nt and the Grenadines was a
separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies.
Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geography Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Location:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic
Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:
13 15 N, 61 12 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
84 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

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

Terrain:
volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, cropland

Land use:
arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:
10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a
constant threat

Environment - current issues:
pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by
pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is
severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is
divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays

People Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Population:
117,848 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,007/female 15,426)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 40,676/female 38,155)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,315/female 4,269) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.9 years
male: 26.7 years
female: 27.1 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.26% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
16.18 births/1,0