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Background:
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Disputed
between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th
century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783.
Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.
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Location:
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Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North
Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 15 N,
61 12 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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twice the
size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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84 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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tropical;
little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May
to November) |
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Terrain:
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volcanic,
mountainous |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower, cropland |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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10 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint
Vincent is a constant threat |
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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People |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Population:
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117,534
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 27.1% (male 16,208/female 15,621)
15-64 years: 66.5% (male 40,287/female 37,883)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,280/female 4,255)
(2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
26.36 years
male: 26.21 years
female: 26.53 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.27%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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16.34
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-7.61
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
14.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 73.62 years
male: 71.78 years
female: 75.51 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.85
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black
66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%,
other 7% |
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Religions:
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Anglican
47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu,
Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant |
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Languages:
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English,
French patois |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96%
male: 96%
female: 96% (1970 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines |
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state
within the Commonwealth |
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Capital:
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Kingstown
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Administrative divisions:
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6
parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint
David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |
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Independence:
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27
October 1979 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |
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Constitution:
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27
October 1979 |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick
Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E.
GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the
governor general is appointed by the monarch; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party
is usually appointed prime minister by the governor
general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected
representatives and 6 appointed senators;
representatives are elected by popular vote from
single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be
held by July 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern
Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge
of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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National
Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party
or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement
or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP
[leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian
SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES]
(formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or
SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C,
Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
consulate(s) general: New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited
to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Flag description:
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three
vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double
width), and green; the gold band bears three green
diamonds arranged in a V pattern |
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Economy |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Economy - overview:
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Economic
growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon
seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism
sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions
of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the
Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11
September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a small
offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt
international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is
also a large producer of marijuana and is being used as
a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South
America. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$342
million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.7%
(2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 10%
industry: 26%
services: 64% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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67,000
(1984 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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15% (2001
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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-0.4%
(2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas,
coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices, small numbers of
cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, fish |
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Industries:
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food
processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-0.9%
(1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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91.2
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 69.3%
hydro: 30.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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84.82
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1,250
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$38
million (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas
39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis
racquets |
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Exports - partners:
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UK 33.5%,
Barbados 13.1%, Saint Lucia 11.5%, Trinidad and Tobago
9.9%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.3%, US 5.3%, Grenada 5.3%,
Dominica 4.1% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$174
million (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and
fertilizers, minerals and fuels |
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Imports - partners:
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US 37.5%,
Trinidad and Tobago 21.3%, UK 10.5% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$167.2
million (2000) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$47.5
million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998) |
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Currency (code):
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East
Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Currency code:
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XCD |
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Exchange rates:
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East
Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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27,300
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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10,000
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone
system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the
other islands of the Grenadines
international: country code - 1-784; VHF/UHF
radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF
radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to
Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM
6, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Radios:
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77,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (plus
three repeaters) (2004) |
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Televisions:
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18,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.vc |
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Internet hosts:
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4 (2003)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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15 (2000)
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Internet users:
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7,000
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
829 km
paved: 580 km
unpaved: 249 km (2002) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Kingstown
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Merchant marine:
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total:
657 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,967,418 GRT/9,041,023
DWT
by type: bulk carrier 112, cargo 366, chemical
tanker 18, combination ore/oil 1, container 24,
liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 6, passenger 5,
passenger/cargo 19, petroleum tanker 29, refrigerated
cargo 48, roll on/roll off 22, specialized tanker 2,
vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 554 (Australia 2, Bangladesh 5,
Barbados 1, Belgium 1, British 5, Bulgaria 17, China
115, Congo 1, Croatia 7, Cuba 1, Czech Republic 1,
Denmark 12, Egypt 2, Estonia 19, France 12, Germany 8,
Greece 99, Guyana 3, Hong Kong 10, Iceland 11, India 6,
Iran 1, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Italy 18, Kenya 4, Latvia
9, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 3, Monaco 4, Netherlands 7,
Nigeria 3, Norway 19, Pakistan 4, Poland 1, Puerto Rico
1, Romania 1, Russia 20, Saudi Arabia 3, Serbia &
Montenegro 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 6, South Korea 3,
Spain 2, Sweden 1, Switzerland 7, Syria 6, Trinidad &
Tobago 1, Tunisia 2, Turkey 16, Ukraine 6, UAE 21,
United Kingdom 10, United States 24) (2005) |
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Airports:
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6 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
5
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
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Military branches:
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no
regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit),
Coast Guard |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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joins
other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that
Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under
UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its
EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the
Caribbean Sea |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for South American drugs destined
for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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