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Furthermore, United States government military strategists feared that Soviet use of the island would enable the Soviet Union to project tactical power over the entire Caribbean region. U.S. citizens were evacuated, and constitutional government was resumed. The United States gave $48.4 million in economic assistance to Grenada in 1984.
Grenada. Plus trace of Arawak / Carib. Grenada (/ ɡrəˈneɪdə / ⓘ grə-NAY-də; Grenadian Creole French: Gwenad, [ɡweˈnad]) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about 100 miles (160 km) north of ...
Summary. Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974 and the United States recognized it that same year. The United States maintained diplomatic relations with Grenada through the 1983 joint American and Organization of Eastern Caribbean States military invasion of the island nation following the assassination of Grenada’s Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.
- Overview
- Relief
- Drainage and soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
- People
- Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
- Manufacturing, services, and trade
Grenada, island country of the West Indies. It is the southernmost island of the north-south arc of the Lesser Antilles, lying in the eastern Caribbean Sea about 100 miles (160 km) north of the coast of Venezuela. Oval in shape, the island is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. The southern Grenadines—the largest of which is Carriacou, about 20 miles (32 km) north-northeast, with an area of 13 square miles (34 square km)—are a dependency.
The capital, St. George’s, on the southwest coast, is also the main port, having a fine natural harbour, and its picturesque pastel-coloured houses rise up the hillsides from the waterfront. The waterfront itself is known as the Carenage because island schooners were once careened (beached for cleaning or repair) there. St. George’s is the yachting and charter-boat centre of the eastern Caribbean.
Grenada is volcanic in origin, with a ridge of mountains running north and south—the steeper slopes to the west and a more gradual incline to the east and southeast. The highest point is Mount St. Catherine (2,757 feet [840 metres]) in the northern part of the interior. The landscape is scenic, with fairly deep steep-sided valleys and about 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of forest.
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Several short, swiftly flowing streams supply all towns and most villages with piped clean water. A further source of water is Grand Etang, a lake covering 36 acres in the crater of an extinct volcano at an elevation of 1,740 feet (530 metres). The fertile soils are chiefly volcanic, with some limestone in the north.
The island has equable temperatures, varying with altitude and averaging 82 °F (28 °C). Rainfall is adequate, except in the Point Salines area in the southwest; it varies from an average of 60 inches (1,500 mm) in coastal districts to more than 150 inches (3810 mm) in the mountainous regions. The rainy season lasts from June to December. November is the wettest month, but showers occur frequently during the other months. Grenada lies south of the usual track of hurricanes, but when they do occur, as in 1955, 1979, and 1980, they often cause extensive damage.
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The island is verdant, with a year-round growing season and a wide variety of tropical fruits, flowering shrubs, and ferns. There are also forests of teak, mahogany, saman (known as the rain tree), and blue mahoe (a strong-fibred tree) in the interior.
The animal life is varied and includes such wild animals as the mona monkey (a small, long-tailed, West African species that was introduced by slaves), the manicou (a species of opossum), the agouti (a rabbit-sized rodent, which is brown or grizzled in colour), the iguana, the mongoose, and a variety of turtles and land crabs.
Most of the population is black, having descended from African slaves, and there is a large minority of mulattoes and other mixtures. There are also small minorities of East Indians, descendants of indentured labourers brought to replace the freed slaves; descendants of the old French and British settlers; and more-recent immigrants from North Amer...
Agriculture and tourism are the most important sectors of the economy, although fishing and agriculturally based industries are becoming more significant. Grenada relies on financial support from the United Kingdom and other sources to bolster the economy.
To a greater extent than in most West Indian islands, Grenada’s arable land is divided into small holdings on which peasant proprietors cultivate diversified crops. Because of these small holdings and the generally hilly terrain, mechanical tilling is rare. The major agricultural export crops—cocoa, bananas, nutmeg, and mace—in the past were contro...
Tourism, a major factor in the island’s economy, has been encouraged by the government. Air transport facilities have been improved, and the harbour is visited by numerous cruise ships. Other sources of employment are such secondary industries as clothing manufacture, sugar milling, brewing, rum distilling (a strong white rum being made for local consumption), food canning, copra processing, cigarette manufacturing, and soapmaking. There is a cotton ginnery on Carriacou.
Grenada’s principal trading partner is the United States. Exports go largely to the United States, Germany, Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Egypt and to other Caribbean countries. Most imports come from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Barbados.
Oct 3, 2024 · The indigenous Carib people inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production.
The United States was concerned that Grenada could become a corner of a triangle also comprising Cuba and Nicaragua, both perceived as enemies of U.S. interests. Collectively, these three countries could have militarily controlled the deep water passages of the Caribbean Sea , thereby controlling the movement of oil from Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago (supplies considered vital by U.S ...
The indigenous Carib people inhabited Grenada when Christopher COLUMBUS landed on the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, and Britain took the island in 1762, establishing sugar, cacao, and then nutmeg plantations. Independence in 1974 made Grenada one of the ...
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