Grenada (2006) | Cocos (Keeling) Islands (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | 6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick | none (territory of Australia) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 33.4% (male 15,097/female 14,820)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 30,106/female 26,764) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,394/female 1,522) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
Agriculture - products | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables | vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts |
Airports | 3 (2006) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 344 sq km
land: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
14 sq km land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island |
Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada 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 and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage. | The islands were discovered in 1609, but remained uninhabited until the 19th century. Annexed by the UK in 1857, they were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands is split between the mostly Europeans on West Island and the Malays on Home Island. |
Birth rate | 22.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | NA births/1,000 population |
Budget | revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million; including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997) |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | name: Saint George's
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
West Island |
Climate | tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds | pleasant, modified by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year; moderate rainfall |
Coastline | 121 km | 2.6 km |
Constitution | 19 December 1973 | Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada |
conventional long form:
Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Currency | - | Australian dollar (AUD) |
Death rate | 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population |
Debt - external | $347 million (2004) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport, and Territories |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820 |
none (territory of Australia) |
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 FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468 consulate(s) general: New York |
none (territory of Australia) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $15.4 million (2004) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output. | Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Copra and fresh coconuts are the major export earners. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. |
Electricity - consumption | 148.6 million kWh (2003) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | - |
Electricity - production | 159.8 million kWh (2003) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian | Europeans, Cocos Malays |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) |
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; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator (non-resident) William Leonard TAYLOR (since 4 February 1999) cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $NA |
Exports - commodities | bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace | copra |
Exports - partners | Saint Lucia 12.1%, US 11.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.2%, Germany 7.9%, Netherlands 7.8%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 7.4%, Dominica 7.4%, UK 6.8%, France 4.2% (2005) | Australia |
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 | the flag of Australia is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 18% services: 76.6% (2000) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - real growth rate | 0.9% (2005 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 12 07 N, 61 40 W | 12 30 S, 96 50 E |
Geography - note | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada | two coral atolls thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation |
Highways | - | total:
15 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2001) |
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 | NA bbl/day | $NA |
Imports - commodities | food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel | foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Trinidad and Tobago 27.8%, US 27%, UK 6% (2005) | Australia |
Independence | 7 February 1974 (from UK) | none (territory of Australia) |
Industrial production growth rate | 0.7% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Industries | food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction | copra products and tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
NA deaths/1,000 live births |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2005 est.) | NA% |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada) | Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court |
Labor force | 42,300 (1996) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 24%
industry: 14% services: 62% (1999 est.) |
the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.88%
permanent crops: 29.41% other: 64.71% (2005) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English (official), French patois | English, Malay |
Legal system | based on English common law | based upon the laws of Australia and local laws |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and 3 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 27 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 46.65%, NDC 44.12%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7 |
unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (NA seats) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 64.87 years
male: 63.06 years female: 66.68 years (2006 est.) |
total population:
NA years male: NA years female: NA years |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) |
- |
Location | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago | Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia, about one-half of the way from Australia to Sri Lanka |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Southeast Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
Military branches | no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 7 February (1974) | NA |
Nationality | noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian |
noun:
Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander |
Natural hazards | lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November | cyclones may occur in the early months of the year |
Natural resources | timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors | fish |
Net migration rate | -12.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | NA migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Political parties and leaders | Good Old Democracy or GOD [Justin MCBURNIE]; Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]; People Labor Movement or PLM [Dr. Francis ALEXIS] | none |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 89,703 (July 2006 est.) | 633 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 32% (2000) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.26% (2006 est.) | -0.21% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none; lagoon anchorage only |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 300 (1992) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2% | Sunni Muslim 57%, Christian 22%, other 21% (1981 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
- |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | NA |
Telephone system | general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system
domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: country code - 1-473; new SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; 1 satellite earth station of NA type |
Telephones - main lines in use | 32,700 (2004) | NA (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 43,300 (2004) | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 0 (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic in origin with central mountains | flat, low-lying coral atolls |
Total fertility rate | 2.34 children born/woman (2006 est.) | NA children born/woman |
Unemployment rate | 12.5% (2000) | - |
Waterways | - | none |