The Grenadines is a chain of small islands that lie on a line between the larger islands of
Saint Vincent and
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...
in the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc be ...
. Nine are inhabited and open to the public (or ten, if the offshore island of
Young Island
Young Island () is the northernmost and westernmost of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies northwest of Buckle Island, some north-northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic m ...
is counted):
Bequia,
Mustique,
Canouan,
Union Island,
Petit St Vincent,
Palm Island and
Mayreau
Mayreau is the smallest inhabited island of the Grenadines, with an area of about 0.46 sq. miles and a population of about 271. The population is centered in an unnamed village, located on Station Hill, a hilltop in the south-west of the island. ...
, all in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, plus
Petite Martinique and
Carriacou in Grenada. Several additional privately owned islands such as
Calivigny are also inhabited. Notable uninhabited islands of the Grenadines include
Petit Nevis, used by
whalers, and
Petit Mustique, which was the centre of a prominent real estate scam in the early 2000s.
The northern two-thirds of the chain, including about 32 islands and cays, are part of the country of
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 Se ...
. The southern third of the chain belongs to the country of Grenada. Carriacou is the largest and most populous of the Grenadines.
Geographic boundaries
The islands are politically divided between the
island nations
An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...
of
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 Se ...
and
Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...
. They lie between the islands of
Saint Vincent in the north and Grenada in the south. Neither Saint Vincent nor Grenada are Grenadine islands. The islands north of the
Martinique Channel belong to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the islands south of the channel belong to Grenada.
Larger islands of the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
The total population of the Grenadine islands within Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is estimated to be 10,234.
The following islands make up the
Grenadines Parish:
Grenada
Carriacou and Petite Martinique is a dependency of Grenada and has a population of 10,900 people. Carriacou is the largest of the Grenadine chain. These islands contains:
References
External links
{{Coord, 12, 44, N, 61, 21, W, region:VC_type:isle, display=title
Islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Islands of Grenada
International archipelagoes
Grenada–Saint Vincent and the Grenadines border