Grenada

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

80,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system

automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad

Telephones

5,650 (1988 est.)

Television broadcast stations

1 (1988 est.)

Televisions

30,000 (1993 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues : $75.7 million (1996 est.) expenditures: $126.7 million, including capital expenditures of $51 million (1996 est.)

Currency

1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$97 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Economy - overview

The agriculturally based economy was hurt in 1996 by the emergence of the pink mealy bug which destroyed much of the cocoa harvest. Bananas, a major foreign exchange earner, also suffered due to falling prices, low production, and poor quality. Tourism, the leading foreign exchange earner, continued to do well, as did manufacturing. Construction boomed in 1996 due to concessions for low and middle income mortgages. The government introduced a 5% tax on electricity and telephones and doubled the general consumption tax, which caused a small rise in the inflation rate. The tourist industry faces stiff competition over the next few years.

Electricity - capacity

17,300 kW (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita

794 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

88 million kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Exports

total value: $24 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace partners : Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8% (1991)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $300 million (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 10.2% industry: 40.3% services: 49.5% (1994 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,160 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $128 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: food 25%, manufactured goods 22%, machinery 20%, chemicals 10%, fuel 6% (1989) partners: US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991)

Industrial production growth rate

1.8% (1992 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

2.6% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 36,000 by occupation: services 31%, agriculture 24%, construction 8%, manufacturing 5%, other 32% (1985)

Unemployment rate

20% (1 October 1996)

Area

total : 340 sq km land: 340 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

twice the size of Washington, DC

Climate

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Coastline

121 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point : Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Environment - international agreements

party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Geography - note

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

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land : 15% permanent crops: 18% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 9% other: 55% (1993 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Terrain

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

19 December 1973

Country name

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Grenada

Data code

GJ

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission : the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada; Charge d'Affaires Dennis CARTER embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies telephone : [1] (809) 444-1173 through 1178

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561

Executive branch

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen; prime minister appointed by the governor general from among the members of the House of Assembly

FAX

[1] (809) 444-4820

Flag description

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 represent the seven administrative divisions

Government type

parliamentary democracy

Independence

7 February 1974 (from UK)

International organization participation

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

West Indies Associate States Supreme Court, an associate judge resides in Grenada

Legal system

based on English common law

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 20 June 1995 (next to be held by NA October 2000) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 5, GULP 2

National capital

Saint George's

National holiday

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Political parties and leaders

National Democratic Congress or NDC [George BRIZAN]; Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Sir Eric GAIRY]; The National Party or TNP [Ben JONES]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]; Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement or MBPM [Terrence MARRYSHOW]; The Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Francis ALEXIS]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

Royal Grenada Police Force, Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

NA%

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49 : NA

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: NA

Age structure

0-14 years: 43% (male 21,051; female 20,335) 15-64 years: 52% (male 26,473; female 23,181) 65 years and over: 5% (male 2,090; female 2,407) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

28.61 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

5.53 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

black

Infant mortality rate

11.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

English (official), French patois

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.13 years male: 68.58 years female: 73.72 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male : 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)

Nationality

noun: Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian

Net migration rate

-16.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

95,537 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

0.66% (1997 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant sects 33.2%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.71 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US GUADELOUPE (overseas department of France)

Airports

3 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 1,020 km paved: 624 km unpaved : 396 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

none

Ports and harbors

Grenville, Saint George's

Railways

0 km