Saint Vincent And The Grenadines

Overview

While the English were the first to lay claim to St. Vincent in 1627, the French would be the first European settlers on the island when they established their first colony at Barrouallie on the Leeward side of St. Vincent shortly before 1700. Carib Indians aggressively prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. African slaves, whether shipwrecked or escaped from St. Lucia or Grenada and seeking refuge in St. Vincent, intermarried with the Caribs. St. Vincent was ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763, restored to French rule in 1779 and regained by the British under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783.

Slavery was abolished in 1834; the resulting labour shortages on the plantations attracted Portuguese immigrants in the 1840s and east Indians in the 1860s. From 1763 until independence, St. Vincent passed through various stages of colonial status under the British and it was granted associate statehood status on October 27, 1969, giving it complete control over its internal affairs. Following a referendum in 1979, St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain full independence.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , sometimes known simply as Saint Vincent , is an archipelagic country in the eastern Caribbean . It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles , which lie in the West Indies , at the southern end of the eastern border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean . To the north lies Saint Lucia , to the east is Barbados and Grenada lies to the south.

Spanning a land area of 389 km 2 (150 sq mi), most of its territory consists of the northernmost island of Saint Vincent , which includes the capital and largest city, Kingstown . To the south lie the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines , a chain of 32 smaller islands; the remaining southern third make up Grenada. Seven of the islands are inhabited, of which the largest and most populous are Bequia , Mustique , Canouan and Union Island .

Saint Vincent is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , CARICOM , the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas , and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

Planning your route

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Sights and landscapes

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies to the west of Barbados , south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles , an island arc of the Caribbean Sea . The islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines include the main island of Saint Vincent (344 km 2 (133 sq mi)) and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines (45 km 2 (17 sq mi) in total), which are a chain of smaller islands stretching south from Saint Vincent to Grenada.

There are 32 islands and cays that make up St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Nine are inhabited, including the mainland St Vincent and the Grenadines islands: Young Island, Bequia , Mustique , Canouan , Union Island , Mayreau , Petit St Vincent and Palm Island. Prominent uninhabited islands of the Grenadines include Petit Nevis , used by whalers , and Petit Mustique , which was the centre of a prominent real-estate scam in the early 2000s.

The capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown , Saint Vincent. The main island of Saint Vincent measures 26 km (16 mi) long, 15 km (9.3 mi) in width and 344 km 2 (133 sq mi) in area. From the most northern to the most southern points, the Grenadine islands belonging to Saint Vincent span 60.4 km (37.5 mi), with a combined area of 45 km 2 (17 sq mi).

The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic and heavily forested and includes little level ground. The windward side of the island is very rocky and steep, while the leeward side has more sandy beaches and bays. Saint Vincent's highest peak is La Soufrière volcano at 1,234 m (4,049 ft). Other major mountains on St Vincent are (from north to south) Richmond Peak, Mount Brisbane , Colonarie Mountain, Grand Bonhomme , Petit Bonhomme and Mount St Andrew.

Culture and food

Saint Vincent has twelve FM radio stations: 88.9 Adoration Fm, 89.1 Jem Radio, 89.7 NBC Radio, 95.7 and 105.7 Praise FM , 96.7 Nice Radio, 97.1 Hot 97, 98.3 Star FM, 99.9 We FM, 103.7 Hitz, 102.7 EZee radio, 104.3 Xtreme FM and 106.9 Boom FM. There are several Internet radio stations including Chronicles Christian Radio. It has one television broadcast station ZBG-TV (SVGTV) and one cable television provider.

Cricket , association football , and athletics are most popular among men whereas netball is most popular among women. Basketball, volleyball, rugby and tennis are also very popular.

Background

Saint Vincent was first inhabited by Indigenous people from South America around 5000 B.C. They were succeeded by the Arawaks around the 3rd century A.D., who were later displaced by the Kalinago in the 14th century. The Kalinago named the island Youloumain.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.