Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Airports

6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

Highways

about 1,000 km total; 300 km paved; 400 km improved; 300 km unimproved

Merchant marine

175 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,305,945 GRT/2,029,935 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 103 cargo, 10 container, 8 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 9 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 28 bulk, 4 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry

Ports

Kingstown

Telecommunications

islandwide fully automatic telephone system; 6,500 telephones; VHF/UHF interisland links to Barbados and the Grenadines; new SHF links to Grenada and St. Lucia; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV (cable)

Branches

Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force

Defense expenditures

NA

Military manpower

NA

Agriculture

accounts for 20% of GDP and 60% of labor force; provides bulk of exports; products--bananas, arrowroot (world's largest producer), coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, hogs, goats; small fish catch used locally

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $11 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $71 million

Budget

revenues $42.7 million; expenditures $67.5 million, including capital expenditures of $25.8 (FY88)

Currency

East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Electricity

16,600 kW capacity; 64 million kWh produced, 610 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

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

Exports

$63.8 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities--bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, copra; partners--CARICOM 60%, UK 27%, US 10%

External debt

$35 million (July 1987)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

GDP

$136 million, per capita $1,305; real growth rate 8.4% (1988)

Imports

$87.3 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities--foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels; partners--US 37%, CARICOM 18%, UK 13%

Industrial production

growth rate - 1.2% (1986)

Industries

food processing (sugar, flour), cement, furniture, rum, starch, sheet metal, beverage

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.0% (1988)

Overview

Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of the economy, providing employment for over 60% of the labor force and contributing about 20% to GDP. The services sector is next in importance, based mostly on a growing tourist industry. The economy continues to have a high unemployment rate of 30% because of an overdependence on the weather-plagued banana crop as a major export earner. Government progress toward diversifying into new industries has been relatively unsuccessful.

Unemployment rate

30% (1989 est.)

Climate

tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Coastline

84 km

Comparative area

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Contiguous zone

24 nm;

Environment

subject to hurricanes; Soufriere volcano is a constant threat

Extended economic zone

200 nm;

Land boundaries

none

Land use

38% arable land; 12% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 3% other; includes 3% irrigated

Natural resources

negligible

Note

some islands of the Grenadines group are administered by Grenada

Terrain

volcanic, mountainous; Soufriere volcano on the island of St. Vincent

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

340 km2; land area: 340 km2

Administrative divisions

6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Capital

Kingstown

Constitution

27 October 1979

Diplomatic representation

none

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag

three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern

Independence

27 October 1979 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 Septermber 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister James F. MITCHELL (since 30 July 1984)

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Assembly (includes 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators)

Long-form name

none

Member of

ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, IMO, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Political parties and leaders

New Democratic Party (NDP), James (Son) Mitchell; St. Vincent Labor Party (SVLP), Vincent Beach; United People's Movement (UPM), Adrian Saunders; Movement for National Unity (MNU), Ralph Gonsalves; National Reform Party (NRP), Joel Miguel

Suffrage

universal at age 18 House of Assembly--last held 16 May 1989 (next to be held July 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(15 total) NDP 15

Type

constitutional monarchy

Birth rate

27 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

mainly of black African descent; remainder mixed, with some white, East Indian, Carib Indian

Infant mortality rate

32 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

67,000 (1984 est.)

Language

English, some French patois

Life expectancy at birth

68 years male, 72 years female (1990)

Literacy

82%

Nationality

noun--St. Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s); adjectives--St. Vincentian or Vincentian

Net migration rate

- 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

10% of labor force

Population

112,646 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990)

Religion

Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist

Total fertility rate

2.9 children born/woman (1990)