Political Map of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a Caribbean island nation, located in the southern Windward Islands, which are part of the Lesser Antilles. The Lesser Antilles is part of the West Indies. Other islands in the Windward Islands include Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Lucia. Barbados is also located near Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, though it is not considered part of the Windward Islands. The capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a chain of islands with a combined area of 389 square kilometers (150 square miles). The largest island is Saint Vincent, which is about 344 square kilometers (133 square miles) in area. Only the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines islands are part of the nation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Native Caribs inhabited the islands prior to the arrival of the Europeans, beginning with the French who first settled in 1719. The islands were ceded to Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris of 1763, recaptured by France in 1779, and returned to Britain in the 1783 Treaty of Versailles. Saint Vincent became an associate state of Britain in 1969, giving it some autonomy. The country was the last in the Windward Islands to become independence, which it gained in 1979.

The population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is estimated at about 120,000. The population is made up of about two-thirds Africans, 20 percent mixed, and smaller populations of East Indians, Portuguese, and natives.

Points of Interest

Tobago Cays Lower Bay Beach Princess Margaret Beach Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary Caribbean Kite Cruise Mopion

Montreal Gardens Palm Island Macaroni Beach Tobago Cays Marine Park Salt Whistle Bay Friendship Bay

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Last Updated On : April 25, 2013