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Grenadines
PROFILE Official Name: Geography People Government Economy (2000) PEOPLE HISTORY Beginning in 1719, French settlers cultivated coffee, tobacco, indigo,
cotton, and sugar on plantations worked by African slaves. In 1763, St. Vincent
was ceded to Britain. Restored to French rule in 1779, St. Vincent was regained
by the British under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. Conflict between the
British and the black Caribs continued until 1796, when General Abercrombie
crushed a revolt fomented by the French radical Victor Hugues. More than 5,000
black Caribs were eventually deported to Roatan, an island off the coast of
Honduras. Slavery was abolished in 1834; the resulting labor shortages on the
plantations attracted Portuguese immigrants in the 1840s and east Indians in the
1860s. Conditions remained harsh for both former slaves and immigrant
agricultural workers, as depressed world sugar prices kept the economy stagnant
until the turn of the century. From 1763 until independence, St. Vincent passed through various stages of
colonial status under the British. A representative assembly was authorized in
1776, Crown Colony government installed in 1877, a legislative council created
in 1925, and universal adult suffrage granted in 1951. During this period, the British made several unsuccessful attempts to
affiliate St. Vincent with other Windward Islands in order to govern the region
through a unified administration. The most notable was the West Indies
Federation, which collapsed in 1962. St. Vincent was granted associate statehood
status in 1969, giving it complete control over its internal affairs. Following
a referendum in 1979, St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the
Windward Islands to gain independence. Natural disasters have plagued the country throughout the 20th century. In
1902, La Soufriere volcano erupted, killing 2,000 people. Much farmland was
damaged, and the economy deteriorated. In April 1979, La Soufriere erupted
again. Although no one was killed, thousands had to be evacuated, and there was
extensive agricultural damage. In 1980 and 1987, hurricanes devastated banana
and coconut plantations; 1998 and 1999 also saw very active hurricane seasons,
with hurricane Lenny in 1999 causing extensive damage to the west coast of the
island. GOVERNMENT The parliament is a unicameral body with a 15-member elected house of
assembly and a six-member appointed senate. The governor general appoints
senators, four on the advice of the prime minister and two on the advice of the
leader of the opposition. The parliamentary term of office is 5 years, although
the prime minister may call elections at any time. As in other English-speaking Caribbean countries, the judiciary in St.
Vincent is rooted in British common law. There are 11 courts in three
magisterial districts. The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, comprising a high
court and a court of appeals, is known in St. Vincent as the St. Vincent and the
Grenadines supreme court. The court of last resort is the judicial committee of
Her Majesty's Privy Council in London. There is no local government in St. Vincent, and all six parishes are
administered by the central government. Principal Government Officials St. Vincent and the Grenadines maintains an embassy at 3216 New Mexico Ave.,
NW, Washington, DC 20016 (tel. 202-462-7806). St.Vincent also has a consul
resident in New York. POLITICAL CONDITIONS Founded in 1955, the St. Vincent Labor Party (SVLP), under R. Milton Cato,
gained the support of the middle class. With a conservative law-and-order
message and a pro-Western foreign policy, the SYLP dominated politics from the
mid-1960s until the mid-1980s. Following victories in the 1967 and 1974
elections, the SYLP led the island to independence, winning the first
post-independence election in 1979. Expecting an easy victory for the SYLP in
1984, Cato called early elections. The results were surprising: with a record
89% voter turnout, James F. Mitchell's New Democratic Party (NDP) won nine seats
in the house of assembly. From 1984 until elections in March 2001, politics in St. Vincent were
dominated by the NDP. Bolstered by a resurgent economy in the mid-1980s,
Mitchell led his party to an unprecedented sweep of all 15 house of assembly
seats in the 1989 elections. The opposition emerged from the election weakened
and fragmented but was able to win three seats during the February 1994
elections under a "unity" coalition. In 1998, Prime Minister Mitchell
and the NDP were returned to power for an unprecedented fourth term but only
with a slim margin of eight seats to seven seats for the Unity Labour Party
(ULP). In May 2000, a series of disruptive protests against the policies of the NDP
were settled with an agreement brokered by the Organization of Eastern Caribbean
States, to hold elections in March 2001, 2 years ahead of the constitutionally
mandated date. In the March 2001 elections the ULP won a landslide victory over
the NDP, taking 12 of the 15 parliamentary seats. The NDP held on to the
remaining parliamentary seats, shutting out the PPM altogether. The election was
monitored by international election observers for the first time in the
country's history. ECONOMY Tourism has become a very important part of the economy. In 1993, tourism
supplanted banana exports as the chief source of foreign exchange. The
Grenadines have become a favorite of the up-market yachting crowd. The trend
toward increasing tourism revenues will likely continue. In 1996, new cruiseship
and ferry berths came on-line, sharply increasing the number of passenger
arrivals. In 2000, total visitor arrivals were about 280,700 . A relatively
small number of Americans--under 1,000--reside on the islands. St. Vincent is a member of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).
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. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin
Initiative. The country belongs to the Caribbean Community and Common Market
(CARICOM), which has signed a framework agreement with the United States to
promote trade and investment in the region. St. Vincent also is a member of the
Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). FOREIGN RELATIONS As a member of CARICOM, St. Vincent and the Grenadines 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.
The country agreed to contribute personnel to the multinational force, which
restored the democratically elected government of Haiti in October 1994. In May 1997, Prime Minister Mitchell joined 14 other Caribbean leaders and
President Clinton during the first-ever U.S.-regional summit in Bridgetown,
Barbados. The summit strengthened the basis for regional cooperation on justice
and counternarcotics issues, finance and development, and trade. U.S.-ST. VINCENT RELATIONS The United States supports the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines'
efforts to expand its economic base and to provide a higher standard of living
for its citizens. U.S. assistance is primarily channeled through multilateral
agencies such as the World Bank, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), and
through the newly opened USAID satellite office in Bridgetown, Barbados. The
United States has about 20 Peace Corps volunteers in St. Vincent working in
education and health. The U.S. military also provides assistance through
exercise-related construction and humanitarian civic action projects. Principal U.S. Embassy Officials The United States maintains no official presence in St. Vincent. The
ambassador and embassy officers are resident in Barbados and frequently travel
to St. Vincent. The U.S. embassy in Barbados is located in the Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (tel: 246-436-4950; fax:
246-429-5246). OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION Caribbean/Latin American 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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