Grenada

Geography

Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total area: 340 sq km
land area: 340 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain: volcanic in origin with central mountains

Natural resources: timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Land use:
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 26%
meadows and pastures: 3%
forest and woodland: 9%
other: 47%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

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

People

Population: 94,486 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (female 20,076; male 20,824)
15-64 years: 52% (female 23,123; male 25,828)
65 years and over: 5% (female 2,514; male 2,121) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.45% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 29.69 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: -19.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.67 years
male: 68.2 years
female: 73.17 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.85 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian

Ethnic divisions: black African

Religions: Roman Catholic, Anglican, other Protestant sects

Languages: English (official), French patois

Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1970)
total population: 98%
male: 98%
female: 98%

Labor force: 36,000
by occupation: services 31%, agriculture 24%, construction 8%, manufacturing 5%, other 32% (1985)

Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada

Digraph: GJ

Type: parliamentary democracy

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

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Reginald Oswald PALMER (since 6 August 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister George BRIZAN (since 1 February 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate: consists of a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and 3 by the Leader of the Opposition
House of Representatives: elections last held on 13 March 1990 (next to be held by NA July 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (15 total) NDC 7, GULP 4, TNP 2, NNP 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Congress (NDC), George BRIZAN; Grenada United Labor Party (GULP), Sir Eric GAIRY; The National Party (TNP), Ben JONES; New National Party (NNP), Keith MITCHELL; Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (MBPM), Terrence MARRYSHOW

Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Denneth MODESTE
chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561

US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ollie P. ANDERSON, Jr.
embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's
mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, W.I.
telephone: [1] (809) 444-1173 through 1178
FAX: [1] (809) 444-4820

Flag: 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: The economy is essentially agricultural and centers on the traditional production of spices and tropical plants. Agriculture accounts for about 15% of GDP and 80% of exports and employs 24% of the labor force. Tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner, followed by agricultural exports. Manufacturing remains relatively undeveloped, but is expected to grow, given a more favorable private investment climate since 1983. The economy achieved an impressive average annual growth rate of 5.5% in 1986-91 but has stalled since 1992. Unemployment remains high at about 25%.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $258 million (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 0.5% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $2,750 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $82.2 million (1993 est.)
expenditures: $74.3 million, including capital expenditures of $11.8 million (1993 est.)

Exports: $18.6 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
partners: Netherlands, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, United States

Imports: $133.8 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: food 25%, manufactured goods 22%, machinery 20%, chemicals 10%, fuel 6% (1989)
partners: US 29%, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (1989)

External debt: $89.9 million (1993)

Industrial production: growth rate 1.8% (1992 est.); accounts for 9% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 12,500 kW
production: 60 million kWh
consumption per capita: 639 kWh (1993)

Industries: food and beverage, textile, light assembly operations, tourism, construction

Agriculture: accounts for 14% of GDP and 80% of exports; bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, and mace account for two-thirds of total crop production; world's second-largest producer and fourth-largest exporter of nutmeg and mace; small-sized farms predominate, growing a variety of citrus fruits, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, and vegetables

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY84-89), $60 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $70 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $32 million

Currency: 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Transportation

Railroads: 0 km

Highways:
total: 1,000 km
paved: 600 km
unpaved: otherwise improved 300 km; unimproved earth 100 km

Ports: Grenville, Saint George's

Merchant marine: none

Airports:
total: 3
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 1

Communications

Telephone system: 5,650 telephones; automatic, islandwide telephone system; new SHF radio links to the islands of Trinidad, Tobago, and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to the islands of Trinidad and Carriacou
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: SHF, VHF, and UHF radio communications

Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
radios: NA

Television:
broadcast stations: 1
televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Branches: Royal Grenada Police Force, Coast Guard

Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP