Grenada Map

Grenada is an island nation located in the Caribbean, and is located at the southern end of the Grenadines in the Windward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles. Neighboring nations include Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Grenada has an area of 344 square kilometers (132 square miles), and a population of 110,000. The capital and largest city of Grenada is St. George's.

Grenada's population is about 82 percent black, about 13 percent mixed, and the remaining percentage is divided between Europeans and native East Indians. The official languages of the island are English and also Grenadian Creole, which is based on English but incorporates Indian and African languages as well as French. Granadian Creole French is also spoken in rural parts of Grenada, and is known as Patois. The predominant religion in Grenada is Christianity, with minorities of Rastafarians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhist, and Baha'i.

Grenada was inhabited by its native Island Caribs before European contact. Europeans arrived in Grenada around 1500, but a colony was not formed on the island until 1649, when the French founded their settlement. The French took over the island, naming it La Grenade, leading to the indigenous people either perishing or fleeing to neighboring islands. The French cultivated sugar cane and indigo, and established Fort Royal as their capital. After the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Grenada fell under British rule until the French captured it once again during the American Revolution. Grenada was restored as British colony in the 1783 Treaty of Versailles and became a Crown colony in 1877. The British cultivated nutmeg on the island, lending Grenada the nickname “Spice Island” and today, Grenada supplies about 40 percent of the world's nutmeg supply. Grenada was granted independence from the United Kingdom in 1974.

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Last Updated On : March 14, 2013