Grenada Overview

Geography

The Caribbean island state of Grenada is located at the southern end of the Inner Antilles Arch and consists of the islands of Grenada (310 km²) and Carriacou (34 km²) as well as other small coral islands. Carriacou and Petit Martinique belong to the southern Grenadines. In the north, Grenada borders on the territory of the island state of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. See Grenada country abbreviation.

The main island of Grenada and the southern Grenadines are of volcanic origin. In Grenada, a mountain range runs through the country from north to south, which rises to a maximum of 840 m (Mount Saint Catherine). The Grand Etang crater lake is located at an altitude of around 550 m. The mountain country is divided by valleys and rivers and drops steeply towards the west. There are long, wide sandy beaches on the coasts. The island of Carriacou is around 33 km northeast of Grenada and is characterized by a chain of hills up to 300 m high.

The capital of the island state, St. George’s, is located on the west coast of the island of Grenada.

Climate

Grenada has a tropical climate with consistently high temperatures all year round (average 28 °C). The north-east trade wind ensures high amounts of precipitation: up to 1,500 m are measured annually on the coast, up to 4,500 mm on the mountain slopes facing the wind. About three quarters of the precipitation falls in the rainy season from June to December. In the dry season from January to March it is a bit cooler at night, the temperatures can drop to 18 °C.

Flora and fauna

From the original tropical rainforest with its biodiversity, there are only remnants in the mountains on the island of Grenada. Today the country is used intensively for agriculture (cocoa and spice plantations). The forests in the Grenadines are almost completely cut down.

Most of the wildlife was introduced by humans. These include, for example, Monameric cats, mongooses and agoutis. The reptile and bird life is rich in species, as is the aquatic fauna in the waters off the coast.

Population

According to COUNTRYAAH, 104,600 people live in the island state of Grenada, most of them on the main island of the same name. The capital city of St. George with around 10,000 residents is the largest city. About 6,100 people live on Carriacou, and around 700 on the only two square kilometers of Petit Martinique Island. Over 80% of the population are black and descendants of African slaves. Mongrels have a share of about 13%, around 3% of the population are descendants of Indian contract workers who came to the island as workers after the abolition of slavery. Over 90% of people are committed to the Christian faith; Overall, more than half of Grenada’s residents are Catholics and only around 25% Anglicans. There are also smaller groups of Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists.

The official language in Grenada is English, and Patois (Grenadian Creole) is also spoken. The population growth is 1.5%, the average life expectancy is 65 years. School attendance is compulsory for children between the ages of six and 14. The literacy of the population is estimated at 98%.

Political system

Under the 1974 constitution, the island state of Grenada is a parliamentary monarchy in the British Commonwealth of Nations. The head of state is the British monarch Elizabeth II, who is represented on the island by a governor general (since May 2013 C¨¦cile La Grenade). The government is headed by the Prime Minister (Keith Mitchell since February 2013), who is appointed by the Governor General and is usually the leader of the strongest political party in Parliament.

The Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives with 15 members elected by the people for five years and the Senate. Of the total of 13 senatorial posts, ten are assigned by the government and three by the leader of the opposition (term of office five years).

Grenada is divided into six parishes and a “dependency” (Carriacou and Petit Martinique).

Economy

Grenada’s economy is based on the export of agricultural products (especially bananas and nutmegs) and tourism. Due to the low level of diversification, the economy can hardly react to disruptions. The economy has been stagnating since the international financial crisis in 2009. In the spring of 2013, the country became insolvent. Unemployment has risen to over 40%.

Agriculture has a 5% share of gross domestic product (GDP) and employs around a quarter of the workforce. Your own food needs cannot be covered. Bananas, nutmegs, cocoa, bananas, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and laurel are exported (hence the island is also called Spice Island, Spice Island).

The only moderately developed industry contributes 11% to GDP and focuses on the processing of agricultural products in mostly smaller companies. Textiles are also manufactured. Carriacou, the Grenadine island, is known for its long boat building tradition.

The most important source of foreign exchange is tourism, whereby a large number of tourists only come to the islands from the passing cruise ships as day trippers.

The most important foreign trade partners for exports are the CARICOM countries, followed by Great Britain and the USA. Food, machinery, means of transport, industrial and consumer goods are primarily introduced. The main supplier countries are the USA, followed by the CARICOM countries and Great Britain.

There is an international airport (Point Salinas) on Grenada, which was started with the help of Cuba and completed by the USA. The road network covers around 1,000 km.

The currency is the East Caribbean dollar.