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Canouan (pronounced "can - ah - wan") is an island in the Grenadines belonging to
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea ...
. It is a small island, measuring only 5.6 km (3.5 miles) by 2 km (1.25 miles) and has a surface of 7.6 km². It lies approximately 40 km (25 miles) south of the island of St. Vincent. The population is about 1,700. A barrier reef runs along the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe a ...
side of the island. The highest point on the island is Mount Royal. Two bays, Glossy and Friendship, are located on the southern side of the island.


History

Some time prior to 200 B.C. a cultivated tribe called the
Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...
s reached the island using dug-out canoes. These new residents brought plants, animals, and basic farming and fishing skills with them. They lived there for 1,500 years until the Caribs invaded the island. More than 200 years after
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
laid eyes on St. Vincent, the Europeans established a kind of permanent settlement. Its mountainous and heavily forested geography allowed the Caribs to defend against European settlement here longer than on almost any other island in the Caribbean. After the Caribs were defeated on other islands they joined
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
who had escaped repression on
Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
by following the current and trade winds westward to St. Vincent, as well as those who had survived shipwrecks near St. Vincent and Bequia. The mixed descendants of the island warriors and the freed Africans, who became known as the Black Caribs, had a common distrust and disgust for the Europeans, and proved to be a fearsome foe. The Caribs feared complete domination so they allowed the French to construct a settlement on the island in 1719. The French brought slaves to work their plantations. By 1748, the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle officially declared St. Vincent and its surrounding islands to be a neutral island, controlled by neither Britain nor France. The two countries continued to contest control of the islands, however, until they were definitively ceded to the British in 1814. In 1951 universal adult
suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to ...
was introduced in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and in 1979, it became an independent state within the
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
with a democratic government based on the British system. Not long ago, though, the island was without running water or paved roads, and it tallied more turtles than human residents. Now, there's a runway for private jets, a flurry of new luxury hotels and villas, and a multimillion-dollar marina for mega yachts.


Climate

The average daytime temperatures range from . The driest season is from December to May. The coolest months are between November and February.


Resort development

In the early 1990s the Canouan Resorts Development company was formed and secured lease for areas of the island to build two hotels - the former Raffles Resort site and Tamarind Beach Hotel site. At this point the building arm of the company built roads throughout Canouan (previously only dirt tracks), installed electricity to the island and residents houses and provided desalinated water for the first time. Prior to that, fresh water was brought by boat from St. Vincent on a regular basis. Locals not employed by the resort were forbidden admittance to the property as it was private property, although the beaches remained open for public use. It was announced that the resort would revert from Raffles/ Fairmont Resorts back to Carenage Bay Resort on May 20, 2010. The property then became Pink Sands Club which opened in 2016. In 2018 the newer section of the property became managed by
Mandarin Oriental Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group International Limited (MOHG) is a Hong Kong hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially ow ...
. The original villas and suites now make up Canouan Estate Resort & Villas. Located on the 1200-acre estate Canouan Estate Resort & Villas include a collection of luxury suites and villas. Amenities includes 4 beaches, 4 restaurants and bars, a Jim Fazio designed 18-hole golf course, non-motorized water sports, fitness center, hiking, complimentary kids club, snorkeling, diving, boating and fishing, the resort is open year-round.


Education

There are 2 schools on Canouan - the Government Primary school and the Canouan Secondary School which opened in September of 2019. Both Schools are located in the same building with the Secondary School located at the top and primary school at the bottom. There is also an official Canouan Pre-school and Private Pre-school called Coral Reef located close to the primary school and Secondary School.


Transport

In 2008, the runway at Canouan Airport was lengthened to almost 6,000 feet to accommodate larger aircraft. It is now the jet port for the Grenadines. Scheduled ferries link Canouan to St. Vincent, Union Island and Mayreau.


Notable people

* Adonal Foyle, National Basketball Association player and political activist * Sir John Compton, Prime Minister of St. Lucia


In popular culture

* The island (albeit mirrored and rotated 180 degrees) serves as the basis for Cayo Perico, a fictional island in the 2013 video game ''
Grand Theft Auto Online ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbo ...
'' as part of ''The Cayo Perico Heist'' update, released in 2020.


Footnotes


References

* Gonsalves, Ralph E. ''History and the Future: A Caribbean Perspective.'' Quik-Print, Kingstown, St. Vincent, January 1994. * Berkmoes, Ryan, Ver and Raub, Kevin (2011). ''Caribbean Islands'', 6th Edition. Lonely Planet. . {{Authority control Islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Windward Islands