Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since then.

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

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Central America and the Caribbean

twice the size of Washington, DC

0 km

121 km

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

volcanic in origin with central mountains

highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

arable land 8.8%; permanent crops 20.6%; permanent pasture 2.9%

20 sq km (2012)

approximately one-third of the population is found in the capital of St. George's; the island's population is concentrated along the coast

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

NA

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

111,219 (July 2016 est.)

African descent 89.4%, mixed 8.2%, East Indian 1.6%, other 0.9% (includes indigenous) (2001 est.)

English (official), French patois

Roman Catholic 44.6%, Protestant 43.5% (includes Anglican 11.5%, Pentecostal 11.3%, Seventh Day Adventist 10.5%, Baptist 2.9%, Church of God 2.6%, Methodist 1.8%, Evangelical 1.6%, other 1.3%), Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, Rastafarian 1.1%, other 6.2%, none 3.6%

0.46% (2016 est.)

15.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

approximately one-third of the population is found in the capital of St. George's; the island's population is concentrated along the coast

SAINT GEORGE'S (capital) 38,000 (2014)

27 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.04 children born/woman (2016 est.)

6.1% of GDP (2014)

0.66 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

3.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 99% of population

rural: 95.3% of population

total: 96.6% of population

urban: 1% of population

rural: 4.7% of population

total: 3.4% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 97.5% of population

rural: 98.3% of population

total: 98% of population

urban: 2.5% of population

rural: 1.7% of population

total: 2% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

24.6% (2014)

parliamentary democracy (Parliament); a Commonwealth realm

6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

7 February 1974 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

previous 1967; latest presented 19 December 1973, effective 7 February 1974, suspended 1979 following a revolution, but restored in 1983; amended 1991 (Constitutional Judicature Act, 1991); note - in late 2015, as part of constitutional reform, Parliament completed its first reading of a package of amendments (2016)

common law based on English model

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Wilfred HAYES]

National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]

New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]

Committee for Human Rights in Grenada or CHRG

New Jewel Movement Support Group

The British Grenada Friendship Society

The New Jewel 19 Committee

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

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 stand for the seven administrative divisions, with the central star denoting the capital, St. George; yellow represents the sun and the warmth of the people, green stands for vegetation and agriculture, and red symbolizes harmony, unity, and courage

Grenada dove, Bougainvillea flower; national colors: red, yellow, green

Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of tourism and higher education - especially in medicine - contributed to growth in national output; however, economic growth remained stagnant in 2010-14, after a sizable contraction in 2009, because of the global economic slowdown's effects on tourism and remittances. Gross national saving – and wealth – has been declining since 2010.

Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005) severely damaged the agricultural sector - particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation - which had been a key driver of economic growth. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of the hurricanes but is now saddled with the debt burden from the rebuilding process. Public debt-to-GDP is about 110%, leaving the MITCHELL administration limited room to engage in public investments and social spending. MITCHELL in 2013 announced a structural adjustment program that includes a plan to increase tax revenue.

$1.401 billion (2015 est.)

$1.34 billion (2014 est.)

$1.268 billion (2013 est.)

$954 million (2015 est.)

4.6% (2015 est.)

5.7% (2014 est.)

2.4% (2013 est.)

$13,100 (2015 est.)

$12,600 (2014 est.)

$12,000 (2013 est.)

3.8% of GDP (2015 est.)

1.4% of GDP (2014 est.)

-3.2% of GDP (2013 est.)

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

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

2% (2015 est.)

59,900 (2013 est.)

33.5% (2013)

25% (2008)

38% (2008 est.)

26.7% of GDP (2015 est.)

-3.9% of GDP (2015 est.)

110% of GDP (2012 est.)

calendar year

-1.4% (2015 est.)

-0.9% (2014 est.)

6.5% (31 December 2009)

6.5% (31 December 2008)

8.96% (31 December 2015 est.)

9.19% (31 December 2014 est.)

$201.1 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$172.8 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$773.7 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$747.4 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$567.5 million (31 December 2015 est.)

$623.8 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$NA

-$144 million (2015 est.)

-$142 million (2014 est.)

$43.8 million (2015 est.)

$42.2 million (2014 est.)

nutmeg, bananas, cocoa, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace

Nigeria 44.7%, St. Lucia 10.8%, Antigua and Barbuda 7.3%, St. Kitts and Nevis 6.6%, Dominica 6.6%, US 5.8% (2015)

$310.4 million (2015 est.)

$306.6 million (2014 est.)

food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel

Trinidad and Tobago 49.6%, US 16.4% (2015)

$679 million (2013 est.)

$538 million (2010 est.)

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

2.7 (2015 est.)

2.7 (2014 est.)

2.7 (2013 est.)

2.7 (2012 est.)

2.7 (2011 est.)

200 million kWh (2014 est.)

200 million kWh (2014 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

0 kWh (2013 est.)

50,000 kW (2014 est.)

98.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

1.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

2,300 bbl/day (2014 est.)

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

2,259 bbl/day (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)

500,000 Mt (2013 est.)

the Grenada Broadcasting Network, jointly owned by the government and the Caribbean Communications Network of Trinidad and Tobago, operates a TV station and 2 radio stations; multi-channel cable TV subscription service is available; a dozen private radio stations also broadcast (2007)

.gd

J3 (2016)

3 (2013)

no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2010)

none

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US