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| Grenada
PROFILE Official Name: Geography People Government Economy PEOPLE HISTORY Partly because of the Caribs, Grenada remained uncolonized for more than 100
years after its discovery; early English efforts to settle the island were
unsuccessful. In 1650, a French company founded by Cardinal Richelieu purchased
Grenada from the English and established a small settlement. After several
skirmishes with the Caribs, the French brought in reinforcements from Martinique
and defeated the Caribs the last of whom leaped into the sea rather than
surrender. The island remained under French control until its capture by the British in
1762, during the Seven Years' War. Grenada was formally ceded to Great Britain
in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris. Although the French regained control in 1779,
the island was restored to Britain in 1783 by the Treaty of Versailles. Although
Britain was hard pressed to overcome a pro-French revolt in 1795 Grenada
remained British for the remainder of the colonial period. During the 18th century, Grenada's economy underwent an important transition.
Like much of the rest of the West Indies it was originally settled to cultivate
sugar which was grown on estates using slave labor. But natural disasters paved
the way for the introduction of other crops. In 1782, Sir Joseph Banks, the
botanical adviser to King George III, introduced nutmeg to Grenada. The island's
soil was ideal for growing the spice and because Grenada was a closer source of
spices for Europe than the Dutch East Indies the island assumed a new importance
to European traders. The collapse of the sugar estates and the introduction of nutmeg and cocoa
encouraged the development of smaller land holdings, and the island developed a
land-owning yeoman farmer class. Slavery was outlawed in 1834. In 1833, Grenada
became part of the British Windward Islands Administration. The governor of the
Windward Islands administered the island for the rest of the colonial period. In
1958, the Windward Islands Administration was dissolved, and Grenada joined the
Federation of the West Indies. After that federation collapsed in 1962, the
British Government tried to form a small federation out of its remaining
dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean. Following the failure of this second effort, the British and the islands
developed the concept of associated statehood. Under the Associated Statehood
Act of 1967 Grenada was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs in March
1967. Full independence was granted on February 7, 1974. After obtaining independence, Grenada adopted a modified Westminster
parliamentary system based on the British model with a governor general
appointed by and representing the British monarch (head of state) and a prime
minister who is both leader of the majority party and the head of government.
Sir Eric Gairy was Grenada's first prime minister. On March 13, 1979, the new joint endeavor for welfare, education, and
liberation (New Jewel) movement ousted Gairy in a nearly bloodless coup and
established a people's revolutionary government (PRG), headed by Maurice Bishop
who became prime minister. His Marxist-Leninist government established close
ties with Cuba, the Soviet Union, and other communist bloc countries. In October 1983, a power struggle within the government resulted in the
arrest and subsequent murder of Bishop and several members of his cabinet by
elements of the people's revolutionary army. Following a breakdown in civil
order, a U.S.-Caribbean force landed on Grenada on October 25 in response to an
appeal from the governor general and to a request for assistance from the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. U.S. citizens were evacuated, and
order was restored. An advisory council named by the governor general administered the country
until general elections were held in December 1984. The New National Party (NNP)
led by Herbert Blaize won 14 out of 15 seats in free and fair elections and
formed a democratic government. Grenada's constitution had been suspended in
1979 by the PRG but it was restored after the 1984 elections. The NNP continued in power until 1989 but with a reduced majority. Five NNP
parliamentary members, including two cabinet ministers, left the party in
1986-87 and formed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which became the
official opposition. In August 1989, Prime Minister Blaize broke with the NNP to form another new
party, The National Party (TNP), from the ranks of the NNP. This split in the
NNP resulted in the formation of a minority government until constitutionally
scheduled elections in March 1990. Prime Minister Blaize died in December 1989
and was succeeded as prime minister by Ben Jones until after the elections. The NDC emerged from the 1990 elections as the strongest party, winning seven
of the 15 available seats. Nicholas Brathwaite added two TNP members and one
member of the Grenada United Labor Party (GULP) to create a 10-seat majority
coalition. The governor general appointed him to be prime minister. In parliamentary elections on June 20, 1995, the NNP won eight seats and
formed a government headed by Dr. Keith Mitchell. The NNP maintained and
affirmed its hold on power when it took all 15 parliamentary seats in the
January 1999 elections. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS Citizens enjoy a wide range of civil and political rights guaranteed by the
constitution. Grenada's constitution provides citizens with the right to change
their government peacefully. Citizens exercise this right through periodic,
free, and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. Grenada's political parties range from the moderate TNP, NNP, and NDC to the
left-of-center Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement (MBPM -- organized by the
pro-Bishop survivors of the October 1983 anti-Bishop coup) and the populist GULP
of former Prime Minister Gairy. Security in Grenada is maintained by the 650 members of the Royal Grenada
Police Force (RGPF), which included an 80-member paramilitary special services
unit (SSU) and a 30-member coast guard. The U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard
provide periodic training and material support for the SSU and the coast guard. ECONOMY Grenada is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU). The
Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) issues a common currency for all members
of the ECCU. The ECCB also manages monetary policy, and regulates and supervises
commercial banking activities in its member countries. Grenada also is a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market
(CARICOM). Most goods can be imported into Grenada under open general license
but some goods require specific licenses. Goods that are produced in the Eastern
Caribbean receive additional protection; in May 1991, the CARICOM common
external tariff (CET) was implemented. The CET aims to facilitate economic
growth through intra-regional trade by offering duty-free trade among CARICOM
members and duties on goods imported from outside CARICOM. Principal Government Officials Grenada maintains an embassy in the United States at 1701 New Hampshire
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 Tel: 202-265-2561. FOREIGN RELATIONS Grenada is a member of the Caribbean Development Bank, CARICOM, the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the Commonwealth of
Nations. It joined the United Nations in 1974, and the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of American States in 1975.
Grenada also is a member of the Eastern Caribbean's Regional Security System
(RSS). As a member of CARICOM Grenada strongly backed efforts by the United States
to implement UN Security Council Resolution 940, designed to facilitate the
departure of Haiti's de facto authorities from power. Grenada subsequently
contributed personnel to the multinational force which restored the
democratically elected government of Haiti in October 1994. Prime Minister Mitchell joined President Clinton, in May 1997, for a meeting
with 14 other Caribbean leaders during the first-ever U.S.-regional summit in
Bridgetown, Barbados. The summit strengthened the basis for regional cooperation
on justice and counter-narcotics issues, finance and development, and trade. U.S.-GRENADIAN RELATIONS The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has played a major role
in Grenada's development providing more than $120 million in economic assistance
from 1984 to 1993. U.S. assistance is primarily channeled through multilateral
agencies such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the
Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and through the newly-opened USAID satellite
office in Bridgetown, Barbados. About 10 Peace Corps volunteers in Grenada teach
remedial reading, English-language skills, and vocational training. Grenada also
is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative. In addition Grenada
receives counter-narcotics assistance from the U.S. and benefits from U.S.
military exercise-related construction and humanitarian civic action projects. Grenada and the U.S. cooperate closely in fighting narcotics smuggling and
other forms of transnational crime. In 1995, the U.S. and Grenada signed a
maritime law enforcement treaty. In 1996, they signed a mutual legal assistance
treaty and an extradition treaty as well as an over-flight/order-to-land
amendment to the maritime law enforcement treaty. Some U.S. military training is
given to Grenadian security and defense forces. Grenada continues to be a popular destination for Americans. Of the 378,900
stayover visitors in 1999, 106,900 were U.S. citizens. . It is estimated that
some 2,600 Americans reside in the country, plus the 800 U.S. medical students
who study at the St. George's University School of Medicine. (Those students are
not counted as residents for statistical purposes.) Principal U.S. Embassy Officials The U.S. Embassy in Grenada is located on the Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, St.
George's, Grenada Tel: 1-(473)-444-1173; Fax: 1-(473)-444-4820). The mailing
address is P.O. Box 54, St. George's, Grenada, West Indies. Other Contact Information Caribbean/Latin America Action
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION Emergency information concerning Americans traveling abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays, call 202-647-4000. Passport information can be obtained by calling the National Passport Information Center's automated system ($.35 per minute) or live operators 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (EST) Monday-Friday ($1.05 per minute). The number is 1-900-225-5674 (TDD: 1-900-225-7778). Major credit card users (for a flat rate of $4.95) may call 1-888-362-8668 (TDD: 1-888-498-3648). It also is available on the internet. Travelers can check the latest health information with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries. A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel (HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800. Information on travel conditions, visa requirements, currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing in this publication). U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling in dangerous areas are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in a country (see "Principal U.S. Embassy Officials" listing in this publication). This may help family members contact you in case of an emergency. |
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