Grenada (2001) | Tonga (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick | 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
37.05% (male 16,739; female 16,318) 15-64 years: 59.03% (male 27,850; female 24,820) 65 years and over: 3.92% (male 1,592; female 1,908) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 39.5% (male 21,374; female 20,555)
15-64 years: 56.4% (male 29,519; female 30,322) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,945; female 2,422) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables | squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish |
Airports | 3 (2000 est.) | 6 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Area | total:
340 sq km land: 340 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km |
Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | four times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | One of the smallest independent countries in the western hemisphere, Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year. | The archipelago of "The Friendly Islands" was united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga acquired its independence in 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. |
Birth rate | 23.12 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 24.08 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997) |
revenues: $39.9 million
expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY99/00 est.) |
Capital | Saint George's | Nuku'alofa |
Climate | tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds | tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
Coastline | 121 km | 419 km |
Constitution | 19 December 1973 | 4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967 |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Grenada |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands |
Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | pa'anga (TOP) |
Death rate | 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 5.63 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $182.8 million (1998) | $57.5 million (June 2001) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
the ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada embassy: Point Salines, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's, Grenada, West Indies telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820 |
the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1136 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $8.3 million (1995) | Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02) |
Economy - overview | In this island economy progress in fiscal reforms and prudent macroeconomic management have kept annual growth steady since 1998. The increase in economic activity has been led by construction and trade. Tourist facilities are being expanded; tourism is the leading foreign exchange earner. Major short-term concerns are the rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external account balance. Grenada shares a common central bank and a common currency with seven other members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). | Tonga has a small, open economy with a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. Tourism is the second largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonable basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. |
Electricity - consumption | 111.6 million kWh (1999) | 27.9 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 120 million kWh (1999) | 30 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 82% some South Asians (East Indians) and Europeans, trace Arawak/Carib Amerindian | Polynesian, Europeans about 300 |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) | pa'anga per US dollar - 2.1920 (January 2002), 2.1236 (2001), 1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999), 1.4920 (1998), 1.2635 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; prime minister appointed by the governor general from among the members of the House of Assembly |
chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Tevita TOPOU (since NA January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the Cabinet, and two governors elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch |
Exports | $62.3 million (2000 est.) | $9.3 million f.o.b. (2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace | squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops |
Exports - partners | Caricom 32.3%, UK 20%, US 13%, Netherlands 8.8% (1991) | Japan 50.4%, US 31.6%, NZ 4.1%, Australia 2.1%, Fiji 1.7% (2000 est.) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions | red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $394 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $225 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
9.7% industry: 15% services: 75.3% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 30%
industry: 10% services: 60% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,400 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 7% (2000 est.) | 5.3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 12 07 N, 61 40 W | 20 00 S, 175 00 W |
Geography - note | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada | archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) |
Highways | total:
1,040 km paved: 638 km unpaved: 402 km (1996) |
total: 680 km
paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US | - |
Imports | $217.5 million (2000 est.) | $70 million c.i.f. (2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel (1989) | foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | US 31.2%, Caricom 23.6%, UK 13.8%, Japan 7.1% (1991) | New Zealand 29.8%, Japan 18.6%, Australia 12.7%, US 12.7%, Fiji 12.2% (2000 est.) |
Independence | 7 February 1974 (from UK) | 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) |
Industrial production growth rate | 0.7% (1997 est.) | 8.6% (FY98/99) |
Industries | food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction | tourism, fishing |
Infant mortality rate | 14.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 13.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2000 est.) | 9.4% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO | ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 14 (2000) | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | West Indies Associate States Supreme Court (an associate judge resides in Grenada) | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the Supreme Court) |
Labor force | 42,300 (1996) | 33,908 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 62%, agriculture 24%, industry 14% (1999 est.) | agriculture 65% (1997 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
15% permanent crops: 18% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 9% other: 55% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06% other: 33.33% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), French patois | Tongan, English |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on English law |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and three by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 18 January 1999 (next to be held by NA October 2004) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NNP 14, GULP 1 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote - pro-democratic 70%; seats - pro-democratic 7, traditionalist 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
64.52 years male: 62.74 years female: 66.31 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 68.56 years
male: 66.13 years female: 71.11 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.5% male: 98.4% female: 98.7% (1996 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago | Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 292,139 GRT/421,221 DWT
ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 54, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 4 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Albania 1, Australia 4, Austria 1, Bolivia 1, Cyprus 1, Djibouti 1, Egypt 2, Greece 4, Lebanon 2, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2, Morocco 1, Norway 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 1, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 3, Syria 5, Ukraine 1, United Arab Emirates 16, United States 4 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard | Tonga Defense Services (made up of three operational command components and two support elements, including the Royal Marines, Royal Guards, Maritime Force, a support/logistics group, and a training group), Police; note - a new air wing that will be subordinate to the Ministry of Defense is being developed |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | NA% |
National holiday | Independence Day, 7 February (1974) | Independence Day, 4 June (1970) |
Nationality | noun:
Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian |
noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan |
Natural hazards | lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November | cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou |
Natural resources | timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors | fish, fertile soil |
Net migration rate | -15.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Herbert PREUDHOMME]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [leader vacant]; New National Party or NNP [George McGUIRE] | there are no political parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Akilisi POHIVA, president] |
Population | 89,227 (July 2001 est.) | 106,137 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.06% (2001 est.) | 1.85% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Grenville, Saint George's | Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2001) |
Radios | 57,000 (1997) | 61,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% | Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (1996) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 27,000 (1997) | 8,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 976 (1997) | 302 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 2 (2001) |
Terrain | volcanic in origin with central mountains | most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base |
Total fertility rate | 2.54 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15% (1997) | 13.3% (1996 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |