Grenada
CAPITAL : St. George's
FLAG : The national flag consists of a red border surrounding a rectangle divided into two gold and two green triangles. There are seven yellow stars—three on the upper and three on the lower red border, and one large star at the apex of the four triangles—representing the six parishes and the island of Carriacou. A yellow nutmeg is represented on the hoist triangle.
ANTHEM : National anthem beginning "Hail Grenada, land of ours, we pledge ourselves to thee."
MONETARY UNIT : The East Caribbean dollar ( EC $) is a paper currency of 100 cents. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents, and 1 dollar, and notes of 5, 10, 20, and 100 East Caribbean dollars. EC $1 = US $0.3704 (or US $1 = EC $2.70) as of January 2003.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES : The metric system is in use.
HOLIDAYS : New Year, 1–2 January; Independence Day, 7 February; Labor Day, 1 May; Thanksgiving, 25 October; Christmas, 25 December; Boxing Day, 26 December. Movable holidays include Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Emancipation Day, 1st Monday in August.
TIME : 8 AM = noon GMT.
Volcanic in origin, Grenada is very hilly, with the highest peak, Mt. St. Catherine, in the Central Highlands, rising to 840 m (2,756 ft). The coastline is indented with many beaches and small bays. Several short streams cross the terrain. Lake Grand Etang is formed in the crater of a volcano at 530 m (1,740 ft) above sea level.
The Central Highlands support a wide variety of forest trees and many types of tropical flowers and shrubs grow throughout the island. Characteristic wildlife includes the hummingbird, egret, dove, and wild pigeon; also to be found are armadillo, agouti, and monkeys.
The descendants of former African slaves, together with mixed black and white racial strains, make up about 95% of the population. The remainder consists of small groups of Asian (largely Indian) and European descent, as well as a few Arawak/Carib Amerindians.
English is the official and common language. A French-African patois also is spoken.
The dominant religion is Christianity, but religious freedom is provided for all groups in the constitution. According to a 2002 report, about 64% of the population are Roman Catholic. Other main groups include Anglicans (22%), Methodists (3%), and Seventh-Day Adventists (3%). Other Protestant denominations include Presbyterians, Church of God, Baptists, and Pentecostals. Minority religions are Islam and Baha'i.
For administrative purposes, the main island is divided into six parishes and one dependency.
The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF), numbering 650 members, provides internal defense in Grenada. A special service unit of 80 and a 30-member coast guard is included in this security force. The U.S. army and coast guard provide training and support to Grenada.
Grenada became a member of the UN on 17 September 1974 and participates in ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO and WTrO. Grenada joined the OAS on 13 May 1975.
There is very little dairy farming in Grenada. Most livestock is raised by individuals for their own use. In 2001 there were an estimated 4,400 head of cattle, 20,000 sheep and goats, and 1,000 donkeys. Some 168,000 poultry were raised to supply local needs.
Fishing is mostly coastal. The 2000 catch was 1,696 tons, predominantly tuna and scad.
There are approximately 5,000 hectares (12,300 acres) of forest, about 75% of which is government owned. Since 1957, some 320 hectares (800 acres) of forest, primarily of Honduras mahogany, blue mahoe, and teak, have been introduced. The Forestry Development Corp. was established in 1979 to develop forest resources and woodworking industries. Imports of forestry products totaled $5.2 million in 2000.
There were no reported mining operations in Grenada except for limestone, sand and gravel, and open-face red gravel deposits for the local construction industry.
St. George's University School of Medicine was founded in 1976. A school of agriculture is located in Mirabeau. The Grenada National Museum, at St. George's, maintains exhibits on technology and native fauna and flora.
There are a number of international firms (mainly UK, US, and Canadian) and some local interests doing business in Grenada. A full range of life and non-life insurance is available. There were at least nine insurance companies operating in Grenada in 2000.
Corporate taxes are levied on net profits at a rate of 30% on the first US $50,000 and 40% on the remainder. A debt service levy is payable on salaries over US $12,000 per year at a rate of 10%. VAT ranges from 5% on most services to 15% on locally manufactured products.
All imports are subject to a general or preferential tariff, as well as a fixed package tax. Grenada adopted the CARICOM community common external tariff in 1991, which ranged up to 35% in 2000. Capital equipment is exempt from tariffs.
Carriacou (34 sq km/13 sq mi), Petit Martinique, and several other islands of the Grenadines group are dependencies of Grenada.
Beck, Robert J. The Grenada Invasion: Politics, Law, and Foreign Policy Decision Making. Boulder, Colo.: Westview, 1993.
Brathwaite, Roger. Grenada Spice Paradise. London: Macmillan Caribbean, 2001.
Brown, Cindy Kilgorie. Adventure Guide to St Vincent, Grenada and the Grenadines. Edison, N.J.: Hunter, 2003.
Health in the Americas, 2002 edition. Washington, D.C.: Pan American Health Organization, Pan American Sanitary Bureau, Regional Office of the World Health Organization, 2002.
Heine, Jorge (ed.). A Revolution Aborted: The Lessons of Grenada. Pittsburgh, Penn.: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990.
Meeks, Brian. Caribbean Revolutions and Revolutionary Theory: An Assessment of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Grenada . London: Macmillan Caribbean, 1993.
Schoenhals, Kai P. Grenada. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Clio, 1990.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: