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These smaller islands are Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island, Palm Island, and Petit Saint Vincent. All together, the islands cover 389 square kilometers. The main island of Saint Vincent is the largest, covering 344 square kilometers. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has over 84 kilometers of coastline. The climate is tropical, with little seasonal variation. There are two seasons in Saint Vincent, the rainy season from May through November, and the dry season. During the rainy season, it rains almost daily, often heavily. During the dry season, from January to April, it only rains every few days, and not very heavy. Average annual rainfall is 80 inches along the coast, and 150 inches in the interior. The terrain of the islands is very mountainous. The soil of the islands is dark, and the beaches have black sand in places. This comes from being formed by volcanic eruptions. There is still an active volcano on the island of Saint Vincent, La Soufriere, which last erupted in April, 1979. The land use of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines consists of arable land (10%), permanent crops (18%), permanent pastures (5%), forests and woodlands (36%), and other (31%). The greatest natural hazardous threats come from hurricanes and the possible eruption of La Soufriere volcano. It is believed by archaeologists that people came to the Caribbean islands from South America around 120 AD. It is also believed that the original inhabitants were called Ciboney, and these people were followed by the Caribs. The Caribs became the sole masters of the islands until the arrival of the Europeans in the late 15th century. The Carib islands, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, were among the last to be colonized by the Europeans as the dense Carib population made it hard for the Europeans to gain a foothold. In 1626, the French were in possession of Saint Vincent. In 1627, the British took over. In 1675, a slave ship sunk in the Bequia/Saint Vincent channel and some slaves managed to reach the shores. They were welcomed by the Caribs and soon intermingled, and their children were called Black Caribs. In 1748, when the European nations found that they could not compromise with the Caribs, Saint Vincent was declared a neutral island by the Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle. Changing hands again as both the British and French fought for possession, finally in 1783, by the Treaty of Versailles, Saint Vincent was once more under British rule. The last open rebellion by the Caribs took place in 1795. By 1797, however, the war was over with the Caribs losing for the last time. British and French influence can still be seen in the island’s architecture and language. The official language is English. Ethnic groups are black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, and other 7%. The population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is estimated around 115,461 people. 25.7% of the population lives in Kingstown and its suburbs and may be considered urban. More than 90% of the total population lives on the island of Saint Vincent. The age structure of the population consists of 0-14 years 30% (male 17,868; female 17,263), 15-64 years 63% (male 37,377; female 35,623), and 65 years and over 7% (male 3,144; female 4,186). The sex ratio at birth is 1.03 males/females, under 15 years is 1.04 males/females, 15-64 years is 1.05 males/females, and over 65 years is 0.75 males/females. The population growth rate is 0.43%. The birth rate is 18.25 births/1,000 population and the death rate is 6.21 deaths/1,000 population. The infant mortality rate is 17.06 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth is 72.3 years. The total fertility rate is 2.11 children born/woman. The net migration rate is a negative -7.75 migrants/1,000. The overall literacy rate is 96%. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has 65 primary schools and 23 secondary schools. Although education is not compulsory, almost all of the population aged 5-15 years old attends school. Most nationals, 67%, do not study beyond the primary or basic school level, and about 18.5% progress to the secondary level. About 2.4% reach the post-secondary level, which includes vocational training and university education. Children are immunized against common childhood illnesses. Most deaths occurring in children aged 0-9 years old are confined to the first year of life. The main causes have been conditions originating in the prenatal period and congenital anomalies. Approximately 90% of all children under 5 years old enjoy a satisfactory nutritional status in terms of weight-for-age set out by the growth charts. Approximately 22% of all births, on average, occur in teenage women, with 9% occur in women 35-49 years of age. Because high-risk pregnancies comprise nearly 30% of all births, a health and family life education program is in place in primary and secondary schools and youth guidance centers. Women of childbearing age (15-44 years old) are one of the priority groups targeted for special attention by the government. A range of programs providing prenatal and postnatal care, family planning services, and general medical care is established for women. Approximately 33.5% of all single-parent households with one or more children are headed by women. Almost 90% of these women were never married, while 36.3% of them have responsibility for four or more children. In the 60 year and older age group, the greatest health risk is from chronic non-communicable diseases, such as heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. The government operates a 120 bed home for the aged that mainly provides general care. There are no specialized health services for the elderly, although they are exempt from user fees. The elderly are also the main beneficiaries of the routine diabetic clinics that are conducted at all health centers. Infectious disease rates have decreased over the past years. The most notable are Dengue fever and leptospirosis. New cases of tuberculosis range from 7 to 13 new cases per year. Its incidence has been highest among those aged 40-54. An average of two deaths per year are attributed to tuberculosis. Non-communicable diseases that are significant factors in health are diabetes, hypertension, and malignant tumors. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Government-run oral health services are directed towards providing quality and affordable oral health care to the population, particularly school-age children. The introduction of fluoride treatment at the primary-school level has been achieved. Currently, all children under 16 years of age attending dental clinics are treated with topical fluoride gel. There is no fluoridation of the communal water supply system. On the island of Saint Vincent, 47.6% of all households have water from the communal supply system piped into their premises (yard and house), and an additional 29.4% receive their water from a public standpipe. This means that more than 77% of all households benefit from a reliable potable water supply. However, 10.8% of all households still receive their water supply form suspect sources such as springs, rivers and streams. The pit latrine remains the most prevalent means of sewage disposal among the households (62.3%), followed by use of a septic tank (30.1%). The number of households without any approved form of sewage disposal has decreased to below 3.7%. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have a parliamentary democracy, similar to Great Britain. In the Executive branch of government, the Chief of State is Queen Elizabeth II, who appoints and is represented by a Governor General. The Governor General appoints the Prime Minister, who is usually the leader of the majority party. The Legislative branch of government is made up of a unicameral House of Assembly with 21 seats. 15 representative seats are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies, and six senator seats are appointed. The Judicial branch of government is the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, based on Saint Lucia. One judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent. The legal system is based on English common law. The capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown, located on the southwest side of the island of Saint Vincent. Banana production dominates the agriculture sector of the economy, and is the most important sector of the lower to middle income economy. The service sector is based mostly on a growing tourism industry, which offers considerable potential. The government has been unsuccessful at introducing new industry into the economy. The industrial production growth rate is a –0.9%. The labor force of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines consists of approximately 67,000 people. About 26% are employed in the agriculture sector, 17% in industry, and 57% in the service sector. Industries in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines consist of food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, and starch. Agriculture in the country includes bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices, and small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and fish. The unemployment rate stands around 22%. The highest levels are among persons engaged in construction (32%), wholesale and retail trade (11%), and agriculture (11%). In the outlying communities of Saint Vincent, over 40% of the population is considered poor. Also, 30.5% of the households and 36.2% of the population is considered to be indigent. Three out of every ten workers are engaged in the informal sector where work is irregular and economic returns are unstable. In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the gross domestic product, or GDP, shows a real growth rate of 4%. The GDP per capita is $2,600. Breaking down the GDP composition by sector, agriculture accounts for 10.6%, industry is 17.5%, and services account for 71.9%. The inflation rate of consumer prices is around 2%. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines exports $47.8 million worth of goods. Of these export commodities, bananas account for 39%. Other commodities include eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, and tennis racquets. Taro is a large perennial herb that yields about 50% starch from its roots. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines imports about $180 million worth of goods. These import commodities consist of foodstuffs, machinery & equipment, chemicals & fertilizers, and minerals & fuels. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’s currency is the East Caribbean Dollar, and the exchange rate is EC$2.70/US$1. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a fully digital telephone system with over 20,500 main lines in use. There is both national and international service available. Cellular phone service is available and easy to use, even from pleasure boats among the islands. Visitors can even use their own cellular phone from home, or rent one from their hotel or yacht company. There are four radio broadcast stations; one AM, and three FM. There are approximately 77,000 radios on the islands, and most of them will be in use to listen to cricket matches, which is a very popular sport in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. There is only one public television broadcast station, which uses three repeaters to cover the islands. There is also one cable television station included in the Kingstown cable television system. There are approximately 18,000 televisions in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has over 750 miles of total roadways. Approximately 450 miles are unpaved. Saint Vincent has a network of approximately 300 miles of paved roads, which encompass the island’s perimeter. Many of the roads on Bequia are paved, also. Other Grenadine islands have sufficient roads for the flow of traffic. All islands have well defined trails and minor roads, for access to agriculture. Public transportation around the island of Saint Vincent is primarily through mini buses and taxi services. Driving the mountainous highways can be treacherous at times, especially for visitors. Vincentians drive on the left side of the road, and the lanes of traffic are narrow, especially when meeting a banana truck on a sharp curve with a sheer drop of over several hundred feet to the ocean below just inches away from the edge of the pavement. Kingstown has a natural harbor. There is regular service between Saint Vincent and major international ports in North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. The deep-water harbor has a wharf to accommodate two ocean-going ships, and a commercial wharf for container vessels. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a total of six airports. Of these six, five have paved runways. The largest airport is Arnos Vale Airport in Kingstown. There is no direct international travel, due to the length of the runway. All international travel goes through Barbados. The unpaved airport runway, located on the north east side of Saint Vincent, is used primarily for agricultural crop dusting, of which one of the planes was manufactured in Olney, Texas by Air Tractor, Inc. The tropical climate makes Saint Vincent and the Grenadines suitable for tourism, especially if more resorts on the smaller islands are developed. A relatively new industry is gambling, which is attracting international investors and tourists. Social services, such as health and education, have been improving. The people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are fairly well educated compared to other third world countries. One major problem facing Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the difficulties associated with the increasing numbers of women as the head of single-parent families. Another major problem is the supply of potable water to they outlying communities. Many of these communities are laying pipelines for potable water from Kingstown and Mesopotamia. A third major problem is the lack of an adequate sewage disposal system. Inherent problems associated with the pit latrine and septic tank system is the possible contamination of fresh water sources. The economic condition of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines needs more diversification. The continuing dependence upon agriculture, especially banana production, makes it difficult for the whole economy of the islands in bad years. In both 1994 and 1995, tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of the banana crops. This represents the biggest obstacle to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’s development. Bibliography: Word Count: 2361
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