imports: $252.8 million (2006)
Rank: 198
Commodities: food manufactured goods machinery chemicals fuel
Partners: Trinidad and Tobago 43.7% US 18.8% (2010)

Debt external: $347 million (2004)
Rank: 171

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Production: 195.4 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 180
Consumption: 177.4 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 185
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 189
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 182
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 105
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 127
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 142

Telephones
Main lines in use: 28,400 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 182
Mobile cellular: 121,900 (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 186

Telephone system
General assessment: automatic island-wide 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: the Grenada Broadcasting Network jointly owned by the government and the Caribbean Communications Network of Trinidad and Tobago operates a television station and 2 radio stations; multi-channel cable TV subscription service is available; a dozen private radio stations also broadcast (2007)

Internet
Country code: .gd
Hosts: 52 (2010)
Hosts rank: 209
Users: 25,000 (2009)
Users rank: 185

Military expenditures: NA

Airports: 3 (2010)
Rank: 195
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 (2010)

Roadways
Total: 1127 km
Rank: 182
Paved: 687 km
Unpaved: 440 km (2001)

Ports and terminals: Saint George's

Disputes international: none

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