Grenada (country)
Grenada (Grenada in English, Gwenad in French Grenadian Creole) is an island country of the Americas, which is part of the Lesser Antilles, in the Caribbean Sea. Includes the southern Grenadines. It is the second smallest independent country in the Western Hemisphere (after Saint Kitts and Nevis) and is therefore considered a micro-State. It is located in the southeastern area of the Caribbean Sea, 160 km north of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of the Venezuelan mainland, and 109 km south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its 344 km² territory includes the island of Grenada, plus a third of the Grenadines islands, those located furthest to the south. After the arrival of the Europeans, the territory was in the hands of the French and the English, until it completed its independence process in 1974. The country is part of the Commonwealth of Nations, its form of government being a parliamentary monarchy. It is also a member of the OAS, CARICOM, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States/OECS and the Association of Caribbean States/ACS. Its capital is the city of Saint George.
Toponymy
When Christopher Columbus arrived on the island in 1498, he gave it the name “Concepción”. However, that name was withdrawn in 1523, when Spanish explorers changed it to "Granada," due to the similarity they found between the island's mountainous terrain and the Sierra Nevada, the mountain range that surrounds the Spanish city of Granada.
The name "Granada" it appears on Spanish maps from the 1520s and refers to the northern islands as Los Granadillos; although those islands were considered the property of the King of Spain, there are no records to suggest that the Spanish seriously attempted to colonize Grenada. The French they retained the name (as 'La Grenade' in French) after their settlement and colonization in 1649. On February 10, 1763, the island of La Grenade was ceded to the British under the Treaty of Paris. The British renamed it "Grenada," one of the many anglicisms of place names they imposed there.
In 1499, the Florentine explorer Américo Vespucio in the service of Spain toured the region with the Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda and the cartographer Juan de la Cosa. Vespucci is said to have renamed the island 'Mayo', although this is the only map on which the name appears.
The Arhuaco Indians who lived on the island before the arrival of the Spanish gave it the name of Camajuya.History
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Approximately 38 million years ago, in the Eocene, the area of what is now Grenada emerged from a shallow sea as an underwater volcano. In recent times, volcanic activity has been non-existent, except in some of its hot springs.
Pre-Columbian history
Grenada was first settled by peoples from South America, possibly during the Archaic Era of the Caribbean, although conclusive evidence is lacking. The earliest human presence comes from indirect evidence from lake cores, beginning at ~3600 BCE. The less ephemeral permanent villages began around AD 300. C. The population reached its peak between 750 and 1250 AD. C., and major population changes occurred subsequently, possibly as a result of regional droughts and/or the "Caribbean invasion", although the latter is based on very circumstantial evidence.
Christopher Columbus arrived on the island on August 15, 1498, the name he gave it was Concepción, but the Spanish did not try to settle it, leaving the island in the hands of the indigenous people for a century and a half. Partly due to local resistance, Grenada (and much of the Windward Islands) remained unsettled for nearly 150 years after Columbus' passage. When the French finally settled Grenada in 1649, there were at least two separate indigenous groups: "Los "galibis" were recent arrivals from the mainland (circa 1250), while the group the French called "caraibe" lived in villages that, according to archaeological evidence, had been occupied for more than a millennium. to the descendants of the first peoples of Grenada, while the galibis seem to have arrived more recently from the mainland (and therefore closer to the Caribbean stereotype).
French colonization
In June 1609, the first European settlement attempt was made by an English expedition of 24 colonists led by Mossis Goldfry, Hall, Lull and Robincon, who arrived on the ships Diana, Penelope and Endeavor. The settlement was attacked and destroyed by the island's indigenous people and many were tortured and killed. The few survivors were evacuated when the ships returned on December 15, 1609.
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In 1649, a French expedition of 203 men from Martinique led by Jacques Dyel du Parquet founded a permanent settlement in Grenada. They signed a peace treaty with the Kairouane Carib chief, but within a few months a conflict broke out between the two communities. This lasted until 1654, when the island was completely subjugated by the French. The surviving indigenous peoples left for neighboring islands or withdrew to the more remote areas of Grenada, where they eventually disappeared in the 18th century. Warfare continued into the 17th century between the French in Grenada and the Caribs in present-day Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The French named their new colony La Grenade (translation of the Spanish name Granada), and the economy was initially based on sugarcane and indigo, worked by African slaves. The French established a capital known as Fort Royal (later St. George). To shelter from hurricanes, the French navy often took refuge in the capital's natural harbor, as none of the nearby French islands had a natural harbor comparable to Fort Royal.
In 1700, Granada had a population of 257 whites, 53 ''coloreds'' and 525 slaves. There were 3 sugar estates, 52 indigo plantations, 64 horses and 569 head of cattle. Between 1705 and 1710 the French built Fort Royal at St. George's, today known as Fort George. The collapse of the estates The sugar mills and the introduction of cocoa and coffee in 1714 encouraged the development of small landholdings, and the island developed a class of peasant proprietors.
British Colonization
Grenada was formally ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The French recaptured the island during the Peninsular War, after the Count d'Estaing won the bloody land and naval battle of Grenada in July 1779. However, the island was returned to Britain with the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. A decade later, discontent with British rule led to a pro-French revolt in 1795-96 led by Julien Fédon, which was successfully defeated by the British.
Julien Fédon, a mixed-race owner of the Belvedere estate in the parish of Saint John, launched a rebellion against British rule on the night of March 2, 1795, with coordinated attacks on the towns of La Baye and Gouyave. Fédon was clearly influenced by ideas emerging from the French Revolution, and had early support from French revolutionary advisers. Between March 1795 and June 1796, Fédon and his troops controlled all of Granada except for the parish of San Jorge, seat of government. During those months of insurgency, thousands of enslaved people joined the revolutionary forces, and some 7,000 perished in the final assault on the mountain fortress in June 1796, now known as Fédon's Camp. Hundreds of &# 34;bandits" they were publicly hunted down and executed, but Fédon himself was never captured and his fate remains unknown.
As Grenada's economy grew, more and more African slaves were forcibly transported to the island. Britain eventually outlawed the slave trade within the British Empire in 1807, and slavery was outlawed altogether in 1834. To alleviate the ensuing labor shortage, immigrants from India came to Grenada in 1857.
Nutmeg was introduced to Grenada in 1843, when a merchant ship called on its way to England from the East Indies. The ship had a small number of nutmeg trees on board which they left behind in Grenada, and this was the start of the Grenadian nutmeg industry which now supplies nearly 40% of the world's annual crop.
Later Colonial Period
In 1857 the first immigrants from the East Indies arrived. In 1871 Grenada was connected to the telegraph. In 1872 the first secondary school was built. On December 3, 1877, the pure colony model of the Crown replaced the old representative government system of Grenada. On December 3, 1882, the largest wooden pier ever built in Grenada was inaugurated in Gouyave. In 1885, following the departure of Barbados from the British Windward Islands, the capital of the colonial confederation was moved from Bridgetown to St. George's in Grenada. From 1889 to 1894 the 340-foot Sendall Tunnel was built for horse-drawn carriages.
Theophilus A. Marryshow founded the Representative Government Association (RGA) in 1917 to promote a new and participatory constitutional regime for the people of Granada. Partly as a result of pressure from Marryshow, the Wood Commission of 1921-22 concluded that Grenada was ready for constitutional reform in the form of a modified Crown colony government. This amendment granted Grenadians the right to elect five of the fifteen members of the Legislative Council, with a restricted property right that allowed the wealthiest 4% of adult Grenadians to vote. Marryshow was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1943.
In 1950, Eric Gairy founded the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP), initially as a union, which led the 1951 general strike to improve working conditions. On October 10, 1951, Grenada held its first general election by universal suffrage, in which Gairy's party won six of the eight seats up for grabs.
On September 22, 1955, Hurricane Janet struck Grenada, killing 500 people and destroying 75% of the nutmeg trees. A new political party, the Grenada National Party, led by Herbert Blaize, stood in the 1957 general election and, with the help of elected independent members, wrested control of the Legislative Council from the Grenada United Labor Party.
From 1958 to 1962, Grenada was part of the West Indies Federation. In 1960, another constitutional evolution established the position of chief minister, making the leader of the majority party in the Legislative Council, who at the time was Herbert Blaize, effective head of the government. In March 1961, the Grenada United Labor Party won the general election and George E.D. Clyne became Chief Minister until Eric Gairy was elected at a by-election and took office in August 1961. Also in 1961 the cruise liner Bianca C caught fire in St Georges harbour. All on board were rescued except the engineer, who suffered fatal burns. In April 1962, the administrator of Grenada, Queen Elizabeth II's representative on the island, James Lloyd, suspended the constitution, dissolved the Legislative Council and removed Eric Gairy as Chief Minister, after accusations of financial mismanagement by the latter.. In the 1962 general election, the Grenada National Party won a majority and Herbert Blaize became Chief Minister for the second time.
Following the collapse of the federation, Grenada was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs as an Associated State on March 3, 1967. Herbert Blaize of the Grenada National Party (PNG) was the first Prime Minister of the Associated State of Grenada from March to August 1967. Eric Gairy was Prime Minister from August 1967 to February 1974.
Independence
Grenada achieved independence from the British crown in 1974 and in 1979, after a period of great political instability, the charismatic and popular left-wing leader Maurice Bishop, together with his New Jewel Movement, they did with power. In particular, the regime worked to develop social policies: a Popular Education Center was created to coordinate government educational initiatives, including literacy campaigns. The learning of the Grenadian Creole was allowed in schools. However, the tendency of the Bishop government to marginalize the role of the Church in education contributed to the deterioration of relations with the clergy. In the health sector, free medical consultations were held with the help of Cuba, which provided doctors, and milk was distributed to pregnant women and children. In the economic sector, the authorities created a system of financial loans and equipment for farmers, and agricultural cooperatives were created to develop the activity. Bishop's government also worked to develop infrastructure, including building new roads and improving the electricity grid. Finally, the government cracked down on marijuana cultivation to encourage food cultivation and reduce violence. Internationally, Grenada was increasingly isolated. Bishop's socialism and his cooperation with Fidel Castro's Cuba did not go down well with conservative nations in the area such as Barbados, Dominica and the United States. The United Kingdom suspended economic aid and the United States used its influence to block loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Coup of 1983
A dispute with the communist wing, loyal to Bernard Coard (of the ruling party) caused New Jewel to promote a coup and the execution of Bishop on October 19, 1983 On October 16, 1983, Bernard Coard and his wife, Phyllis, backed by the Grenadian army, staged a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop and placed him under house arrest. These actions sparked street demonstrations in various parts of the island, as Bishop had broad support from the population. Because Bishop was a widely popular leader, he was freed by ardent supporters who marched on his guarded residence from a rally in the capital's central square. Bishop then led the crowd to the island headquarters to reassert his power. Grenadian soldiers were sent in armored vehicles by Coard's faction to retake the fort. A confrontation between soldiers and civilians at the fort ended with gunfire and panic. Three soldiers and at least eight civilians were killed in the melee that also injured 100 other people, a study sponsored by the school later found. When the initial firefight ended with Bishop's surrender, Bishop and seven of his closest supporters were taken prisoner and executed by firing squad of soldiers. In addition to Bishop, the group included three of his cabinet ministers, a union leader and three service sector workers.
Following Bishop's execution, the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP) formed a Marxist military government with General Hudson Austin as president. The army declared a full four-day curfew.
Invasion of the United States
The overthrow of a moderately socialist government by one that was a military dictatorship that some claimed was communist concerned the administration of US President Ronald Reagan. Reagan also stated that the presence of Cuban construction workers and military personnel building a 10,000-foot airstrip in Grenada was especially troubling. Bishop had stated that the purpose of the runway was to allow commercial aircraft to land, but some US military analysts argued that the only reason for building such a long, reinforced runway was so that it could be used by heavy military transport aircraft. The contractors, US and European companies, and the EEC, which provided partial funding, claimed that the airstrip was not military capable. [citation needed] Reagan claimed that Cuba, under the direction of the Soviet Union, would use Grenada as a staging post to refuel Cuban and Soviet planes loaded with weapons destined for Central American communist insurgents.
On October 25, 1983, combined forces of the United States and the Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS) invaded Grenada in an operation codenamed Operation Urgent Fury. The United States stated that it was done at the request of the governments of Barbados and Dominica and the Governor General of Grenada, Sir Paul Scoon. Progress was rapid, and within four days the Americans had removed Hudson Austin's military government.
The invasion was widely criticized by the governments of Great Britain, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada. The United Nations General Assembly condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law" by 108 votes in favor, 9 against and 27 abstentions. The United Nations Security Council considered a similar resolution, which was supported by 11 nations. However, the United States vetoed the proposal.
In 1983, the island was invaded by the military forces of the United States and six other Caribbean nations in a military campaign called Operation Urgent Fury. The excuse used by the US government to intervene militarily in Grenada was that its people represented a "threat" to the security of Americans residing in the Caribbean country due to "political instability". Troops quickly captured Grenadian leftist leaders and their Cuban advisers, many of whom were working on building a large airport for the island that was completed by the US some years later. One of the known tactical concerns of the Americans was the recovery alive of their natives enrolled in the University of San Jorge.
Grenada since 1983
When US troops withdrew from Grenada in December 1983, Nicholas Brathwaite of the National Democratic Congress was appointed Prime Minister of an interim administration by Governor-General Scoon until elections could be arranged. The first democratic elections since 1976 were held in December 1984, and were won by the Grenada National Party under Herbert Blaize, who was prime minister until his death in December 1989.
Ben Jones briefly succeeded Blaize as Prime Minister and held office until the March 1990 election, which was won by the Democratic National Congress under Nicholas Brathwaite, who served as Prime Minister for the second time until he resigned in February 1995. He was succeeded by George Brizan, who served briefly until the June 1995 election, which was won by the New National Party of Keith Mitchell, who won the 1999 and 2003 elections, and held the post for a record 13-year term, until 2008. Mitchell restored relations with Cuba and also reformed the country's banking system, which had been criticized for possible money-laundering problems.
Between 2000 and 2002, much of the controversy of the late 1970s and early 1980s resurfaced with the opening of the truth and reconciliation commission. The commission was chaired by a Catholic priest, Father Mark Haynes, and was tasked with uncovering injustices stemming from the PRA, the Bishop regime, and others before it. He held several hearings across the country. Brother Robert Fanovich, director of the Presentation Brothers' College (PBC) of St. George, commissioned some of his seniors to carry out a research project on the time and, specifically, on the fact that the body of Maurice Bishop was never discovered. Paterson also discovered that in Granada society there was still a great resentment derived from the time and the feeling that there were many injustices still unresolved.
On September 7, 2004, after 49 years without hurricanes, the island suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan. Ivan struck as a Category 3 hurricane, causing 39 deaths and damage or destruction to 90% of the island's homes. On July 14, 2005, Hurricane Emily, a Category 1 Hurricane at the time, struck the northern part of the island with 80-knot (150 km/h; 92 mph) winds, killing one person and causing an estimated estimated at 110 million dollars (99.21 million euros). Agriculture, and particularly the nutmeg industry, suffered severe losses, but that event has initiated changes in crop management and it is expected that as the new nutmeg trees mature, the industry will gradually recover..
Mitchell was defeated in the 2008 election by Tillman Thomas's NDC, however he won the 2013 general election in Grenada by a large margin and the NNP returned to power, winning again by another large margin in 2018. In 2016, Granada voted in a referendum to change the Constitution with the aim of making a series of changes to its form of government, such as limiting political mandates, fixing the dates of the elections, changing the name of the country that include the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique or the disengagement of the UK Privy Council. However, the referendum was not approved, with low participation and none of the proposals reached the minimum popular support required for its entry into force.
In March 2020, Grenada confirmed its first case of COVID-19, the economic effects of which are expected to rival those of previous crises, including Hurricane Ivan.
Government and politics
Being a parliamentary monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations, King Carlos III is formally the head of state. The British monarch is represented by a Governor-General, although actual executive power rests with the head of the government, the Prime Minister. Although the Prime Minister of Grenada is appointed by the Governor General, he is usually the leader of the party with the most representation in Parliament. The Granada Parliament consists of a Senate (with 13 members) and a House of Representatives (with 15 members). The senators are appointed by the Government and the opposition, while the representatives are elected by the people every 5 years. With 58.7% of the vote, winning all 15 seats in Parliament in the 2013 elections, the New National Party remains the main political party in the country. The main opposition party is the National Democratic Congress, which won 40.8% of the vote but did not win any seats.
The Grenada Social Security Regime is a full member of the Inter-American Conference on Social Security (CISS) since 1998.
Over the past two decades, Grenada has benefited from political and social stability thanks to a strong parliamentary system of government, regular elections and smooth transitions of power.
Governance and accountability are supported by civil society, the church, labor organizations and institutions such as the Integrity Commission and the Public Accounts Committee. The Government and its social partners have worked to establish a permanent and continuous process of consultation and dialogue. The CSP website, created in 2013, which includes government, the private sector, civil society, trade unions, NGOs and faith-based organisations, has committed to maintaining an open dialogue and building consensus on national development issues, aimed at ultimately to improve the well-being of the people of Granada.
Human rights
In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Grenada has signed or ratified:
 Grenada | International treaties | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CESCR | CCPR | CERD | CED | CEDAW | CAT | CRC | MWC | CRPD | |||||||||
| CESCR | CESCR-OP | CCPR | CCPR-OP1 | CCPR-OP2-DP | CEDAW | CEDAW-OP | CAT | CAT-OP | CRC | CRC-OP-AC | CRC-OP-SC | CRPD | CRPD-OP | ||||
| Pertenence |   |  | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 Signed and ratified,  signed, but not ratified,  neither signed nor ratified,  without information,  it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies. | |||||||||||||||||
Status of major international human rights instruments
Grenada has one of the highest levels of female representation in a government in the Anglophone Caribbean. As of February 2013, women held five of the 15 seats in the House of Representatives and two of the 13 designated seats in the Senate. In the March 2018 elections, the number of women in the Senate and House of Representatives increased to four out of 13 seats in the Senate and seven out of 15 seats in the House of Representatives. As of February 2019, there were seven female Government ministers in the Cabinet and nine male ministers, including the Prime Minister. The Cabinet Secretary is also a woman.
Judicial branch
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was the highest court until 1979, when People's Law No. 84 was passed, ending appeals from Granada courts. Appeals before the J.C.P.C. They were restored in 1991.
The Supreme Court of the Associated States of the West Indies (West Indies Associated States Supreme Court) or Supreme Court of the Eastern Caribbean States (Eastern Caribbean States Supreme Court) is the judicial power of Granada from 1967 to 1979 and since 1991. An associate judge resides in Granada.
From 1979 to 1991, the judicial system consisted of the High Court and the High Court and the Court of Appeals, which replaced the Supreme Court of the Eastern Caribbean States established under the West Indies Act 1967. Grenada was readmitted to the Supreme Court of the Eastern Caribbean States in 1991.
Grenada's criminal procedure system follows the common law tradition. It is oral and contradictory. Misdemeanors are tried exclusively in the Courts of First Instance. and a trial when the defendant pleads not guilty. Serious crimes begin with a preliminary investigation by the Director of Public Prosecutions. This is followed by a hearing before a magistrate, followed by a trial in the High Court. Criminal trials are decided by juries of 12 citizens.
Foreign Relations
The United States, Venezuela, Cuba, and the People's Republic of China all have embassies in Grenada. Grenada has been recognized by most members of the United Nations and maintains diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, and Canada.
Grenada is a member of the Caribbean Development Bank, CARICOM, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Commonwealth of Nations. It joined the United Nations in 1974, and the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of American States in 1975. Grenada is also a member of the Eastern Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS).
In December 2014, Granada joined the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) as a full member. Prime Minister Mitchell said accession was a ''natural extension'' of the cooperation that Grenada has had for years with both Cuba and Venezuela.
During the New Jewel Movement, some accounts claim that the Soviet Union tried to make the island of Grenada function as a Soviet base, as well as obtaining a supply hub from Cuba. In October 1983, during the US invasion of Grenada, President Ronald Reagan claimed that US Marines landed on the island of Grenada, seen as a Soviet-Cuban ally that would export the communist revolution throughout the Caribbean. In November, in a joint hearing of the Subcommittee of Congress, it was said that Grenada could be used as a zone of operations for the subversion of nearby countries, for the intersection of maritime routes and for the transit of troops and supplies from Cuba to Africa, and from Eastern Europe and Libya to Central America. In December, the State Department released a preliminary report on Grenada, stating that it was an "island of Soviet internationalism." When the US Marines landed on the island, they discovered a large number of documents, including agreements between the Soviet government and the New Jewel Movement, recorded minutes of Committee meetings, and reports from the Grenadian embassy in Moscow. Relations diplomatic relations between Grenada and the Soviet Union were severed in 1983 by the Governor General of Grenada due to US invasion. Finally, in 2002, sovereign Grenada again re-established diplomatic relations with the newly created Russian Federation.
The US government established an embassy in Grenada in November 1983. The US ambassador to Grenada resides in Bridgetown, Barbados. The embassy in Grenada has a charge d'affaires who reports to the ambassador in Bridgetown. Grenada has an embassy in Washington, D.C. and a consulate general in New York.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) played an important role in the development of Grenada. In addition to $45 million in emergency aid to rebuild after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, USAID provided more than $120 million in financial aid between 1984 and 1993. Some 25 Peace Corps volunteers in Grenada teach education classes special, recovery of reading and professional training, and collaborate in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Grenada receives aid from the United States for the fight against narcotics and benefits from construction projects and humanitarian civic action related to United States military exercises.
Prime Minister Keith Mitchell joined President Bill Clinton in May 1997 for a meeting with 14 other Caribbean leaders during the first US regional summit in Bridgetown, Barbados. The summit reinforced the foundations of regional cooperation in the fields of justice and the fight against narcotics, finance and development, and trade. Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and Grenada were established on October 1, 1985. Prime Minister Herbert Blaize established diplomatic relations with the ROC in 1989, causing Beijing to sever diplomatic ties with Grenada. This position was later reversed under Prime Minister Keith Mitchell.
The People's Republic of China and Grenada resumed diplomatic relations on January 20, 2005. In 2013, Grenada received a donation of over EC$1.5 million worth of agricultural equipment from the People's Republic of China, with in order to help Grenada increase its GDP.
Relations between the Republic of Cuba and the 'Revolutionary Government of the People of Granada' (People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada) were formally established on April 14, 1979 until November 1983. After a 10-year hiatus, preceded by the collapse of the People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada, relations between the Republic of Cuba and Grenada were resumed in 1994. In 2008, the Government of Grenada announced the construction of a monument in honor of the Cubans killed during the invasion of Grenada in 1983.
Political-administrative organization
Grenada organizes its territory into six parishes (in English, parishes) and one dependency, the latter formed by the islands of Carriacou and Little Martinique, located in the group of the Grenadines. The six parishes are the following (the numbering corresponds to that of the attached map):
- Saint Patrick
- Saint Andrew
- Saint David
- Saint George
- Saint John
- Saint Mark
Carriacou and Little Martinique are the two islands of the Grenadines group that belong to Grenada and that have, within said Caribbean country, a dependency status, thus constituting its seventh administrative division.
Geography
The island properly called Grenada is the largest in the country. The Little Grenadines are Carriacou, Little Martinique, Ronde Island, Caille Island, Diamond Island, Large Island, Saline Island, and Frigate Island. The great part of the population lives in Grenada itself, whose largest cities are Saint George (the capital), Grenville and Gouyave. The largest settlement on the other islands is Hillsborough, on Carriacou Island.
The islands are of volcanic origin, with the interior terrain of the islands being slightly mountainous, with some small rivers flowing into the sea. The climate is tropical: hot and humid. Grenada is occasionally affected by hurricanes. The most recent storm was Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.
Just 8 kilometers north of the coast of Grenada is Kick-´Em-Jenny, an active submarine volcano that has erupted 12 times since 1939. It is the most active volcano in the region, known as arc volcanic of the Lesser Antilles.
Grenada is home to four ecoregions: Windward Islands moist forests, Leeward Islands dry forests, Windward Islands dry forests, and Windward Islands xeric shrublands. It scored medium on the Integrity Index of the 2018 Forest Landscape score of 4.22/10, ranking it 131st globally out of 172 countries.
Climate
 Average weather parameters of Saint George | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Ene. | Feb. | Mar. | Open up. | May. | Jun. | Jul. | Ago. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual |
| Temp. max. abs. (°C) | 32 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 33 | 36 | 34 | 36 |
| Average temperature (°C) | 28.3 | 28.8 | 29.4 | 30 | 30 | 29.4 | 28.8 | 29.4 | 30 | 29.4 | 28.8 | 28.8 | 29.3 |
| Temp. medium (°C) | 23.8 | 23.8 | 24.4 | 25.5 | 26.6 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 25.5 | 25 | 24.4 | 25.1 |
| Temp. min. abs. (°C) | 14 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 14 |
| Total precipitation (mm) | 47.75 | 44.45 | 24.38 | 16.26 | 55.37 | 143.76 | 228.34 | 293.12 | 273.30 | 181.86 | 87.38 | 54.61 | 1450.6 |
| Source: Intellicast.com | |||||||||||||
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The climate is tropical, being hot and humid in the dry season, which runs mainly from January to May, and cooled by the moderate rain that falls in the wet season, from June to December. The average annual temperature is 28ºC. Grenada, being at the southern end of the hurricane belt, has only suffered three hurricanes in fifty years.
Hurricane Janet passed Grenada on September 23, 1955, with 115 mph (185 km/h) winds, causing extensive damage. The most recent storms have been Hurricane Ivan, on September 7, 2004, which caused extensive damage and thirty-nine deaths, and Hurricane Emily, on July 14, 2005, which caused extensive damage in Carriacou and northern Grenada, which had been relatively unaffected by Hurricane Ivan.
Geology
Grenada's landform structure is characterized by a rugged interior and a relatively low, undulating coastal periphery. The interior is dominated by rugged mountain peaks, sharp ridges, and deep, narrow valleys that flow toward the coast. These interior formations are due to volcanic activity that leaves mountaintops of andesite and basalt lavas.
The coastal periphery is usually gently sloping and is made up of eroded volcanic rocks and mud deposits. The western coastal areas are steeper than those on the eastern coast. Granada was formed by a series of volcanic eruptions during the Tertiary and Pleistocene periods.
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In some areas there are sedimentary rocks from the Tertiary and Quaternary. The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique are also of volcanic origin. Approximately two thirds of Carriacou is volcanic and the other third is made up of fossiliferous limestone.
Hydrography
Grenada has numerous rivers and small streams that flow from the high and rugged peaks of the interior towards the sea. Three crater lakes, Lake Grand Etang, in the center of the island, Lake Antoine and Lake Levera, in the north, together with the rivers, constitute the main base of water resources for human consumption and agriculture. Grenada has 71 different hydrographic basins, of which the largest basin, that of the Gran Río, covers 159 square kilometers, that is, half the surface of Granada.
In Carriacou there are 8 main basins and in Petit Martinique none.
Carriacou and Petit Martinique have no permanent streams or springs. The water supply in Carriacou and Petit Martinique depends on the collection of rainwater in cisterns, while the water for agriculture and livestock comes mainly from the extraction of groundwater and surface water stored in ponds.
Flora and Fauna
Much of Grenada's biodiversity is found in its forests. There are two endemic plant species, the Grand Etang fern (Danaea sp.) and cabbage palm (Oxeodoxa oleracea), and one endemic tree species (Maythenus grenadensis).
The dry forests in the south and north of the island are home to two threatened and endangered bird species: the Grenada turtle-dove (Leptotila wellsi) and the Grenada kite (Chondrohierax unchel). (Chondrohierax uncinatus murus), which are endemic species. Grenada is also home to four endemic bird species of the Lesser Antilles. The Grenada flycatcher (Myiarchus nugatory), the scaly-breasted towhee (Margarops fuscus), the Lesser Antilles bullfinch (Loxigilla noctis) and the lesser tanager (Tangara cucullata).
Grenada had large tracts of primary forests. Much of the island has been cleared initially for conversion to cotton and sugarcane plantations and later for timber and energy. Large tracts of upland forest were also cleared for other agricultural purposes and housing. However, the damage caused by hurricanes is the one that most disturbs the forests of Grenada.
Grenada is located just south of the main "hurricane belt". In 1955, Hurricane Janet caused widespread destruction and the loss of large areas of forest. In fact, it was reported that the forests were completely decimated on that occasion.
Economy
Grenada's GDP per capita is US$15,431 for the year 2020, with an HDI of 0.763 (2018), considered high. In the early 1980s, Grenada developed a socialist economic system (currently it runs a capitalist system) controlled by the State, which basically depended on agricultural exports and tourism. Fishing developed thanks to the help of Cuba and the former Soviet Union.
Grenada's economic progress, due to fiscal reforms and prudent macroeconomics, has boosted the country's annual growth to 5–6% in 1998 and 1999. Increased economic activity has been led by construction and trade. Tourist facilities have increased, because tourism is the main entry of foreign capital into the country. The most important economic issues that concern the government is the growing fiscal deficit and the deterioration of the external balance. Grenada shares a common central bank and currency with the other seven members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
Pomegranate is a natural source of nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger and cinnamon.
Products such as fish, nutmeg, cocoa, wheat flour and fruits and vegetables are important in its economy, they are sold mainly to the United States, its largest trading partner, Trinidad and Tobado, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the European Union or Antigua and Barbuda. 58.9% of exports are agricultural products, while 41.1% are manufactured. For its part, Grenada mainly imports food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemical products and fuel, mainly from the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands, the European Union or the United Kingdom.
The issuance of postage stamps intended mainly for philatelic collecting is also a source of income.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Grenada's economy had been growing strongly. Its GDP grew 4.25% in 2018 and 3% in 2019 thanks to the development of the construction and tourism sectors. Unemployment had continued to fall, although remaining at very high levels, around 21.7%, particularly affecting youth. Before the pandemic, inflation was low and bank credit growth was positive. The current account deficit narrowed in 2018 and 2019 due to tourism and the “Citizenship for Investment” program. The consumer price index has remained below 1% in recent years, reaching a negative level in 2020 (-0.7%).
Tourism-related industries, including the catering and transportation sectors, grew by around 10% in 2018 and 2019, highlighting the role temporarily played by cruise passenger traffic and port storage demand derived from other countries affected by hurricanes. The medical school of an American university is the second largest employer in the country. But the pandemic had a strong impact on the Caribbean countries, which saw their tourist income diminish. Grenada's GDP fell by more than 13% in 2020. The IMF estimated growth of 2.7% for 2021. The crisis ended up affecting the strong foreign investment in recent years, attracted in part by the "Citizenship by Investment" program., whose contribution was around 4.5% of GDP (January 2020 figures), offsetting the external deficit while strengthening economic growth.
Despite the social improvements that have occurred over the years, Grenada continues to struggle to reduce poverty. According to the latest assessment of the country's poverty, carried out in 2008, 37.0% of the population lived below the poverty line, compared to 32.1% in 1998, and it is estimated that 2.4% were considered indigent. The evaluation also reported a high incidence of youth poverty. Some of the factors that drive poverty cited in the 2008 Assessment are low income and few employment opportunities, limited safety nets, and inadequate social and economic infrastructure in rural communities.
However, since the 2008 poverty assessment, Grenada's economy has grown significantly, growing every year since 2013, averaging 5.0% in 2013-2018. In the absence of current poverty statistics, it is reasonable to assume that the economic expansion and the downward trend in unemployment since the assessment was carried out should contribute to a reduction in the poverty rate in Grenada.
Tourism
Tourism is the mainstay of Grenada's economy. Conventional beach and water sports tourism is concentrated mainly in the southwest region, around San Jorge, the airport and the coastal strip. Ecotourism is becoming increasingly important. Most of the small eco-guesthouses are located in the parishes of Saint David and Saint John. The tourism industry is increasing dramatically with the construction of a large cruise ship pier and esplanade.
Tourism is concentrated in the southwest of the island, around St. George's, Grand Anse, Lance Aux Epines and Point Salines. Grenada boasts numerous beaches along its coastline, including the 3 km long Grand Anse in St. George, often hailed as one of the best beaches in the world. Grenada's many waterfalls are also popular with tourists. tourists. The closest to St. George is the Annandale waterfall, but other notables like Mt. Carmel, Concord, Seven Sisters, and Tufton Hall are also within easy reach.
Several festivals also draw tourists, including the Carriacou Maroon and String Band Music Festival in April, the annual Budget Marine Spice Island Bill Fishing Tournament, Island Water World Sailing Week, and the Grenada Sailing Festival. Work Boat Regatta.
Export products
Grenada is also known as the Island of Spice, as it is the main producer of various spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.
Nutmeg is Grenada's main export product and even appears on the national flag as a symbol of Granada's agriculture. Before Hurricane Ivan in 2004, 20% of world nutmeg consumption came from Grenada, making it the world's second largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia. As the nutmeg plantations were badly damaged by the hurricane, one of the three old nutmeg processing factories on the island had to close. Grenada is currently only the fourth or fifth largest producer of nutmeg in the world. New nutmeg trees take about 15 years to return to producing a bountiful crop. Meanwhile, the islanders have tried to grow and sell more cocoa. Grenada chocolate is very rich in cocoa, it contains at least 60% cocoa, little cane sugar and cocoa butter, so it does not melt even in hot weather. It has an extraordinary flavor because in Granada there is no monoculture and the plant grows in optimal climate and soil conditions.
In addition to spices and cocoa, bananas and sugar are other important exports.
Workforce
The labor force includes both the employed and the unemployed. According to labor force surveys (EPA or LFSs) conducted by the island's Central Statistics Office (CSO) in various years between 1998 and 2017, Grenada's active population grew at an average rate of 3.0%. In 1998, the total active population was 41,015 people, in 2005 it had increased to 46,969, it exceeded 50,000 in 2013, and in 2017 it was 56,000. Men and women represented 53.8% and 42.8%, respectively, of the active population on average, during 1998 to 2017.
Employed people in the active population (persons actively employed at the time of the EPA) went from 34,787 in 1998 to 38,172 in 2005. They rose to 37,197 in 2013 and in 2017 42,808 people made up the employed active population. Further
Recently, EPA results from 2014 to 2017 show that there was a net increase in the number of jobs held by both men and women, but the increase was larger for men. The category with the greatest increase was the Private Sector, with an increase of 3,426 for men and 1,397 for women. Among the self-employed or people who work on their own, the increase is greater among women who work on their own without being salaried (584), than among men (140). However, the number of self-employed with salaries experienced an increase of 707 among men and a decrease of 110 among women. In 2017, the proportion of the total number of people employed in the Central or public Administration was 19.2 percent, which represents a decrease compared to 24.6 percent in 2014; employed women accounted for 23.0 percent, while employed men were 12.0 percent, up from 33.6 percent and 17.1 percent respectively in 2014. Therefore, policies and legislation aimed at reducing the wage bill in the public sector affect a higher proportion of women employed in the Central Administration than men.
Although labor has increased, the downward trend in labor productivity since 2005 (measured by the ratio of Gross Domestic Product [GDP] to the total labor force employed) highlights the serious Grenada's productivity problem: national production is not developing efficiently despite the increase in the number of employees.
Demographics
For the year 2021, the population of Grenada was 114,800 inhabitants, approximately 80% being descendants of African slaves brought by Europeans; few indigenous Caribs and Arawaks remain on the island. The annual growth rate in 2018 was 0.5% and life expectancy was 73.66 years.
The official language, English, is spoken by the entire population, although some still speak French patois.
Almost all Grenadians are Christians, of which about half are Catholic. The rest of the population professes Anglicanism, the branch of Christianity with the highest percentage after Catholicism.
According to 2010 estimates, the largest towns in Grenada are: Saint George (country capital, with 5,242 inhabitants), Gouyave (3,001 inhabitants), Grenville (2,387 inhabitants) and Victoria (2,289 inhabitants). The urban population of the country is only 31%.
Immigration
Most of the island's immigrant population is made up of whites of Spanish, Portuguese, Swiss, Russian, Icelandic, and Australian origin. Immigration began with the independence of the island, when thousands of people arrived to work on the plantations and in the construction of the railways.
Grenada also has many black people, most of them from the present-day countries of Ethiopia and Rwanda. They came mostly as slaves, although many Africans also immigrated to this land on their own.
The island also has Moroccan, Egyptian, Cuban, Argentinean, and Indonesian immigrants from Sumatra and Java. Thus, they form one of the most diversified populations in the Caribbean.
Religion
Grenada is a highly religious country. Apart from a minority Rastafarian community (1.3%), practically the entire population is a follower of Christianity. More than half of the population is Catholic Christian (53%) while the various Protestant groups add up to 33% of the inhabitants, with Anglicanism (14%) being the most professed Protestant denomination. Presbyterians and Adventists along with other Protestant denominations make up the rest of the religious population. Many of the churches are associated with schools, but open to all who wish to attend. There is a very small Muslim population descended mainly from immigrants from the Indian state of Gujarati, who arrived during the colonial era and established merchandise shops.
Languages
The official language is English, which is used by the Government, although in addition they speak a Creole language of English known as Grenadian Creole, which is a lingua franca. About 10–20% of the population uses a French Creole language, a remnant of early French colonization, also known as French patois.
Grenadian Creole belongs to the southern branch of the English-based East Atlantic Creoles, along with Antigua Creole (Antigua and Barbuda), Bajanese Creole (Barbados), Guyanese Creole (Guyana), Creole of Tobago, Trinidad Creole (Trinidad and Tobago), Vincentian Creole (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), and Virgin Islands Creole (Virgin Islands).[It is the common vernacular and mother tongue of nearly all inhabitants of Grenada, that is, about 89,000 native speakers in 2001.
The British Empire wrested control of Grenada from France in the 18th century, and it ruled until independence in 1974. Despite the long history of British rule, Grenada's French heritage remains evident from the number of French loanwords into Grenadian Creole English, as well as the persistent existence of Grenadian Creole French in the country. Grenada held for over a century before British rule, leading to Grenadian Creole English replacing Grenadian Creole French as the island's lingua franca.
The Grenada Creole Society, founded in 2009, launched a mission to research and document the language in Grenada. Initial results were published in 2012 in Double Voicing and Multiplex Identities ed. Nicholas Faraclas et al.
Education
Education in Grenada is free and compulsory between the ages of 6 and 14. In 1998, the gross enrollment rate in primary education was 125.5%, while the net enrollment rate in primary education was it was 97.5%. Despite the high enrollment rate, poverty, poor school facilities and the periodic need to help with the family's farm crops have resulted in an absenteeism rate of approximately 7%. among elementary school children.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) considers that Grenada only meets 88.7% of what it should meet in terms of the right to education, based on the level of country's income. Taking Grenada's income level into account, the country is meeting 88.5% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education and 88.9% for secondary education. secondary education.
Grenada has achieved universal primary education and has made significant progress at all other levels of education and schooling. Gross enrollment in primary education went from 116.0% (1998) to 102.7% (2017), but remained consistently above 100%. There has been a robust, albeit fluctuating, improvement in preschool enrollment, from 71.1% (1998) to 92.2% (2017); however, secondary school enrollment, while consistently exceeding 100%, has continually declined. At the tertiary level, enrollment is high, at 94.4% in 2017. At the preschool, primary, and secondary levels, there have been significant improvements in the teacher-student relationship. Public spending on education as a percentage of total public spending increased from 10.8% in 2003 to 14.3% in 2017.
Grenada has eradicated gender disparity in education and training in general, but there are still gender gaps that need to be addressed. Primary school is compulsory; there is almost universal access to secondary school; and women and men perform at similar levels. The gaps consist in the fact that men and boys participate in tertiary education and vocational training centers to a lesser extent than women and girls; segregation in the choice of subjects, mainly due to gender stereotypes, is affecting women's transition from school to work and the income they earn; and formal and informal curricula in schools do not actively promote gender equality.
Health
There are thirty medical posts, six health centers and eight hospitals (four public and four private). Every household has a health care provider within a three mile radius. St. George's General Hospital is the main medical facility. The closest and only mental health facility is at St. George's Mt. Gay Hospital. Tertiary care is often only available off-island, often at private cost.
The steady increase in life expectancy is one of the most notable successes of the healthcare industry. The first large increase in life expectancy at birth occurred between 1980 and 1984, from 65.5 to 67.4 years. Several reforms of the health systems that were carried out during the period of the People's Revolutionary Government (People's Revolutionary Government) in 1979-1983 were maintained and, in 2018, life expectancy increased to 73.9 years, with a 5-year advantage for women in life expectancy at birth. In addition to increasing life expectancy, maternal health has improved and Grenada has achieved 100% coverage of deliveries attended by qualified health personnel. Likewise, the adolescent fertility rate has dropped significantly from 107.5% in 1990 to 28.8% in 2018.
In addition to initiating local reforms, improvements in health outcomes were also driven by compliance with regional health cooperation agreements, including: a) the Caribbean Charter for Health Promotion, signed in 1996, focused, among other things, on the improvement of health systems, the development of human resources and family health, b) the Caribbean Health Cooperation Initiative, focused, among other things, on the promotion of socioeconomic development, the reduction of health inequalities and the resolution of health problems; and (c) the Declaration of Port of Spain, focused on the integration of the gender perspective in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The creation of the Caribbean Epidemiology Center, renamed the Caribbean Public Health Agency in 2010, was also instrumental in providing technical and financial support for regional health institutions.
While progress has been made in improving health outcomes in some areas, treating the increasing and elevated morbidity and mortality associated with various diseases has been a challenge. Most of the deaths were the result of non-communicable diseases. The trend of data since 1990 shows definite increases or persistently high mortality rates for circulatory diseases as well as for malignant neoplasms; in particular, breast and lung cancers. A positive point has been the low maternal mortality.
The SpiceIsle Imaging Center is a private company, established in 2004, that offers scanning, mammography and ultrasound services.
The New National Party (Grenada) proposed to introduce a national health insurance scheme in 2017. It would give citizens a card that would entitle them to use the services of the SpiceIsle Imaging Center Keith Mitchell promised in 2018, before the election general, that the implementation of the plan would be a high priority. The University of the West Indies had arranged technical support.
Most pharmaceuticals are obtained through the Eastern Caribbean Drug Service.
Culture
The French influence on the culture of Granada is much less than in other Caribbean islands. The culture of Granada is strongly influenced by the African roots of most Grenadians.
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| Date | Name in Spanish | Local name |
|---|---|---|
| 7 February | Independence Day | Independence Day |
Sports
The most popular sports among Grenadians are cricket (a legacy of British rule over the islands) and soccer. In December 2010, the Grenada national football team was ranked 139th in the FIFA world ranking. Grenada has participated in the Summer Olympics since the 1984 edition in Los Angeles, obtaining its first medal Olympian with the victory of Kirani James in the 400 meter dash in London 2012.
Multiple Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has his father's roots on the island.
Cricket
As in other Caribbean islands that were British colonies, cricket is the national and most popular sport and forms an intrinsic part of Granada culture. The Grenada national cricket team is part of the Windward Islands cricket team in regional domestic cricket, although it plays as an independent entity in minor regional matches, as well as having previously played Twenty20 cricket at Stanford 20/20.
The Grenada National Cricket Stadium in St. George's hosts national and international cricket matches. Devon Smith, a record holder for the West Indies by winning the List A national competition for the second time, was born in the small town of Hermitage.
In April 2007, Grenada hosted (along with other Caribbean nations) the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The island's prime minister was CARICOM's cricket representative and was instrumental in getting the Cup matches World Cup were brought to the region. Following Hurricane Ivan, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) donated the funds for the construction of the new US$40 million national stadium, and provided the help of more than 300 workers to build and repair it. During the ceremony Inauguration ceremony, the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) anthem was accidentally played instead of the PRC anthem, leading to the dismissal of senior officials.
Football
Grenada has never qualified for the World Cup, but has placed second in the Caribbean Cup in 1989 and 2008. Their second place finish in the 2008 Caribbean Cup gave Grenada its first qualification for a major international competition, which was the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The Granada Football Association (GFA) is the governing body for football in Granada. He oversees the Grenada national soccer team.
For club football, it oversees the GFA First Division, GFA First Division and GFA Second Division. He also oversees Grenada's top football competition, the GFA Super Knockout Cup.
The GFA Premier League is the main football league in Grenada. It was created in 1983 and is run by the Granada Football Association. 10 teams participate in this league.
The 10th-ranked player is relegated to the Primera División de Granada, while the 9th-ranked player plays a tie with the 2nd-ranked player from the second tier.
Despite being a league competition in CONCACAF, none of the Granada teams have ever played in the CFU Club Championship or the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Some of the matches are played at the National Stadium in Granada, with a capacity for 9,000 spectators. In 2014, the match between PetroCaribe Queens Park Rangers and Nixon's Electrical Happy Hill FC was the first live broadcast of a Premier Division match.