Jan Mayen (2004) | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | - | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 28.2% (male 16,755; female 16,163)
15-64 years: 65.5% (male 39,308; female 37,149) 65 years and over: 6.4% (male 3,215; female 4,222) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish |
Airports | 1 (2003 est.) | 6 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Area | total: 373 sq km
land: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC | twice the size of Washington, DC |
Background | This desolate, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; it is the northernmost active volcano on earth. | Disputed between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979. |
Birth rate | - | 17.16 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $94.6 million
expenditures: $85.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | - | Kingstown |
Climate | arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog | tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) |
Coastline | 124.1 km | 84 km |
Constitution | - | 27 October 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Currency | - | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
Death rate | - | 6.08 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $167.2 million (2000) |
Dependency status | territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | - | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Diplomatic representation in the US | - | chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998) |
Economy - overview | Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the island. | Bananas and other agricultural products remain the staple of this lower-middle income country's economy. Although tourism and other services have been growing moderately in recent years, the government has been ineffective at introducing new industries. Unemployment remains high, and economic growth hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11 September 2001. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector, but its restrictive secrecy laws have come under international review. As of June 2001, it remained on the Financial Action Task Force's list of noncooperative jurisdictions. Saint Vincent is also the largest producer of marijuana in the Eastern Caribbean and is increasingly being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 86 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 92.48 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 69.3%
hydro: 30.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | - | black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 7% |
Exchange rates | - | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998) |
Executive branch | - | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
Exports | - | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | - | bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets |
Exports - partners | - | France 25.2%, Greece 19.1%, Spain 16.4%, UK 9.5%, US 7.1% (2002) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of Norway is used | three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $339 million (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: 10%
industry: 26% services: 64% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | -0.5% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 71 00 N, 8 00 W | 13 15 N, 61 12 W |
Geography - note | barren volcanic island with some moss and grass | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays |
Highways | - | total: 1,040 km
paved: 320 km unpaved: 720 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation |
Imports | - | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | - | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels |
Imports - partners | - | France 32.7%, US 11.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.4%, Singapore 10.1%, Spain 7.9%, Greece 4.3% (2002) |
Independence | - | 27 October 1979 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | -0.9% (1997 est.) |
Industries | - | food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 15.7 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | -0.4% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | - | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 15 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | 10 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | - | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
Labor force | - | 67,000 (1984 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 10.26%
permanent crops: 17.95% other: 71.79% (1998 est.) |
Languages | - | English, French patois |
Legal system | the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 73.08 years
male: 71.3 years female: 74.92 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) |
Location | Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | Arctic Region | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 4 nm
contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | total: 769 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,365,887 GRT/9,665,937 DWT
ships by type: bulk 133, cargo 376, chemical tanker 21, combination bulk 7, container 58, liquefied gas 8, livestock carrier 4, multi-functional large-load carrier 2, passenger 5, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 46, roll on/roll off 45, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Albania 1, Anguilla 1, Argentina 1, Australia 2, The Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Barbados 2, Belgium 4, Bulgaria 14, Canada 1, Cayman Islands 1, China 135, Colombia 1, Croatia 12, Cyprus 6, Denmark 16, Egypt 7, Estonia 6, France 27, Germany 12, Greece 156, Guyana 7, Hong Kong 23, Iceland 1, India 11, Indonesia 3, Israel 2, Italy 19, Japan 1, Kenya 4, Latvia 5, Lebanon 9, Liberia 5, Lithuania 1, Malta 1, Man, Isle of 1, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Monaco 6, Netherlands 14, Netherlands Antilles 1, Nigeria 3, Norway 33, Pakistan 5, Panama 2, Poland 2, Portugal 2, Puerto Rico 2, Russia 8, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 4, Slovenia 7, South Korea 4, Spain 1, Sweden 6, Switzerland 10, Syria 2, Taiwan 1, Thailand 1, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tunisia 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 8, UAE 45, UK 16, US 25, Vietnam 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Norway | - |
Military branches | - | Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | - | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |
Nationality | - | noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
Natural hazards | dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970 | hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat |
Natural resources | none | hydropower, cropland |
Net migration rate | - | -7.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | no indigenous inhabitants
note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2004 est.) |
116,812 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.34% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; offshore anchorage only | Kingstown |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998) |
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | - | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | - | general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 20,500 (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | NA |
Television broadcast stations | - | 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers | volcanic, mountainous |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.95 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 22% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |