Grenada:
Grenada pronounced grineida is an island nation and sovereign commonwealth state consisting of the
island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the south-eastern
Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and
southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its size is 344 km˛ with an estimated population of
110,000. Its capital is St. George's and English is the main language.
Geography:
The island Grenada itself is the largest island; smaller Grenadines are Carriacou, Petit Martinique,
Ronde Island, Caille Island, Diamond Island, Large Island, Saline Island and Frigate Island. Most of
the population lives on Grenada itself, and major towns there include the capital, St. George’s,
Grenville and Gouyave. The largest settlement on the other islands is Hillsborough on Carriacou.
The islands are of volcanic origin with extremely rich soil. Grenada’s interior is very mountainous
with Mount St. Catherine being the highest at 2,756 feet (840 m). Several small rivers with beautiful
waterfalls flow into the sea from these mountains. The climate is tropical: hot and humid in the
rainy season and cooled by the trade winds in the dry season.
Politics:
As a Commonwealth realm, Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Grenada and Head of State. The Crown is
represented by a Governor-General, who is currently Mr. Carlyle Glean. Day-to-day executive power
lies with the Head of Government, the Prime Minister. Although appointed by the Governor-General, the
Prime Minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the Parliament.
Demographics:
A majority of the citizens are descendants of the African slaves brought by the Europeans; few of the
indigenous Carib and Arawak population survived . A small percentage of descendants of East Indian
indentured workers were brought to Grenada mainly from the North Indian states. There is also a small
community of French and English descendants. The rest of the population is of mixed descent.
Nearly all are mainstream Christians.
Tourism:
Tourism is Grenada’s main economic force. Conventional beach and water-sports tourism is largely
focused in the southwest region around St Georges, the airport and the coastal strip; however,
ecotourism is growing in significance.
The tourism industry is increasing dramatically with the construction of a large cruise ship pier and esplanade. Up to 4 cruise ships per day were visiting St. Georges in 2007–8 during the cruise ship season.
Grenada is linked to the world through the Maurice Bishop International Airport (GND) and the St. George’s harbour. International flights connect with other Caribbean islands, the United States, and Europe.
Tourism is concentrated in the southwest of the island, around St. Georges, Grand Anse, Lance Aux Epines, and Point Salines. Grenada has many idyllic beaches around its coastline including the 3 km long Grand Anse Beach in St George's which is considered to be one of the finest beaches in the world, and often appears in countdowns of the world's top 10 beaches.
Economy:
Grenada is called The Spice Isle because it is a leading producer of several different spices.
Cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, allspice, orange/citrus peels, wild coffee used by the locals, and
especially nutmeg, providing 20% of the world supply; are all important exports. The nutmeg on the
nation's flag represents the economic crop of Grenada; the nation is the world’s second largest
producer of nutmeg (after Indonesia).
The island has also pioneered the cultivation of organic cocoa which is also processed into finished bars.
Culture:
Although French influence on Grenadian culture is much less visible than on other Caribbean islands,
surnames and place names in French remain, and the everyday language is laced with French words and
the local dialect or Patois. Stronger French influence is found in the well seasoned spicy food and
styles of cooking similar to those found in New Orleans and some French architecture has survived
from the 1700s. Island culture is heavily influenced by the African roots of most of the Grenadians
but Indian influence is also seen.
Sport:
As with other islands from the Caribbean, cricket is the national and most popular sport and is an
intrinsic part of Grenadian culture. The National Stadium regularly host the perennial touring cricket
teams