St.

Vincent and Grenadines

History:
Origin: Is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, in the southern
portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the
eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the
Atlantic Ocean. The island now known as Saint Vincent was originally
named Youloumain by the native Caribs who called themselves
Kalina/Carina ("l" and "r" being pronounced the same in their tongue).
The Caribs aggressively prevented European settlement on Saint
Vincent until 1719. Prior to this, formerly enslaved Africans, who had
either been shipwrecked or who had escaped from Barbados, Saint
Lucia and Grenada and sought refuge in mainland Saint Vincent,
intermarried with the Caribs and became known as Black Caribs or
Garifuna. Beginning in 1719, French settlers from Martinique gained
control of the island and began cultivating coffee, tobacco, indigo,
cotton, and sugar on plantations. These plantations were worked by
enslaved Africans. In 1763 by the Treaty of Paris, France ceded control
of Saint Vincent to Britain, which began a program of colonial
plantation development that was resisted by the Caribs. France
captured the island in 1779, but the British regained Saint Vincent
under the Treaty of Versailles (1783). This treaty was an ancillary treaty
to the Treaty of Paris (1783), through which Great Britain officially
recognized the end of the American Revolutionary War.
Independence: Associated States 27 October 1969 from the United
Kingdom 27 October 1979.




Civilization, Art and Culture

Languages: While the official language is English most Vincentians
speak Vincentian Creole. English is used in education, government,
religion, and other formal domains, while Creole (or dialect as it is
referred to locally) is used in informal situations such as in the home
and among friends.

Music: Music popular in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines includes
big drum, calypso, soca, steelpan and reggae. String band music,
quadrille and bele music and traditional storytelling are also popular.
One of the most successful St. Vincent natives is Kevin Lyttle. He was
named Cultural Ambassador for the Island September 19, 2013.

Religion: Their Religion Christianity is an important part of most
Vincentians lives. The largest segment of the population is Methodist,
followed by other Protestant religions, plus a small Roman Catholic
population.
Geography

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 km2
(133 sq. mi) and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines 45 km2 (17
sq. mi), which are a chain of small islands stretching south from Saint
Vincent to Grenada.
The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic 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.[citation needed] The
country's highest peak is La Soufrire volcano at 1,234 m (4,049 ft.).

Climate: Tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season
(May to November).

Economy
Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important
sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector,
based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The
government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new
industries, and the unemployment rate remains high at 19.8% in the
1991 census to 15% in 2001. The continuing dependence on a single
crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands' development as
tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in many years.
The tourism sector has considerable potential for development. The
recent filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on the island has
helped to expose the country to more potential visitors and investors.
Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the
construction sector and an improvement in tourism.

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD).
Main Products: Coffee, tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar on
plantations.

Education: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a signatory to
initiatives for promoting equity and equality in education. These include
the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990) which emphasizes that
basic right of every child to an equal opportunity to primary education;
the Education for All Dakar Framework for Action 2000 which states
that the schools should accommodate all children regardless of their
physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions.
Demography: it is about 120,000 people.
Main Sports: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has its own Football
league, the NLA Premier League, and also a national (association)
football team. A notable Vincentian footballer is Ezra Hendrickson,
former national team captain who played at several Major League
Soccer clubs in the United States and is now an assistant coach with the
Seattle Sounders FC. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also has its own
national rugby union team which is ranked 84th in the world. In
addition, netball is a major local sport and comprises women only.
Other notable sports played at the regional level are track and field and
tennis.