SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES                                                
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 340 km2; land area: 340 km2                                         
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington,              
DC                                                                              
                                                                                
Land boundaries: none                                                           
                                                                                
Coastline: 84 km                                                                
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;                                                         
                                                                                
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation;                       
rainy season (May to November)                                                  
                                                                                
Terrain: volcanic, mountainous; Soufriere volcano on the island                 
of Saint Vincent                                                                
                                                                                
Natural resources: negligible                                                   
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 38%; permanent crops 12%; meadows and                     
pastures 6%; forest and woodland 41%; other 3%; includes irrigated              
3%                                                                              
                                                                                
Environment: subject to hurricanes; Soufriere volcano is a                      
constant                                                                        
threat                                                                          
                                                                                
Note: some islands of the Grenadines group are administered by                  
Grenada                                                                         
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 114,221 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)                        
                                                                                
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                        
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 31 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 72 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s);                        
adjectives--Saint Vincentian or Vincentian                                      
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: mainly of black African descent; remainder mixed,             
with some white, East Indian, Carib Indian                                      
                                                                                
Religion: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day                      
Adventist                                                                       
                                                                                
Language: English, some French patois                                           
                                                                                
Literacy: 96% (male 96%, female 96%) age 15 and over having ever                
attended school (1970)                                                          
                                                                                
Labor force: 67,000 (1984 est.)                                                 
                                                                                
Organized labor: 10% of labor force                                             
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
Type: constitutional monarchy                                                   
                                                                                
Capital: Kingstown                                                              
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines,                    
Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick                          
                                                                                
Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK)                                         
                                                                                
Constitution: 27 October 1979                                                   
                                                                                
Legal system: based on English common law                                       
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1979)                           
                                                                                
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime                      
minister, Cabinet                                                               
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly                                
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court                                
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),                     
represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 Septermber 1989);          
                                                                                
Head of Government--Prime Minister James F. MITCHELL (since 30 July             
1984)                                                                           
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
New Democratic Party (NDP), James (Son) MITCHELL;                               
Saint Vincent Labor Party (SVLP), Vincent BEACH;                                
United People's Movement (UPM), Adrian SAUNDERS;                                
Movement for National Unity (MNU), Ralph GONSALVES;                             
National Reform Party (NRP), Joel MIGUEL                                        
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
House of Assembly--last held 16 May 1989                                        
(next to be held July 1994);                                                    
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(21 total; 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators)          
NDP 15                                                                          
                                                                                
Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,                  
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, OAS, OECS,               
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO                                  
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: none                                                 
                                                                                
Flag: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double                   
width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a       
V pattern                                                                       
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most              
important sector of the economy. The services sector, based mostly on           
a growing tourist industry, is also important. The economy continues to         
have a high unemployment rate of 30% because of an overdependence on the        
weather-plagued banana crop as a major export earner. Government progress       
toward diversifying into new industries has been relatively unsuccessful.       
                                                                                
GDP: $146 million, per capita $1,270; real growth rate 5.9                      
(1989)                                                                          
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1990)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 30% (1989 est.)                                              
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $62 million; expenditures $67 million,                         
including capital expenditures of $21 million (FY90 est.)                       
                                                                                
Exports: $74.6 million (f.o.b., 1989);                                          
                                                                                
commodities--bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot                      
starch, tennis racquets, flour;                                                 
                                                                                
partners--UK 43%, CARICOM 37%, US 15%                                           
                                                                                
Imports: $127.5 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.);                                    
                                                                                
commodities--foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and                 
fertilizers, minerals and fuels;                                                
                                                                                
partners--US 42%, CARICOM 19%, UK 15%                                           
                                                                                
External debt: $51.4 million (1989)                                             
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1989); accounts for 14%                  
of GDP                                                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 16,600 kW capacity; 64 million kWh produced,                       
570 kWh per capita (1990)                                                       
                                                                                
Industries: food processing (sugar, flour), cement, furniture,                  
clothing, starch, sheet metal, beverage                                         
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GDP and 60% of labor force;                    
provides bulk of exports; products--bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes,          
spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, hogs, goats; small fish catch           
used locally                                                                    
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $11                    
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $76 million                                                          
                                                                                
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars);                              
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents                                                   
                                                                                
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed              
rate since 1976)                                                                
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year (as of January 1991); previously                     
1 July-30 June                                                                  
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Highways: about 1,000 km total; 300 km paved; 400 km improved;                  
300 km unimproved                                                               
                                                                                
Ports: Kingstown                                                                
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 242 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,855,061               
GRT/2,919,872 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 132 cargo,          
11 container, 15 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 9 refrigerated cargo,                  
13 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker,             
4 liquefied gas, 44 bulk, 6 combination bulk, 1 vehicle carrier;                
note--China owns 3 ships; a flag of convenience registry                        
                                                                                
Civil air: no major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 6 total, 6 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;                  
none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m                    
                                                                                
Telecommunications: islandwide fully automatic telephone system;                
6,500 telephones; VHF/UHF interisland links to Barbados and the                 
Grenadines; new SHF links to Grenada and Saint Lucia;                           
stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV (cable)                                             
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force,                  
Coast Guard                                                                     
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 28,339; NA fit for military                 
service                                                                         
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP                                           
                                                                                
