St. Vincent - General Facts and Information

| More on St. Vincent Recreational Sites

LOCATION

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is situated in the Eastern Caribbean at the southern end of the Windward Islands chain. It is an archipelago of islands, St. Vincent being the largest, with the smaller Grenadines comprising Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island, Palm Island, Petit St.Vincent and a number of small islets. The country lies approximately sixty one degrees West (61 0 W) longitude and thirteen degrees North (130 N) latitude, with its nearest neighbours being Barbados one hundred (100) miles to the East; St. Lucia twenty one (21) miles to the North and Grenada twenty eight (28) miles to the south.

St.Vincent has a mountainous interior, having La Soufriere, an active volcano in the north rising to 1,220 m (4,000 ft.) as its highest point, and a sheltered and indented coastline on the Leeward coast. St. Vincent is roughly 29 km (18 miles) long and 17.7 km (II miles) wide and has an area of 344 sq. km (133 sq. miles), while the Grenadines comprise an additional 44 sq. km (17 square miles). Bequia covers 18 sq. km (7 sq. miles) and its highest peak is 268 m (881 ft.).The island of Mustique is 5 sq. km (1.9 sq. miles) and rises to 151 m (496 ft.) at its highest. Mount Royal at 274 m (900 ft.) is the highest point in the7.5 sq. km (3 sq. miles) island of Canouan. The 5.5 km (3 1/2 mile) long Union Island features as its highest peak Mt.Tobai which soars to 305 m (1,000 ft.)

OUR GOVERNMENT

St Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations. Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and is represented on the island by a Governor General. The nation achieved independence on October 27th, 1979.

The unicameral parliament, the House of Assembly, has 15 elected representatives and six senators, four of whom are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and two on the advice of the opposition Leader. The parliamentary term of office is five years, although the Prime Minister may call elections at any time.

OUR PEOPLE

The population is estimated to be 106,253 (200 I census) with about a quarter of the people living in the capital, Kingstown and its suburbs and 8% on the Grenadines. English is the official language spoken by the friendly and very hospitable people of this nation.

CLIMATE

The average yearly temperature is 270 C (81 0 F). The coolest months are between November and February. During the rainy season, May through October, rain is frequent in the mountains of St.Vincent with the annual average rainfall being 380 cm (150 inches) inland and 200 cm (80 inches) on the coast.

CURRENCY

The currency of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$). Notes are issued in denominations of $1 00, 50, 20, 10, 5. Coins are issued in denominations of $1 and 25, 10, 5, 2 and Icents. The exchange rate is tied to the US dollar at a rate of $2.68. Travellers cheques and most major credit cards are also widely accepted.

Flora and Fauna

St. Vincent has been blessed with lush mountains, volcanic-rich soil and unspoiled landscapes of brilliant flora and beautiful crystal clear waters. The shallow waters of the Grenadines abound with marine life. Lobsters, conch, fish of all varieties, and turtles can be found in such areas as the Tobago Cays, which lie north of Prune (Palm) Island. Abundant reef-life, normally found at 80-ft in most dive destinations around the world, flourishes here at depths of only 25-ft, with an extraordinary variety of tropical reef fish such as Angelfish, Sargeant Majors and Peacock Flounder.

Whales such as Orcas and Pilot are frequently sighted and large iguana can be found on some of the waterless rocks and cays. Six types of dolphin are found in Vincentian waters, including Spinner, Spotted, Fraser and Bottlenose.

Some of the many birds found in St.Vincent are the Caribbean Eleania, the Trembler, the Bananaquit, and the Antillean crested Hummingbird.

There are different species of Mango, Banana, Plantain and Avocado pear on the island. However, the true flora is represented by increasing varieties of the Hibiscus. The Bougainvillea is also very plentiful. Ixoria, red, salmon and pink, Frangipani, Oleander, Allamanda, together with the many flowering trees such as the flamboyant and yellow Poui are also very abundant.

| HOME