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ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
Official name: St Vincent and the Grenadines
Location: Caribbean
International organisations: The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, The Commonwealth of Nations,
The Organisation of American States, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation.
Borders: None
Coastline: Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea
Land area: 389 Km2
Population: 120,000
Ethnicity: About two-thirds of the population is of Black African descent, while most of the rest is of
mixed African, European and Indian descent. There are small Indian, Amerindian and European minorities.
Languages: English is the official language and is generally understood. Most of the
population speak a French creole.
Religion: The great majority of the population are Christians (Protestant 85%, Catholic 15%). There is a small
Hindu minority.
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Form of government: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. St Vincent and the Grenadines is
divided into six parishes.
Capital: Kingstown
Constitution: The
Constitution of St Vincent and the Grenadines came into effect on 27 October 1979.
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of St Vincent and the Grenadines. The Queen came to the British
throne on 6 February 1952, and has held the title Queen of St Vincent and the Grenadines since 27 October 1979.
The Queen's functions in St Vincent and the Grenadines are excercised by a Governor-General, appointed by the
Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The current Governor-General,
Sir Frederick Ballantyne, took office on 2 september 2002.
Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the Governor-General. The Prime Minister is the
leader of the largest party in the legislature and is accountable to it.
Legislature: St Vincent and the Grenadines has a unicameral legislature, the House of Assembly. The House of
Assembly has 21 members, 15 elected for five-year terms from single-member constituencies and six appointed members.
Electoral authority: The Electoral and Boundaries Commission conducts national elections.
Freedom House rating:
Political Rights 2, Civil Liberties 1
Political history
St Vincent was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1498 and claimed for Spain, but the Spanish did not settle
the island and in 1763 it was occupied by the British. It was captured by the French in 1779, but retaken in 1783.
In 1833 it became part of the British colony of the Windward Islands. Constitutional development began after
World War II, and internal self-government was granted in 1956. The islands became part of the Federation of the
West Indies in 1958, but when the federation broke up in 1962 it resumed its path towards independence. It
became a self-governing Associated State in 1969 and fully independent in October 1979.
Politics in St Vincent and the Grenadines are dominated by the moderately social democratic United Labour
Party and the conservative New Democratic Party. Under Milton Cato Labour was in power from independence until
1984, when it was defeated by the NDP under James Mitchell. The 1998 general election was bitterly disputed, but the
NDP eventually retained power. In March 2001 the ULP returned to power under Ralph Gonslaves.
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