About Grenada

Grenada is a beautiful and exotic island in the southern Caribbean, located about 90 miles north of Venezuela. The language spoken here is English and everyone drives on the left side of the road because the island was originally a French colony, and then became an English one, before it found it's independence. Since the island is in the southern most part of the Caribbean, one side of the island borders the Atlantic, and one borders the Caribbean Sea. The beaches here are some of the prettiest you'll find in the Caribbean. Grenada also offers green mountains, rainforests, waterfalls, and exotic animals.

The best advice anyone could give is to keep an open mind and not compare your life here to that in your native land. As long as you remember that you are a guest in a foreign land, the natives will treat you kindly.

Here are some interesting facts, taken from Netscape's Travel Center and Lonely Planet:

AREA: 344.5 sq km (133 sq miles).
Elevations: Highest - Mount Saint Catherine, 840 m (2,756 ft.), Lowest - sea level, along the coast.

POPULATION: 96,000 (1997).

CAPITAL: St George's. Population: 4439 (1991).

GEOGRAPHY: Grenada is located in the Caribbean. The island is of volcanic origin and is divided by a central mountain range. It is the most southerly of the Windward Islands. Agriculture is based on nutmeg, cocoa, sugar cane and bananas. Tropical rainforests, gorges and the stunning beauty of dormant volcanoes make this a fascinating and diverse landscape with some of the finest beaches in the world. Carriacou and some of the other small islands of the Grenadines are also part of Grenada.

GOVERNMENT: Dominion within the Commonwealth. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor-General Sir Daniel Williams since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Keith Mitchell since 1998.

LANGUAGE: English; French Patois is spoken by a minority.

RELIGION: Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 14%, as well as other smaller Protestant denominations.

ELECTRICITY: 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz.

EDUCATION AND HEALTH:
Literacy: 85% (1985)
Universities: 1 (1989)
Hospital beds: 360 (1987)
Physicians: 42 (1987)
Life expectancy: Women - 74; Men - 69 (1992)
Infant mortality: 28 per 1,000 live births. (1992)

ECONOMY:
GDP: $238 million; $2,800 per capita.
Imports: $105 million
Exports: $26 million
Principal trade partners: U.S.A., U.K., Trinidad & Tobago
Currency: $2.67 East Caribbean (EC) dollar for $1.00 U.S.; DM1.00 for EC$1.70; £1.00 for EC$4.00
Main exports: Nutmeg, bananas, cocoa, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace

CLIMATE: The rainy season is from June to November.

TIME ZONE: Grenada is on Atlantic Standard Time, one hour later than New York and the eastern coast of the United States, except during Daylight Savings Time.

AVERAGE ANNUAL INCOME: US $3,440

INTERNET DOMAIN: .gd

INTERNATIONAL DIALING CODE: +1473