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 Soufrière volcano at 1,234 m (4,049 ft.).

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

EconomyAgriculture, 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.