Economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new industries, and a high unemployment rate of 22% continues. The continuing dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands’ development; tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in both 1994 and 1995. The tourism sector has considerable potential for development over the next decade. Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism. There is a small manufacturing sector and a small offshore financial sector whose particularly restrictive secrecy laws have caused some international concern.
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Politics of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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, an office with mostly ceremonial functions. Control of the government rests with the prime minister and the cabinet.
The country has no formal armed forces, though Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force includes a Special Service Unit.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are a full & participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Communications
In 1998, Saint Vincent had 20,500 telephones. Its telephone system is islandwide and fully automatic, with VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines and Barbados. It has a new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia
In 1998 it had four radio stations (1 AM, 3 FM). In 1997 it had one television station (plus three repeaters). In 2000 it had 15 ISPs. In 2001 it had 3,500 internet users
Demographics of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Most Vincentians are the descendants of African slaves brought to the island to work on plantations. There also are a few white descendants of English colonists, as well as some East Indians, Carib Indians, and a sizable minority of mixed race. The country's official language is English, but a French patois may be heard on some of the Grenadine Islands. St. Vincent has a high rate of emigration. With extremely high unemployment and under-employment, population growth remains a major problem..
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines are located between Grenada and Saint Lucia . St. Vincent is the main island and the Grenadines are a bucnh of small islands south of it, Bequia, Mustique, Mayreau and Krk island are the most important ones.
Kingstown the capital is very British with a cricket team an Anglican Catedral and a Methodist Church . The botical gardens and the racheological museum are worth a visit. Northwest of here the Omo River valley is great for hiking with some good beaches nearby. From Kingstown ferris leave for Krk island and Fort William
History of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Carib Indians aggressively prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. African slaves--whether shipwrecked, escaped from St. Lucia and Grenada and seeking refuge in St. Vincent, or captured by Carib raiders--intermarried with the Caribs and became known as black Caribs. Beginning in 1719, French settlers cultivated coffee, tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar on plantations worked by African slaves. In 1763, St. Vincent was ceded to Britain. Restored to French rule in 1779, St. Vincent was regained by the British under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. Conflict between the British and the
