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 Grenada| Facts & Figures |
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| Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II
(1952) Governor-General: Sir Daniel Williams
(1996) Prime Minister: Tillman Thomas
(2008) Land area: 131 sq mi (339 sq km) Population (2009 est.): 90,739 (growth
rate 0.4%); birth rate: 21.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 13.23/1000;
life expectancy: 65.9; density per sq km: 262
Capital and largest city (2003 est.):
St. George's, 4,300 Monetary unit: East Caribbean
dollar More Facts & Figures |
GeographyGrenada (the first “a” is a long
vowel) is the most southerly of the Windward Islands, about 100 mi (161
km) from the Venezuelan coast. It is a volcanic island traversed by a
mountain range, the highest peak of which is Mount St. Catherine (2,756
ft; 840 m).
GovernmentConstitutional monarchy. A governor-general
represents the sovereign, Elizabeth II.
HistoryThe Arawak Indians were the first to inhabit
Grenada, but they were all eventually massacred by the Carib Indians. When
Columbus arrived in 1498, he encountered the Caribs, who continued to rule
over the island for another 150 years. The French gained control of the
island in 1672 and held on to it until 1762, when the British invaded.
Black slaves were granted freedom in 1833. After more than 200 years of
British rule, most recently as part of the West Indies Associated States,
Grenada became independent on Feb. 7, 1974, with Eric M. Gairy as prime
minister.
In 1979, the Marxist New Jewel Movement staged a
coup, and its leader, Maurice Bishop, became prime minister. Bishop, a
protégé of Cuba's President Castro, was killed in a military
coup on Oct. 19, 1983.
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