Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent or SVG, is an archipelagic country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the southern end of the eastern border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north lies Saint Lucia, to the east is Barbados and Grenada lies to the south.

Spanning a land area of , most of its territory consists of the northernmost island of Saint Vincent, which includes the capital and largest city, Kingstown. To the south lie the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, a chain of 32 smaller islands; the remaining southern third make up Grenada. Seven of the islands are inhabited, of which the largest and most populous are Bequia, Mustique, Canouan and Union Island.

With an estimated population of around 110,872, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a population density of over 300 inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup> (700 per sq mi). Assistance and emergency financial support was provided by several nearby islands, the United Kingdom, and agencies such as the United Nations. The first significant offer of long-term funding of US$20 million, was announced on 13 April 2021 by the World Bank.

Etymology

Christopher Columbus, the first European to reach the island, named it after St. Vincent of Saragossa (San Vicente de Zaragoza) whose feast day was on the day Columbus first saw it (22 January 1496). The name of the Grenadines refers to the Spanish city of Granada, but to differentiate it from the island of the same name, the diminutive was used. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Kalinago natives who inhabited the island of St. Vincent called it Youloumain, in honour of Youlouca, the spirit of the rainbows, whom they believed inhabited the island.

History

Pre-colonial period

Saint Vincent was first inhabited by Indigenous people from South America around 5000 B.C. They were succeeded by the Arawaks around the 3rd century A.D., who were later displaced by the Kalinago in the 14th century.

European arrival and early colonial period

It is thought that Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1498, giving it the name St Vincent. The Kalinago people aggressively opposed European settlement on Saint Vincent.

thumb|upright=1.5|Depiction of the 1773 treaty negotiations between the British and the [[Garifuna]]

The British captured the island and drove out the French from Barrouallie during the Seven Years' War, a claim confirmed by the Treaty of Paris (1763).

During the Anglo-French War (1778–1783), the French recaptured St Vincent in 1779. However, the British regained control under the Treaty of Versailles (1783).

The La Soufrière volcano erupted in 1812, resulting in considerable destruction. Between 1861 and 1888, a new wave of immigration occurred, with shiploads of Indian labourers arriving.

20th century

thumb|Residents of Saint Vincent making [[casabe (cassava bread) in the 1910s]]

In 1902, the La Soufrière volcano erupted again, killing 1,500–2,000 people; much farmland was damaged, and the economy deteriorated.

In April 1979, La Soufrière erupted once more. Although no one was killed, thousands were evacuated and extensive agricultural damage occurred.

Post-independence era

Milton Cato of the centre-left Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP) was the country's first Prime Minister (he had been Premier since 1974), ruling until his defeat in the 1984 Vincentian general election by James Fitz-Allen Mitchell of the centre-right New Democratic Party (NDP). There were also a series of strikes in the early 1980s., argued that European nations owe Caribbean nations reparations for their role in the Atlantic slave trade. Gonsalves won a second term in 2005,

In 2009, a referendum was held on a proposal to adopt a new constitution that would make the country a republic, replacing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with a non-executive President, a proposal supported by Prime Minister Gonsalves. A two-thirds majority was required, but the referendum was defeated 29,019 votes (55.64 per cent) to 22,493 (43.13 per cent).

In 2021, on 9 April, the La Soufrière volcano erupted, sending ash several miles into the atmosphere. Approximately 16,000 people were evacuated in the days leading up to the eruption.

In the 2025 general election, Godwin Friday's NDP defeated Gonsalves' ULP, forming government by winning 14 out of 15 seats.

Geography

thumb|A map of [[Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]]

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies to the west of Barbados, south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, an island arc of the Caribbean Sea. The islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines include the main island of Saint Vincent () and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines ( in total), which are a chain of smaller islands stretching south from Saint Vincent to Grenada.

There are 32 islands and cays that make up St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Nine are inhabited, including the mainland St Vincent and the Grenadines islands: Young Island, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island. Prominent uninhabited islands of the Grenadines include Petit Nevis, used by whalers, and Petit Mustique, which was the centre of a prominent real-estate scam in the early 2000s.

The capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown, Saint Vincent.

The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic and heavily forested and includes little level ground.

The country is home to two terrestrial ecoregions: Windward Islands moist forests and the Lesser Antillean dry forests. It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.95/10, ranking it 61st globally out of 172 countries.

Most of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies within the Main Development Region for Atlantic tropical cyclones. Recently, in 2023, the islands were directly impacted by Tropical Storm Bret.

Government and politics

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Charles III as King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The office of Governor-General has mostly ceremonial functions including the opening of the islands' House of Assembly and the appointment of various government officials. Control of the government rests with the elected Prime Minister and their cabinet. The current Prime Minister is Godwin Friday, elected in 2025.

The legislative branch of government is the unicameral House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, seating 15 elected members representing single-member constituencies and six appointed members known as Senators. The parliamentary term of office is five years, although the Prime Minister may call elections at any time.

In 2017, Saint Vincent signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Administrative divisions

Administratively, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is divided into six parishes. Five parishes are on Saint Vincent, while the sixth, Grenadines Parish, is made up of the northern two-thirds of the Grenadine islands. Kingstown is located in the Parish of Saint George and is the capital city and central administrative centre of the country.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Parish

! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)

! Population (2000)

! Capital

|Charlotte Parish

|149

|38,000

|Georgetown

|Grenadines Parish

|43

|9,200

|Port Elizabeth

|Saint Andrew Parish

|29

|6,700

|Layou

|Saint David Parish

|80

|6,700

|Chateaubelair

|Saint George Parish

|52

|51,400

|Kingstown

|Saint Patrick Parish

|37

|5,800

|Barrouallie

LGBT rights

"Acts of gross indecency", which may be defined to include homosexual activity, are illegal in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Section 148 of the Criminal Code states:

Any person, who in public or private, commits an act of gross indecency with another person of the same sex, or procures or attempts to procure another person of the same sex to commit an act of gross indecency with him or her, is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for five years.</blockquote>

Foreign relations

International and regional relationships

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines maintains close ties to Canada, the United Kingdom and the US, and cooperates with regional political and economic organisations such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM. The island nation's sixth embassy overseas was opened on 8 August 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan, after Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves's official visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan); the other five are located in London (a High Commission as Commonwealth countries have high commissions rather than embassies in each other's countries), Washington D.C., Havana, Caracas and Brussels.

The Double Taxation Relief (CARICOM) Treaty

On 6 July 1994 at Sherbourne Conference Centre, St Michael, Barbados, as a representative of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, then (James Mitchell, who was subsequently knighted) signed the Double Taxation Relief (CARICOM) Treaties.

An eighth country signed the agreement on 19 August 2016, Guyana.

This treaty covered taxes, residence, tax jurisdictions, capital gains, business profits, interest, dividends, royalties and other areas.

According to the updated site as of 16 January 2017, on 13 May 2016 the agreement went to "In Force" status.

International and regional bodies to which Saint Vincent and the Grenadines belong

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization of American States, and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

In September 2017, at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly, the Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines called for UN action on alleged human rights abuses committed by Indonesia on Western New Guinea's indigenous Papuans.

In 2019, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines became the smallest country to ever be elected to the UN Security Council.

Organisation of American States

St Vincent and the Grenadines joined the Organisation of American States on 27 October 1981. It participates in the Summits of the Americas and the Indigenous Leaders’ Summits of Americas.

In June 2022, St Vincent and the Grenadines boycotted the 9th Summit of the Americas.

European nations

In 2013, Saint Vincent called for European nations to pay reparations for the slave trade. Upon a visit in April 2022, the British Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were confronted with protesters calling for reparations for Britain's participation in the slave trade. Among the protesters was Jomo Thomas, former chair of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Reparations Committee, who called for reparations from the former colonial power.

Venezuela

Saint Vincent protests against Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves (Bird) Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea. to 15% in 2001.

Tourism

|+Tourist arrivals of 2024 in %

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thumb|Campden Park, St. Vincent

The tourism sector has considerable potential for development. The filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean films on the island has helped to expose the country to more potential visitors and investors. Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism.

Transportation

Argyle International Airport is the country's new international airport. The new facility opened on 14 February 2017, replacing the existing E.T. Joshua Airport. The airport is on the island's east coast about 8.3 km (5.17 miles) from Kingstown.

Communications

In 2010, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had 21,700 telephone land lines. Its land telephone system is fully automatic, covering the entire island and all of the inhabited Grenadine islands. In 2002, there were 10,000 mobile phones. By 2010, this number had increased to 131,800.

Saint Vincent has two ISPs (Digicel, Flow) that provide cellular telephone and internet service.

Demographics

The population as estimated in was . The ethnic composition was 66% African descent, 19% of mixed descent, 6% East Indian, 4% Europeans (mainly Portuguese), 2% Kalinago and 3% others.

Languages

English is the official language. Most Vincentians speak Vincentian Creole. English is used in education, government, religion, and other formal domains, while Creole (or 'dialect' as it is referred to locally) is used in informal situations, such as in the home and among friends.

Religion

thumb|[[Assumption Cathedral, Kingstown|Assumption Cathedral, Kingstown]]

According to the 2001 census, 81.5% of the population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines identified themselves as Christian, 6.7% had a different religion and 8.8% had no religion, or did not state one (1.5%).

Anglicanism constitutes the largest religious category, adhered to by 17.8% of the population. Pentecostals are the second largest group (17.6%). The next largest group are Methodists (10.9% of the population), followed by Seventh-day Adventists (10.2%) and Baptists (10.0%). Other Christians include Roman Catholics (7.5%), Evangelicals (2.8%), Church of God (2.5%), Brethren Christian (1.3%), Jehovah's Witnesses (0.6%) and the Salvation Army (0.3%).

Between 1991 and 2001 the number of Anglicans, Brethren, Methodists and Roman Catholics decreased, while the number of Pentecostals, Evangelicals and Seventh-day Adventists increased.

The number of non-Christians is small. These religious groups include the Rastafari (1.5% of the population), Hindus and Muslims (1.5%).

Culture

thumb|The island of [[Mustique in the Grenadines]]

Sport

Cricket, association football, and athletics are most popular among men whereas netball is most popular among women. Basketball, volleyball, rugby and tennis are also very popular.

The country's prime football league is the NLA Premier League, which provides its national (association) football team with most players. A notable Vincentian footballer is Ezra Hendrickson, former national team captain who played at several Major League Soccer clubs in the United States and was head coach with the Chicago Fire FC from 2021–23.

The country regularly participates at the Caribbean Basketball Championship where a men's team and a women's team compete. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also has its own national rugby union team which is ranked 84th in the world. Other notable sports played at the regional level include track and field. Natasha Mayers won a gold medal in the 100m at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Kineke Alexander won a bronze medal in the women's [400m] at the 2015 Pan American Games. Eswort Coombs got a bronze medal in the 400m at the 1995 Pan American Games.

At the Olympics Games France 2024, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had two athletes, Shafiqua Maloney and Handal Roban. Maloney became the first Vincentian athlete to reach the final stage of an Olympic event when she placed 4th in the women's 800m.

Music

Music popular in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines includes big drum, calypso, soca, steelpan and reggae. String band music, quadrille and traditional storytelling are also popular. One of the most successful St Vincent natives is Kevin Lyttle. He was named Cultural Ambassador for the Island 19 September 2013.

The national anthem of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is "Saint Vincent, Land so beautiful", adopted upon independence in 1979.

Media

Saint Vincent has twelve FM radio stations: 88.9 Adoration Fm, 89.1 Jem Radio, 89.7 NBC Radio, 95.7 and 105.7 Praise FM, 96.7 Nice Radio, 97.1 Hot 97, 98.3 Star FM, 99.9 We FM, 103.7 Hitz, 102.7 EZee radio, 104.3 Xtreme FM and 106.9 Boom FM. There are several Internet radio stations including Chronicles Christian Radio. It has one television broadcast station ZBG-TV (SVGTV) and one cable television provider.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Broadcasting Corporation is the parent company for SVGTV, Magic 103.7.

Holidays

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Public holidays of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

!Date

!Name in English

|1 January

|New Year's Day

|14 March

|National Heroes' Day

|15 April

|Good Friday

|18 April

|Easter Monday

|1 May

|Labour Day

|6 June

|Whit Monday

|8 July

|Carnival Monday

|1 August

|Emancipation Day

|27 October

|Independence Day

|25 December

|Christmas Day

|26 December

|Boxing Day

Notes

References

External links

; Government

Website of the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines
Chief of State and Cabinet Members

; General information

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from UCB Libraries GovPubs
St Vincent and the Grenadines from the BBC News
Key Development Forecasts for St Vincent and the Grenadines from International Futures
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Private Sector Assessment Report