Grenada
Bureau of Western Hemisphere
Affairs
June
2007
Background Note:
Grenada
Flag of Grenada is 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.
2004.
PROFILE
OFFICIAL
NAME:
Grenada
Geography
Area: 344 sq. km. (133 sq. mi.); about twice the size of Washington,
DC. Cities: Capital--St. George's (est. pop.
33,734).
Terrain: Three volcanic islands (Grenada and the smaller islands of
Carriacou and Petit Martinique) with mountainous
rainforest.
Climate:
Tropical.
People
Nationality: Noun and
adjective--Grenadian(s).
Population (2005 est.):
110,000.
Annual growth rate (2006):
0.8%.
Ethnic groups: African descent (82%), some South Asians (East
Indians) and Europeans, trace Arawak/Carib
Indian.
Religions: Roman Catholic, various Protestant denominations,
Islam,
Rastafarianism.
Languages: English
(official).
Education: Years compulsory--10 grades or age 16. Literacy--95% of
adult
population.
Health (2005): Infant mortality rate--17/1,000. Life expectancy--men
63.1 years; women 66.7
years.
Work force (2006):
48,000.
Unemployment (2005):
18%.
Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within
the
Commonwealth.
Independence: February 7,
1974.
Constitution: December 19,
1975.
Branches: Executive--governor general (representing Queen Elizabeth
II, head of state), prime minister (head of government),
cabinet.
Legislative--bicameral parliament. Judicial--magistrates' courts,
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (high court and
court of appeals), final appeal to Privy Council in
London.
Subdivisions: Six parishes and two dependencies (Carriacou and
Petit
Martinique).
Major political parties: New National Party (NNP), majority;
National Democratic
Congress (NDC); Grenada United Labor Party
(GULP).
Suffrage: Universal at
18.
Economy
GDP (2006): $408.1
million.
GDP growth rate (2006):
2.1%.
Per capita GDP (2006):
$3,854.
Inflation (2005):
3.0%.
Agriculture: Nutmeg, cocoa, bananas, other fruits, vegetables, mace,
and
fish.
Services: Tourism and
education.
Construction: Housing development and tourism
renovations.
Trade (2005): Exports--$39 million (merchandise) and $126
(commercial services).
Major markets--European Union (39.4%), United States
(23.3%), Saint Lucia (6.3%), Saint Kitts and
Nevis (5.2%), and Barbados (4.6%).
Imports--$319 million (merchandise) and $93 million (commercial
services). Major suppliers--United States (42.6%),
Trinidad and Tobago (18.9%), European Union (12.2%), Japan (4.9%), and
Barbados
(3.3%).
Official exchange rate: EC$2.70 = U.S.
$1.
Total debt outstanding and disbursed (2005): $437
million.
PEOPLE
Most of Grenada's population is of African descent. A few East
Indians and a small community of the descendants of early European
settlers reside in Grenada. About 50%
of Grenada's population is under the age of 30. English is the
official language; only a few people still speak French patois. A
more significant reminder of Grenada's historical link
with France is the strength of the Roman Catholic Church, to which
about 60% of Grenadians belong.
HISTORY
Before the arrival of Europeans, Carib Indians had driven the more
peaceful Arawaks from the island. Columbus landed on Grenada in
1498 during his third voyage to the new world. He named the island
"Concepcion." The origin of the name "Grenada" is obscure, but it is
likely that Spanish sailors renamed the island for the city of
Granada. By the beginning of the 18th century, the
name "Grenada," or "la Grenade" in French, was in common
use.
Partly because of the Caribs, Grenada remained un-colonized for more
than 100 years after its discovery; early English efforts to settle
the island were unsuccessful. In 1650, a French company
founded by Cardinal Richelieu
purchased Grenada from the English and established a small
settlement. After several skirmishes with the Caribs, the French
brought in reinforcements from Martinique and defeated the
Caribs.
The island remained under French control until its capture by the
British in 1762, during the Seven Years' War. The Treaty of Paris
formally ceded Grenada to Great Britain in 1763. Although the French
regained control in 1779, the Treaty of Versailles restored the
island to Britain in 1783. Britain overcame a pro-French revolt in
1795, and Grenada remained British for the remainder of the
colonial
period.
During the 18th century, Grenada's economy underwent an important
transition. Like much of the rest of the West Indies it was originally
settled to cultivate sugar,
which was grown on estates using slave labor. But natural
disasters paved the way for the introduction of other crops. In 1782,
Sir Joseph Banks, the botanical adviser to King
George III, introduced nutmeg to Grenada. The island's soil was ideal
for growing the spice, and because
Grenada was a closer source of spices for Europe than the Dutch East
Indies the island assumed a new importance to European
traders.
The collapse of the sugar estates and the introduction of nutmeg and
cocoa encouraged the development of smaller landholdings,
and the island developed a land-owning yeoman farmer class. Slavery
was outlawed in 1834. In 1833, Grenada became part
of the British Windward Islands Administration.
The governor of the Windward Islands
administered the island for the rest of the colonial period. In 1958,
the Windward Islands Administration was dissolved, and Grenada joined
the Federation of the West Indies. After that federation
collapsed in 1962, the British Government tried to form a small
federation out of its remaining dependencies in the
Eastern
Caribbean.
Following the failure of this second effort, the British and the
islands developed the concept of associated
statehood. Under the Associated Statehood Act of 1967, Grenada was
granted full autonomy over its internal affairs in March 1967.
Full independence was granted on February 7,
1974.
After obtaining independence, Grenada adopted a modified
Westminster
parliamentary system based on the British model, with a governor
general appointed by and representing the
British monarch (head of state) and a prime minister who is both
leader of the majority party and the head of government. Sir Eric
Gairy was Grenada's first Prime
Minister.
On March 13, 1979, the New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education,
and Liberation Movement
(New Jewel Movement--NJM), ousted Gairy in a coup and
established a People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) headed by
Maurice Bishop, who became Prime
Minister. His Marxist-Leninist
government
established close ties with Cuba, the Soviet Union, and other
communist bloc
countries.
In October 1983, a power struggle within the government resulted in
the arrest and execution of Bishop and
several members of his cabinet and the killing of
dozens of his supporters by elements of the People's Revolutionary
Army
(PRA).
A U.S.-Caribbean force landed on Grenada on October 25, 1983, in
response to an appeal from the Governor General and to a request for
assistance from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. U.S.
citizens were evacuated, and order was
restored.
An advisory council named by the Governor General administered the
country until general elections were held in December
1984. The New National Party (NNP) led by Herbert Blaize
won 14 out of 15 seats in free and fair elections and formed a
democratic government. Grenada's constitution had been suspended in
1979 by the PRG, but it was restored after the 1984
elections.
The NNP continued in power until 1989 but with a reduced majority.
Five NNP parliamentary members, including two cabinet
ministers, left the party in 1986-87 and formed the
National Democratic Congress (NDC), which became the official
opposition.
In August 1989, Prime Minister Blaize broke with the NNP to form
another new party, The National Party (TNP), from the ranks of the
NNP. This split in the NNP resulted in the formation of a minority
government until constitutionally scheduled elections in March 1990.
Prime Minister Blaize died in December 1989 and was
succeeded as Prime Minister by Ben Jones until the elections.
The NDC emerged from the 1990 elections as the strongest party,
winning seven of the 15 available seats. Nicholas Brathwaite added two
TNP members and one member of the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP)
to create a 10-seat majority coalition. The Governor General
appointed him to be Prime
Minister.
In parliamentary elections on June 20, 1995, the NNP won eight seats
and formed a government headed by Keith
Mitchell. The NNP maintained and affirmed its hold on power when it
took all 15 parliamentary seats in the January 1999
elections.
General elections were held in November 2003; the NNP won 8 of the 15
seats, holding on to power with a much-reduced majority. The National
Democratic Congress (NDC) led by Tillman Thomas won
7 seats and is now the official
opposition.
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL
CONDITIONS
Grenada is governed under a parliamentary system based on the British
model; it has a governor general, a prime minister and a cabinet, and
a bicameral parliament with an elected House of
Representatives and an appointed Senate.
Citizens enjoy a wide range of civil and political rights guaranteed
by the constitution. Grenada's constitution provides citizens
with the right to change their government
peacefully. Citizens exercise this right through
periodic free and fair elections held on the basis of universal
suffrage.
The political parties in Grenada are the New National Party (NNP),
which remains moderate; the National
Democratic Congress (NDC), which is now made up of some members
of the New Jewel Movement (NJM) and the original NDC; the People's
Labor Movement (PLM), which is a combination of members of
the original NDC and the Maurice Bishop
Patriotic Movement (MBPM); and the
Grenada United Labor Party (GULP). The National Party (TNP) and MBPM
no longer
exist.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), launched in 2001
to
investigate the period between the mid-1970s and the late 1980s, sent
its report to the government in May 2006. The
long-awaited (and two years
overdue) report was only released to the public in mid-September 2006,
when the government announced it would implement the TRC's
recommendations. However, the
government was vague on the details of how or when
the
recommendations would be implemented and called for additional public input.
There has been no further
progress.
In February 2007, the Privy Council in London handed down its verdict
on the appeal of the group that was convicted of murdering Prime
Minister Bishop and members of his cabinet in 1983. The "Group of 14"
were originally condemned to death, but the sentence was
commuted to life in prison. The
three triggermen,
sentenced to 30 years in prison as they were following orders,
were released in December 2006 after serving two-thirds of their
original sentence, as per local law. The remainder
of the group argued that the
original trial was unjust and appealed to the Privy Council to overturn
the verdict and sentence. The Privy Council decision, however,
only vacated the sentence, on the grounds that the death
sentence was inappropriate. It upheld the convictions of multiple
homicides, stripping the group of its political prisoner
status. The case was returned to the Grenada Supreme Court
for resentencing. Although a date has
been requested, the case has not yet made it onto the court's
calendar.
The 800 members of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF), which
includes an 80-member paramilitary special services unit (SSU)
and a 30-member coast guard, maintain
security in Grenada. The U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard
provide periodic training and material support for the SSU and the
coast guard. The Departments of State and
Treasury provide support to the Financial Investigative Unit
(FIU).
Principal Government
Officials
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth
II
Governor General--Sir Daniel C. Williams, G.C.M.G.,
Q.C.
Prime Minister--Dr. Keith C.
Mitchell
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Elvin
Nimrod
Ambassador to the United States and OAS--Denis G.
Antoine
Ambassador to the United Nations--Angus
Friday
Grenada maintains an embassy in the United States at 1701 New
Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
20009 (tel:
202-265-2561).
ECONOMY
The economy of Grenada, based primarily upon services (tourism and
education) and agricultural production (nutmeg and cocoa), was brought
to a near standstill by
Hurricane Ivan on September 7, 2004. Thirty-seven people were
killed by the hurricane, and approximately 8,000-10,000 left
homeless. Hurricane Ivan damaged
or destroyed 90% of the buildings on the island,
including some tourist facilities. Overall damage totaled as much as
2.5 times annual GDP. Reconstruction has
proceeded quickly, but much work
remains. The United States has been the leading donor since the
hurricane, with an emergency program of about $45 million
aimed at repairing and
rebuilding schools, health clinics, community centers, and housing; training
several thousand Grenadians in construction and other fields;
providing grants to private businesses
to speed their recovery; and providing a variety of aid to help
Grenada diversify its agriculture and tourism
sectors.
Despite initial high unemployment in the tourist and other sectors,
urban Grenadians have benefited post-hurricane from
job opportunities in the surging
construction sector. Agricultural workers have not fared as
well. Hurricane Ivan destroyed or significantly
damaged a large percentage of Grenada's
tree crops, and Hurricane Emily further damaged the
sector. Complete recovery
will take years. However, many hotels, restaurants, and
other businesses have reopened. In anticipation of Cricket World Cup
matches held on the island in the spring of 2007, many Grenadians
renewed their focus on the rebuilding process. Predictions are for an
increase in tourism, although
Grenada lags behind its neighbors in marketing the island overseas.
St. George's University, a large American medical and veterinary school with
over 2,000 students, is in full
operation.
Grenada is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).
The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
(ECCB) issues a common currency for all
members of the ECCU. The ECCB also manages monetary policy, and
regulates and supervises commercial banking activities in its member
countries.
Grenada is also a member of the Caribbean Community and Common
Market (CARICOM). Most
goods can be imported into Grenada under open
general license, but some
goods require specific licenses. Goods that are produced in the
Eastern Caribbean receive additional protection; in May 1991, the
CARICOM common external tariff (CET) was implemented. The CET aims to
facilitate economic growth through
intra-regional trade by offering duty-free trade
among CARICOM members and duties on goods imported from outside
CARICOM.
FOREIGN
RELATIONS
The United States, China, Cuba, and Venezuela have embassies in
Grenada. In 2006, the United Kingdom's High Commissioner's
office in Barbados took over responsibility for Grenada,
maintaining only a staff in Grenada. Grenada has been recognized by
most members of the United Nations and
maintains
diplomatic missions in the United States, Canada, China, Cuba,
Belgium, United Kingdom and
Venezuela.
Grenada is a member of the Caribbean Development Bank, CARICOM,
the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Commonwealth of
Nations, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It joined the United
Nations in 1974, and then the World Bank, International Monetary Fund,
and Organization of American States (OAS) in 1975.
Grenada also is a member of the Eastern
Caribbean's Regional Security System
(RSS).
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) played a major
role in Grenada's development. In addition to the $45 million
emergency aid for reconstruction from
Hurricane Ivan, USAID provided more than $120 million in economic
assistance from 1984 to 1993. About 25 Peace Corps volunteers
in Grenada teach special education, remedial
reading, and vocational training and assist with HIV/AIDS
work. Grenada receives counter-narcotics assistance from the United
States and benefits from U.S. military
exercise-related construction and
humanitarian civic action
projects.
Grenada and the United States cooperate closely in fighting
narcotics smuggling and
other forms of transnational crime. In 1995, the United States and
Grenada signed a maritime law enforcement treaty. In 1996, they signed a
mutual legal assistance treaty and an extradition treaty as well as
an over-flight/order-to-land
amendment to the maritime law enforcement treaty. The United
States continues to provide training, equipment, and materiel,
including three vehicles in 2006, to Grenadian security and defense
forces. Some U.S. military training is provided as
well.
Grenada continues to be a popular destination for Americans. Of the
98,548 stayover visitors in 2005, 25,181 were U.S.
citizens. It is estimated that some 2,600 Americans
reside in the country, plus the 2,000 U.S. medical
students who study at the St. George's University School of Medicine.
(Those students are not counted as residents for statistical
purposes.)
The U.S. Embassy in Grenada is located on the Lance-aux-Epines Main
Road, St. George's, Grenada; tel: 1-(473)-444-1173/4/5/6/7; fax:
1-(473)-444-4820, e-mail: usemb_gd@caribsurf.com
The mailing address is P.O. Box 54, St. George's, Grenada, West
Indies.
Other Contact
Information
U.S. Department of
Commerce
International Trade
Administration
Trade Information
Center
14th and Constitution,
NW
Washington, DC
20230
Tel:
1-800-USA-TRADE
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS
INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program advises
Americans traveling and residing abroad through Consular Information
Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry and exit requirements, currency
regulations, health conditions, safety and security, crime,
political disturbances, and
the addresses of the U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. Public
Announcements are issued to disseminate information quickly
about terrorist threats and other relatively
short-term conditions overseas that pose significant
risks to the security of American travelers. Travel Warnings are
issued when the State Department recommends that Americans avoid travel
to a certain country because the situation is dangerous or
unstable.
For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling
abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau
of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://www.travel.state.gov, where the
current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings
can be found. Consular Affairs Publications,
which contain information on obtaining passports and planning a safe
trip abroad, are also available at http://www.travel.state.gov.
For additional information on international
travel, see http://www.usa.gov/
Citizen/Topics/Travel/International.shtml.
The Department of State encourages all U.S citizens who traveling or
residing abroad to register via the State Department's travel
registration website or at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
abroad. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in
case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency and will
enable you to receive up-to-date information on security
conditions.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be
obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and
Canada or the regular toll line 1-202-501-4444 for
callers outside the U.S. and
Canada.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) is the U.S.
Department of State's single, centralized public
contact center for U.S.
passport
information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778). Customer
service representatives and operators for TDD/TTY
are available Monday-Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight,
Eastern Time, excluding federal
holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.
A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm
give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations
or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for
regions and countries. A booklet entitled "Health
Information for International Travel"
(HHS
publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202)
512-1800.
Further Electronic
Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at
http:// www.state.gov, the Department of State web
site provides timely, global access to
official U.S. foreign policy information, including
Background Notes and daily press briefings
along with the directory of key officers of Foreign Service
posts and more. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) provides
security information and regional news that impact U.S. companies
working abroad through its website http://www.osac.gov
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related assistance and
market information offered by the federal
government and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help
with the export process, and
more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department of Commerce,
provides authoritative economic, business, and
international trade information from the Federal
government. The site includes current and
historical
trade-related releases, international market research, trade
opportunities, and country analysis and provides access to the
National Trade Data Bank.
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Grenada
