Grenada

parliamentary democracyIndependence 7 February 1974 (from UK)

Grenada as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 93 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalSaint George's
Position12 07 N, 61 40 W
Area340 sq km
LocationCaribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic
Populationas each edition published it
95,537 people July 1997 est. · 84,135 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.66% 1997 est. · 0.24% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 20.5 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71.13 years 1997 est. · 70.15 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.71 children per woman 1997 est. · 4.9 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
11.6 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 30 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$3,160 1996 est. · $3,000 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3% 1996 est. · -0.4% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic | Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

18 fields

Land useshare of 340 sq km

arable land 15%permanent crops 18%permanent pastures 3%forests and woodland 9%other 55% (1993 est.)
Area
340sq km
land: 340 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmtwice the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
121km
land boundaries: 0 kmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Highest point
840m
Mount Saint Catherinelowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Climate

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Natural resources

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Natural hazards

lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November

Environment - international agreements

party to :
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

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

People

15 fields
Population
95,537
(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.66% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth
28.61Death
5.53Net migration
-16.5

Religions

Roman Catholic 53%Anglican 13.8%other Protestant sects 33.2%
Literacy
98%
definition: age 15 and over can read and writemale : 98%female: 98% (1970 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:
43% (male 21,051; female 20,335)
15-64 years:
52% (male 26,473; female 23,181)
65 years and over:
5% (male 2,090; female 2,407) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.87 male(s)/female
total population:
1.08 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

11.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population:
71.13 years
male:
68.58 years
female:
73.72 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.71 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Grenadian(s)
adjective:
Grenadian

Languages

English (official), French patois

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996); Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995)

19 fields

House of Representatives, 15 seats, elected 20 June 1995one dot, one seat

NNP 8NDC 5GULP 2

Country name

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Grenada

Government type

parliamentary democracy

National 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996)
head of government:
Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections:
  • none;
  • the queen is a hereditary monarch;
  • governor general appointed by the queen;
  • prime minister appointed by the governor general from among the members of the House of Assembly

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held on 20 June 1995 (next to be held by NA October 2000)
election results:
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 5, GULP 2

Judicial branch

West Indies Associate States Supreme Court, an associate judge resides in Grenada

Political parties and leaders

  • National Democratic Congress or NDC [George BRIZAN];
  • Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Sir Eric GAIRY];
  • The National Party or TNP [Ben JONES];
  • New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL];
  • Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement or MBPM [Terrence MARRYSHOW];
  • The Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Francis ALEXIS]

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, 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, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE
chancery:
1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 265-2561

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission :
the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada; Charge d'Affaires Dennis CARTER
embassy:
Point Salines, Saint George's
mailing address:
P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies
telephone :
[1] (809) 444-1173 through 1178

FAX

[1] (809) 444-4820

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 represent the seven administrative divisions

Economy

The agriculturally based economy was hurt in 1996 | by the emergence of the pink mealy bug which destroyed much of the | cocoa harvest.

22 fields
Real growth rate
3%
(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 1.8% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate
20%
(1 October 1996)
Labor force
36,000
by occupation: services 31%, agriculture 24%, construction 8%, manufacturing 5%, other 32% (1985)

GDP - composition by sector(1994 est.)

agriculture 10.2%industry 40.3%services 49.5% (1994 est.)

Budget(1996 est.)

Revenues
$75.7 millionExpenditures
$126.7 million
expenditures including capital expenditures of $51 million

Economy - overview

The agriculturally based economy was hurt in 1996 by the emergence of the pink mealy bug which destroyed much of the cocoa harvest. Bananas, a major foreign exchange earner, also suffered due to falling prices, low production, and poor quality. Tourism, the leading foreign exchange earner, continued to do well, as did manufacturing.

Construction boomed in 1996 due to concessions for low and middle income mortgages. The government introduced a 5% tax on electricity and telephones and doubled the general consumption tax, which caused a small rise in the inflation rate. The tourist industry faces stiff competition over the next few years.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $300 million (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,160 (1996 est.)

Industries

food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction

Electricity - capacity

17,300 kW (1995)

Electricity - production

88 million kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables

Exports

total value:
$24 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
partners :
Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8% (1991)

Imports

total value:
$128 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:
food 25%, manufactured goods 22%, machinery 20%, chemicals 10%, fuel 6% (1989)
partners:
US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991)

Debt - external

$97 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

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

Communications

6 fields
Fixed lines
5,650
(1988 est.)

Telephone system

automatic, islandwide telephone system

domestic:
interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links
international:
new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

80,000 (1993 est.)

Televisions

30,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

under 914 m
1
total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

Networkskm

Highways
1,020Railways
0
Highways: paved: 624 km · unpaved : 396 km (1995 est.)

Highways

total:
1,020 km
paved:
624 km
unpaved :
396 km (1995 est.)

Ports and harbors

Grenville, Saint George's

Airports

3 (1996 est.)

Military

Royal Grenada Police Force, Coast Guard

5 fields

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US GUADELOUPE (overseas department of France)

Cite this entry

Central Intelligence Agency. “Grenada.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/grenada/1997.