Grenada ( ;
Grenadian Creole French
Grenadian Creole is a variety of Antillean Creole. In Grenada and among Grenadians, it is referred to as Patois.
History
The first successful settlement by a western colonial power in Grenada was in 1650, when the French from Martinique establi ...
: ) is an island country in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
in the
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
at the southern end of the
Grenadines
The Grenadines is a chain of small islands that lie on a line between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Nine are inhabited and open to the public (or ten, if the offshore island of Young Island is counted): ...
island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands,
Carriacou
Carriacou is an island of the Grenadine Islands. It is a dependency of Grenada, and is located in the south-eastern Caribbean Sea, northeast of the island Grenada and the north coast of South America. The name is derived from the Carib lang ...
and
Petite Martinique
Petite Martinique is one of the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which is a dependency of Grenada.
It is 4 km (2½ miles) away from Carriacou. With its and population of 900, it is smaller than Carriacou. Petite Martinique comp ...
, and several small islands which lie to the north of the main island and are a part of the Grenadines. It is located northwest of
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, northeast of
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and southwest 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 Sea wh ...
. Its size is , and it had an estimated population of 112,523 in July 2020.
Its capital is
St. George's.
Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of
nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...
and
mace crops.
Before the
arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Grenada was inhabited by the
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
from South America.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
sighted Grenada in 1498 during his
third voyage to the Americas.
Following several unsuccessful attempts by Europeans to colonise the island due to resistance from resident
Island Caribs
The Kalinago, also known as the Island Caribs or simply Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America, but they spoke an unrelated languag ...
,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
settlement and colonisation began in 1649 and continued for the next century.
On 10 February 1763, Grenada was ceded to the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
under the
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
. British rule continued until 1974 (except for a
brief French takeover between 1779 and 1783). However, on 3 March 1967, it was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs as an
Associated State
An associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory (some dependent, most fully sovereign states) and a major party—usually a larger nation.
The details of such free association are contain ...
, and from 1958 to 1962 Grenada was part of the
Federation of the West Indies
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...
, a short-lived federation of
British West Indian colonies.
Independence was granted on 7 February 1974 under the leadership of
Eric Gairy
Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC (18 February 192223 August 1997) was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979. Gairy also served as head of governme ...
, who became the first
prime minister of Grenada
This is a list of heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1960 to the present day.
The Prime Minister appoints the Cabinet of Grenada.
Heads of government before the 1974 independence
Chief m ...
of the
sovereign state
A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a polity, political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defin ...
. The new country became a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations
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 Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and is currently headed by
King Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
,
King of Grenada
The monarchy of Grenada is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of Grenada. The present monarch is King Charles III, who is also Sovereign of a number of the other Commonwealth realms. The Ki ...
.
In March 1979, the
Marxist–Leninist
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialect ...
New Jewel Movement
The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop.
Established in 1973, the NJM issued its ...
overthrew Gairy's government in a
bloodless ''coup d'état'' and established the
People's Revolutionary Government
The People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) was proclaimed on 13 March 1979 after the Marxist–Leninist New Jewel Movement overthrew the government of Grenada in a revolution, making Grenada the only socialist state within the Commonwealth. T ...
(PRG), headed by
Maurice Bishop
Maurice Rupert Bishop (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983) was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – a Marxist–Leninist party which sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education, and black liberation ...
as prime minister. Bishop was later arrested and executed by members of the
People's Revolutionary Army (PRA), prompting a
U.S.-led invasion in October 1983. Since then, the island has returned to a
parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...
representative democracy
Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represen ...
and has remained
politically stable.
Etymology
The origin of the name "Grenada" is obscure, but it is likely that Spanish sailors named the island for the
Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
n city of
Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
.
The name "Gr''a''nada" was recorded by Spanish maps in the 1520s and referred to the islands to the north as ''Los Granadillos'' ("Little Granadas");
although those named islands were deemed the property of the
King of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
, there are no records to suggest the Spanish ever attempted to settle Grenada.
The French maintained the name (as "La Grenade" in French) after settlement and colonisation in 1649.
On 10 February 1763, the island of La Grenade was ceded to the British under the
Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France:
Treaties
1200s and 1300s
* Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade
* Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France
* Trea ...
. The British renamed it "Grenada", one of many place-name
anglicisation
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
s they made there.
It carried at least two other European names during the
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafarin ...
. The island was given its first by
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
who sighted it on his
third voyage to the region in 1498 and named it "La Concepción" in honour of the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
. It is said that he may have actually named it "Assumpción", but it is uncertain, as he is said to have sighted what are now Grenada and Tobago from a distance and named them both at the same time. However, it became accepted that he named Tobago "Assumpción" and Grenada "La Concepción".
The year after, Italian explorer
Amerigo Vespucci travelled through the region with the Spanish explorer
Alonso de Ojeda
Alonso de Ojeda (; c. 1466 – c. 1515) was a Spanish explorer, governor and conquistador. He travelled through modern-day Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, Curaçao, Aruba and Colombia. He navigated with Amerigo Vespucci who is famous ...
and mapmaker
Juan de la Cosa
Juan de la Cosa (c. 1450 – 28 February 1510) was a Castilian navigator and cartographer, known for designing the earliest European world map which incorporated the territories of the Americas discovered in the 15th century.
De la Cosa was th ...
. Vespucci is reported to have renamed the island "Mayo", although this is the only map where the name appears.
The indigenous
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 ...
that once lived on the island before the arrival of the Europeans gave the name ''Camajuya''.
History
Pre-Columbian history
Grenada was first populated by peoples from South America, possibly during the Caribbean
Archaic Age, although definitive evidence is lacking. The earliest potential human presence comes from
proxy
Proxy may refer to:
* Proxy or agent (law), a substitute authorized to act for another entity or a document which authorizes the agent so to act
* Proxy (climate), a measured variable used to infer the value of a variable of interest in climate re ...
evidence of lake cores, beginning ~3600 BC. Less ephemeral, permanent villages began around ~AD 100–200.
The population peaked between AD 750–1250, with major changes in population afterwards, potentially the result of regional droughts and/or the
"Carib Invasion", although the latter rests on highly circumstantial evidence.
European arrival
In 1498, Christopher Columbus was the first European to report sighting Grenada during his third voyage, naming it 'La Concepción', but Amerigo Vespucci may have renamed it 'Mayo' in 1499.
Although it was deemed the property of the King of Spain, there are no records to suggest the Spanish attempted to settle, although various Europeans are known to have passed and both fought and/or traded with the indigenous peoples there.
The first known settlement attempt was a failed venture by the English in 1609, but they were massacred and driven away by the native "Carib" peoples.
French colony (1649–1763)
In 1649, a French expedition of 203 men from
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
, led by
Jacques Dyel du Parquet
Jacques Dyel du Parquet (1606 – 3 January 1658) was a French soldier who was one of the first governors of Martinique.
He was appointed governor of the island for the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique in 1636, a year after the first French se ...
, founded a permanent settlement on Grenada.
They signed a peace treaty with the Carib chief
Kairouane, but within months conflict broke out between the two communities. This lasted until 1654 when the island was completely subjugated by the French. The indigenous peoples who survived either left for neighbouring islands or retreated to more remote parts of Grenada, where they ultimately disappeared during the 1700s. Warfare continued during the 1600s between the French on Grenada and the Caribs of present-day
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and
St. 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 wh ...
.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
was brought to Grenada in 1714 with the introduction of
cocoa bean
The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances ...
s.
The French named their
new colony La Grenade, and the economy was initially based on
sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
and
indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
, worked by African slaves. The French established a capital known as Fort Royal (later St. George's). To shelter from hurricanes, the French navy would often take refuge in the capital's natural harbour, as no nearby French islands had a natural harbour to compare with that of Fort Royal. The British captured Grenada during the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
in 1762.
British colonial period
Early colonial period
![Port Saint-Georges dans l'île de la Grenade en 1776](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Port_Saint-Georges_dans_l%27%C3%AEle_de_la_Grenade_en_1776.jpg)
Grenada was formally ceded to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
by the Treaty of Paris in 1763.
The French
re-captured the island during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, after
Comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French general and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the B ...
won the bloody land and naval
Battle of Grenada
The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfather ...
in July 1779.
However, the island was restored to Britain with the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
in 1783.
A decade later, dissatisfaction with British rule led to a
pro-French revolt in 1795–96 led by
Julien Fédon
Julien Fédon (? - 1796?), also called Julien Fedon, Foedonn, Feydn, and Fidon, was the leader of the Fédon Rebellion, a revolt against British rule led primarily by free mixed-race French-speakers that took place in Grenada between 2 March 1795 ...
, which was successfully defeated by the British.
As Grenada's economy grew, more and more African slaves were forcibly transported to the island. Britain eventually outlawed the slave trade within the British Empire in 1807, and slavery was completely outlawed in 1833, leading to the emancipation of all enslaved by 1838.
In an effort to ameliorate the subsequent labour shortage, migrants from India were brought to Grenada in 1857.
Nutmeg
Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...
was introduced to Grenada in 1843, when a merchant ship called in on its way to England from the East Indies.
The ship had a small quantity of nutmeg trees on board which they left in Grenada, and this was the beginning of Grenada's nutmeg industry that now supplies nearly 40% of the world's annual crop.
Later colonial period
In 1877, Grenada was made a
Crown colony
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...
.
Theophilus A. Marryshow
Theophilus Albert Marryshow (7 November 1887 – 19 October 1958), sometimes known as "Teddy" or "Albert", was a radical politician in Grenada and considered the father of the West Indies Federation.
Early life
Theophilus Albert Maricheau, was ...
founded the Representative Government Association (RGA) in 1917 to agitate for a new and participative constitutional dispensation for the Grenadian people. Partly as a result of Marryshow's lobbying, the Wood Commission of 1921–22 concluded that Grenada was ready for constitutional reform in the form of a modified Crown colony government. This modification granted Grenadians the right to elect five of the 15 members of the Legislative Council, on a restricted property franchise enabling the wealthiest 4% of adult Grenadians to vote. Marryshow was named a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1943.
In 1950,
Eric Gairy
Sir Eric Matthew Gairy PC (18 February 192223 August 1997) was the first Prime Minister of Grenada, serving from his country's independence in 1974 until his overthrow in a coup by Maurice Bishop in 1979. Gairy also served as head of governme ...
founded the
Grenada United Labour Party
The Grenada United Labour Party (GULP) is a political party in Grenada.
History
The party was founded by Eric Gairy in 1950. It contested the first elections held under universal suffrage in 1951, and won six of the eight seats. Nohlen, D (2005) ...
(GULP), initially as a trade union, which led the 1951
general strike
A general strike refers to a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large co ...
for better working conditions.
This sparked great unrest, and so many buildings were set ablaze that the disturbances became known as the "red sky" days. The British authorities decided to call in military reinforcements to help regain control of the situation. On 10 October 1951, Grenada held its
first general elections on the basis of universal adult suffrage,
with Gairy's party winning six of the eight seats contested.
From 1958 to 1962, Grenada was part of the
Federation of the West Indies
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...
.
After the federation's collapse, Grenada was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs as an Associated State on 3 March 1967.
Herbert Blaize
Herbert Augustus Blaize PC (26 February 1918 – 19 December 1989) was a Grenadian politician and leader of the Grenada National Party. When Grenada was still a British Crown Colony he served as the first Chief Minister from 1960 to 1961, ...
of the
Grenada National Party
The Grenada National Party (GNP) was a conservative and economically liberal political party in Grenada that existed from 1955 to 1984, when it merged into the New National Party. It alternated in power with the Grenada United Labour Party (GULP ...
(GNP) was the first Premier of the Associated State of Grenada from March to August 1967. Eric Gairy served as
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
from August 1967 until February 1974.
Post-independence era
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1982-0610-101, Berlin, Besuch Regierungsdelegation Grenada, Bootsfahrt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1982-0610-101%2C_Berlin%2C_Besuch_Regierungsdelegation_Grenada%2C_Bootsfahrt.jpg)
Independence was granted on 7 February 1974 under the leadership of Eric Gairy, who became the first
prime minister of Grenada
This is a list of heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1960 to the present day.
The Prime Minister appoints the Cabinet of Grenada.
Heads of government before the 1974 independence
Chief m ...
.
Grenada opted to remain within the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
, retaining Queen Elizabeth as
Monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
, represented locally by a
governor-general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
. Civil conflict gradually broke out between Eric Gairy's government and some opposition parties, including the Marxist
New Jewel Movement
The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop.
Established in 1973, the NJM issued its ...
(NJM).
Gairy and the GULP won the
1976 Grenadian general election
General elections were held in Grenada on 7 December 1976. Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p307 The result was a victory for the Grenada United Labour Party of Eric Gairy, which won nine of the 15 seat ...
, albeit with a reduced majority;
however, the opposition deemed the results invalid due to fraud and the violent intimidation performed by the so-called '
Mongoose Gang The Mongoose Gang was a private army or militia which operated from 1967 to 1979 under the control of Sir Eric Gairy, the Premier and later Prime Minister of Grenada, and head of the Grenada United Labour Party. Officially, Mongoose Gang members wer ...
', a private militia loyal to Gairy.
[ Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p301-302 ]
On 13 March 1979, whilst Gairy was out of the country, the NJM launched a
bloodless coup
A nonviolent revolution is a revolution conducted primarily by unarmed civilians using tactics of civil resistance, including various forms of nonviolent protest, to bring about the departure of governments seen as entrenched and authoritarian ...
which removed Gairy, suspended the constitution, and established a
People's Revolutionary Government
The People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) was proclaimed on 13 March 1979 after the Marxist–Leninist New Jewel Movement overthrew the government of Grenada in a revolution, making Grenada the only socialist state within the Commonwealth. T ...
(PRG), headed by
Maurice Bishop
Maurice Rupert Bishop (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983) was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – a Marxist–Leninist party which sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education, and black liberation ...
who declared himself prime minister.
His
Marxist–Leninist
Marxism is a left-wing to far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand class relations and social conflict and a dialect ...
government established close ties with
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, and other
communist bloc
The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...
countries.
All political parties except for the New Jewel Movement were banned and no elections were held during the four years of PRG rule.
Invasion by the United States (1983)
Coup and execution of Maurice Bishop
Some years later, a dispute developed between Bishop and certain high-ranking members of the NJM. Though Bishop cooperated with Cuba and the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
on various trade and foreign policy issues, he sought to maintain a "non-aligned" status. Bishop had been taking his time making Grenada wholly
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
, simultaneously encouraging private-sector development in an attempt to make the island a popular tourist destination. Hardline
Marxist
Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...
party members, including
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
Deputy Prime Minister
Bernard Coard
Winston Bernard Coard (born 10 August 1945) is a Grenada, Grenadian politician who was Deputy Prime Minister in the People's Revolutionary Government (Grenada), People's Revolutionary Government of the New Jewel Movement. Coard launched a coup ...
, deemed Bishop insufficiently revolutionary and demanded that he either step down or enter into a power-sharing arrangement.
On 16 October 1983, Bernard Coard and his wife, Phyllis, backed by the Grenadian Army, led a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop and placed Bishop under
house arrest
In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...
.
These actions led to street demonstrations in various parts of the island because Bishop had widespread support from the population. Because Bishop was a widely popular leader, he was freed by impassioned supporters who marched en masse to his guarded residence from a rally in the capital's central square. Bishop then led the crowd to the island's military headquarters to reassert his power. Grenadian soldiers were dispatched in armoured vehicles by the Coard faction to retake the fort. A confrontation between soldiers and civilians at the fort ended in gunfire and panic. Three soldiers and at least eight civilians died in the tumult that also injured 100 others, a school-sponsored study later found. When the initial shooting ended with Bishop's surrender, he and a group of seven of his closest supporters were taken prisoner and executed by firing squad. Besides Bishop, the group included three of his cabinet ministers, a trade union leader and three service-industry workers.
After the execution of Bishop, the
People's Revolutionary Army (PRA) formed a military Marxist government with General
Hudson Austin
Hudson Austin (26 April 1938 – 24 September 2022) was a general in the People's Revolutionary Army of Grenada. After the killing of Maurice Bishop, he formed a military government with himself as chairman to rule Grenada.
History Early life ...
as chairman. The army declared a four-day total curfew, during which anyone leaving their home without approval would be shot on sight.
United States and allied response and reaction
![M102 howitzers during Operation Urgent Fury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/M102_howitzers_during_Operation_Urgent_Fury.jpg)
US President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
stated that particularly worrying was the presence of Cuban construction workers and military personnel building a
airstrip
An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
on Grenada.
Bishop had stated the purpose of the airstrip was to allow commercial jets to land, but some US military analysts argued that the only reason for constructing such a long and reinforced runway was so that it could be used by heavy military transport planes. The contractors, American and European companies, and the
EEC
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...
, which provided partial funding, all claimed the airstrip did not have military capabilities. Reagan claimed that Cuba, under the direction of the Soviet Union, would use Grenada as a refuelling stop for Cuban and Soviet aeroplanes loaded with weapons destined for Central American communist insurgents.
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS),
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). ...
, and Jamaica all appealed to the United States for assistance. On 25 October 1983, combined forces from the United States and from the
Regional Security System
The Regional Security System (RSS) is an international agreement for the defence and security of the eastern Caribbean region with future expansion planned with South America.
History
The Regional Security System was created in 1982 to counter ...
(RSS) based in Barbados invaded Grenada in an operation codenamed ''
Operation Urgent Fury
The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...
''. The US stated this was done at the behest of Barbados,
Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and Governor-General
Paul Scoon
Sir Paul Godwin Scoon (4 July 1935 – 2 September 2013) was a Grenadian politician who served as Governor-General of Grenada from 1978 to 1992. His tenure is notable for its hectic events related to the rise and fall of the People's Revolutiona ...
. Scoon had requested the invasion through secret diplomatic channels, but it was not made public for his safety. Progress was rapid, and within four days the Americans had removed the military government of Hudson Austin.
The invasion was criticised by the governments of Britain,
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, and Canada. The
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
condemned it as "a flagrant violation of international law" by a vote of 108 to 9, with 27 abstentions. The
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
considered a similar resolution, which was supported by 11 nations. However, the United States vetoed the motion.
Post-invasion arrests
After the invasion, the pre-revolutionary Grenadian constitution came into operation once again. Eighteen members of the PRG/PRA were arrested on charges related to the murder of Maurice Bishop and seven others. The 18 included the top political leadership of Grenada at the time of the execution, along with the entire military chain of command directly responsible for the operation that led to the executions. Fourteen were
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, one was found not guilty, and three were sentenced to 45 years in prison. The death sentences were eventually commuted to terms of imprisonment. Those in prison have become known as 'the
Grenada 17
The Grenada 17 were the seventeen political, military and civilian figures convicted of various crimes associated with the 1983 overthrow of Maurice Bishop's government of Grenada and his subsequent murder.
History
In October 1983, various offi ...
'.
Since 1983
When US troops withdrew from Grenada in December 1983, Governor-General Scoon appointed an interim advisory council chaired by
Nicholas Brathwaite
Sir Nicholas Alexander Brathwaite OBE (8 July 1925 – 28 October 2016) was the head of government of Grenada for two periods, first as Chairman of the Interim Advisory Council (1983 to 1984) established after the United States invasion of Grena ...
to organise new elections. The first democratic elections since 1976 were
held in December 1984, and were won by the
New National Party under Herbert Blaize, who served as prime minister until his death in December 1989.
[''Political Parties of the World'' (6th edition, 2005), ed. Bogdan Szajkowski, page 265.]["Jan 1985 – General election and resumption of Parliament – Formation of Blaize government – Foreign relations Opening of airport – Start of murder trial", ''Keesing's Record of World Events'', volume 31, January 1985, Grenada, page 33,327.]
Ben Jones briefly succeeded Blaize as prime minister and served until the
March 1990 election.
This election was won by the
National Democratic Congress under Nicholas Brathwaite, who served as prime minister until he resigned in February 1995.
He was succeeded by
George Brizan
George Ignatius Brizan, CMG, CBE (31 October 1942 – 18 February 2012) was a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada for four months in 1995. He moved to the top post in February, upon the resignation of Nicholas Brathwai ...
for a brief period until the
June 1995 election which was won by the
New National Party under
Keith Mitchell
Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more ...
, who went on to win the
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
and
2003 elections, serving for a record 13 years until 2008.
Mitchell re-established relations with Cuba and also reformed the country's banking system, which had come under criticism over potential money laundering concerns.
In 2000–02, much of the controversy of the late 1970s and early 1980s was once again brought into the public consciousness with the opening of the
truth and reconciliation commission
A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...
.
The commission was chaired by a
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
, Father Mark Haynes, and was tasked with uncovering injustices arising from the PRA, Bishop's regime, and before. It held a number of hearings around the country. Brother Robert Fanovich, head of Presentation Brothers' College (PBC) in St. George's, tasked some of his senior students with conducting a research project into the era and specifically into the fact that Maurice Bishop's body was never discovered. Paterson also uncovered that there was still a lot of resentment in Grenadian society resulting from the era and a feeling that there were many injustices still unaddressed.
![Grenada ivan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Grenada_ivan.jpg)
On 7 September 2004, after being hurricane-free for 49 years, the island was directly hit by
Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlan ...
. Ivan struck as a
Category 3 hurricane
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally
*Category of being
* ''Categories'' (Aristotle)
*Category (Kant)
*Categories (Peirce)
*C ...
, resulting in 39 deaths and damage or destruction to 90% of the island's homes.
On 14 July 2005,
Hurricane Emily The name Emily has been used for fourteen tropical cyclones worldwide, seven in the Atlantic Ocean, five in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and two in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the Atlantic:
* Hurricane Emily (1981) – crossed Bermuda
*Hurricane Emi ...
, a Category 1 hurricane at the time, struck the northern part of the island with winds, killing one person and causing an estimated US$110 million (EC$297 million) worth of damage.
Agriculture, and in particular the nutmeg industry, suffered serious losses, but that event caused changes in crop management and it is hoped that as new nutmeg trees mature, the industry will gradually rebuild.
Mitchell was defeated in the
2008 election by the NDC under
, however he won the
2013 Grenadian general election
General elections were held in Grenada on 19 February 2013. The result was a landslide victory for the opposition New National Party, which won all 15 seats.
Date
The election date was announced by Prime Minister Tillman Thomas at the Natio ...
by a landslide and the NNP returned to power, winning again by another landslide
in 2018. In March 2020,
Grenada confirmed its first case of COVID-19 and, , 13,921 cases and 217 deaths had been recorded.
On 23 June 2022, the NDC won the
general election
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
under
Dickon Mitchell
Dickon Amiss Thomas Mitchell is a Grenadian politician and attorney serving as the ninth prime minister of Grenada since 24 June 2022 and the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since 2021. He led his party to victory in the 2022 ...
, who became prime minister the following day.
Geography
![Grenada-map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Grenada-map.png)
The island of Grenada is the southernmost island in the
Antilles
The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...
archipelago, bordering the eastern Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean, and roughly north of both
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and Trinidad and Tobago. Its sister islands make up the southern section of the Grenadines, which include
Carriacou
Carriacou is an island of the Grenadine Islands. It is a dependency of Grenada, and is located in the south-eastern Caribbean Sea, northeast of the island Grenada and the north coast of South America. The name is derived from the Carib lang ...
,
Petite Martinique
Petite Martinique is one of the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, which is a dependency of Grenada.
It is 4 km (2½ miles) away from Carriacou. With its and population of 900, it is smaller than Carriacou. Petite Martinique comp ...
,
Ronde Island Ronde Island, Grenada is a private island in the Lesser Antilles chain of the Caribbean Sea.
The island was listed for sale as of October 2007 for US$100,000,000, making it at the time the most expensive listed island property in the world.
Histo ...
,
Caille Island Caille Island is a 300-acre private island situated 3 miles (5 km) off the northern end of the Caribbean island oGrenada It’s adjacent to Ronde Island and lies between Grenada and Carriacou (Grenadines). Caille’s name is believed to have deriv ...
,
Diamond Island,
Large Island
Large Island is an islet between Grenada and Carriacou (Grenadines). It is part of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, a dependency of Grenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean S ...
,
Saline Island, and
Frigate Island; the remaining islands to the north belong to St Vincent and the Grenadines. Most of the population lives on Grenada, and major towns there include the capital, St. George's,
Grenville and
Gouyave
Gouyave is the capital and largest town in the parish of St John, Grenada. It is located on the west coast of the Grenada.
History
Originally called Charlotte Town after Queen Charlotte of Britain, it was renamed Gouyave by the French because of ...
. The largest settlement on the sister islands is
Hillsborough on Carriacou.
Grenada is of
volcanic
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...
origin,
as evident in its soil, mountainous interior, and several explosion craters, including Lake Antoine, Grand Etang Lake and
Levera Pond. Grenada's highest point is
Mount St. Catherine, rising to above sea level.
Other major mountains include
Mount Granby and
South East Mountain. Several small rivers with waterfalls flow into the sea from these mountains. The coastline contains several bays, most notably on the southern coast which is split into numerous thin peninsulas.
Grenada is home to four ecoregions: Windward Islands moist forests, Leeward Islands dry forests, Windward Islands dry forests, and Windward Islands xeric scrub. It had a 2018
Forest Landscape Integrity Index
The Forest Landscape Integrity Index (FLII) is an annual global index of forest condition measured by degree of anthropogenic modification. Created by a team of 48 scientists, the FLII, in its measurement of 300m pixels of forest across the globe ...
mean score of 4.22/10, ranking it 131st globally out of 172 countries.
Climate
The
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
is tropical: hot and humid in the
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...
and cooled by the moderate rainfall in the
rainy season
The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs.
Rainy Season may also refer to:
* ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King
* "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni
* ''T ...
. Temperatures range from and are rarely below . Grenada, being on the southern edge of the
hurricane belt
Hurricane Alley is an area of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from the west coast of northern Africa to the east coast of Central America and Gulf Coast of the Southern United States. Many hurricanes form within this area. The sea su ...
, has suffered only three hurricanes in fifty years.
Hurricane Janet
Hurricane Janet was the most powerful tropical cyclone of the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season and one of the strongest North Atlantic tropical cyclone, Atlantic hurricanes on record. Janet was also the first named storm to have 1,000 deaths and th ...
passed over Grenada on 23 September 1955, with winds of , causing severe damage. The most recent storms to hit Grenada have been Hurricane Ivan on 7 September 2004, causing severe damage and thirty-nine deaths, and Hurricane Emily on 14 July 2005, causing serious damage in Carriacou and in the north of Grenada, which had been relatively lightly affected by Hurricane Ivan.
Fauna
Like much of the Caribbean, Grenada is
depauperate
A depauperate ecosystem is an ecosystem which is lacking in numbers or variety of species, often because it lacks enough stored chemical elements and resources required for life. Thus, depauperate ecosystems often cannot support rapid growth of f ...
of
large animals. However, native
opossums
Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North A ...
,
armadillos
Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along w ...
, and introduced
mona monkey
The mona monkey (''Cercopithecus mona'') is an Old World monkey that lives in western Africa between Ghana and Cameroon. The mona monkey can also be found on the island of Grenada as it was transported to the island aboard slave ships headed to ...
s and
mongoose
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to so ...
s are common. It also boasts a rich
avifauna
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...
of 184 bird species, with one endemic (
Grenada dove
The Grenada dove (''Leptotila wellsi'') is a medium-sized New World tropical dove. It is endemic to the island of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Originally known as the pea doveLawrence, G. N. (1884). Characters of a new species of ''Engyptila' ...
), six introduced, and 116 rare or accidental.
Geology
Approximately 2 million years ago in the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58[shallow sea
An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland s ...](_blank)
as a submarine volcano. In recent times,
volcanic activity
Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a ...
has been non-existent, except for some of its
hot spring
A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...
and underwater volcano
Kick 'em Jenny
Kick 'em Jenny (also: Kick-'em-Jenny or Mt. Kick-'Em-Jenny) is an active submarine volcano or seamount on the Caribbean Sea floor, located north of the island of Grenada and about west of Ronde Island in the Grenadines. Kick-'em-Jenny rises a ...
. Most of Grenada's terrain is made up from volcanic activity that would have taken place 1-2 million years ago. There would have been many unknown volcanoes responsible for the formation of Grenada including Grenada's capital St. George's with its horseshoe-shaped harbour, the carenage. Two extinct volcanoes which are now crater lakes,
Grand Etang Lake and
Lake Antoine, would have also contributed towards the formation of Grenada.
Politics
Grenada is a
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
with
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
as
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
, represented locally by a governor-general.
Executive power
The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state.
In political systems ba ...
lies with the head of government, the
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. The governor-general role is largely ceremonial, while the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party in
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
.
The Parliament of Grenada consists of a Senate (13 members) and a House of Representatives (15 members). Senators are appointed by the government and the opposition, while the representatives are elected by the population for five-year terms.
Grenada operates a multi-party system, with the largest parties being the centre-right New National Party (NNP) and the centre-left National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In February 2013, the governing
National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
. The opposition
New National Party (NNP) won all 15 seats in the general election.
Keith Mitchell
Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more ...
, leader of NNP, who had served three terms as prime minister between 1995 and 2008, returned to power. Mitchell has led NNP to win all 15 seats in the House of Representatives on three separate occasions. In November 2021, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said that the upcoming general elections which are constitutionally due no later than June 2023, will be the last one for him.
Foreign relations
Grenada is a full and participating member of both the
Caribbean Community
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organization that is a political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) throughout the Caribbean. They have primary objectives to promote econom ...
(CARICOM) and the
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: ''Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale'', OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal ri ...
(OECS).
The Commonwealth
Grenada is, along with much of the Caribbean region, a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations
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 ...
. The organisation, which primarily consists of former British colonies, focuses on fostering international relations between its members.
Organization of American States (OAS)
Grenada is one of the 35 states which has ratified the
OAS
OAS or Oas may refer to:
Chemistry
* O-Acetylserine, amino-acid involved in cysteine synthesis
Computers
* Open-Architecture-System, the main user interface of Wersi musical keyboards
* OpenAPI Specification (originally Swagger Specification) ...
charter and is a member of the Organization. Grenada entered into the Inter-American system in 1975 according to the OAS's website.
Double Taxation Relief (CARICOM) Treaty
On 6 July 1994 at
Sherbourne Conference Centre
The Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (formerly known as the Sherbourne Conference Centre) is a conference centre facility on the Caribbean island of Barbados. Owned by the government of Barbados and managed by the government agency Barbados Conferen ...
in St. Michael, Barbados,
George Brizan
George Ignatius Brizan, CMG, CBE (31 October 1942 – 18 February 2012) was a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada for four months in 1995. He moved to the top post in February, upon the resignation of Nicholas Brathwai ...
signed the Double Taxation Relief (CARICOM) Treaty on behalf of the Government of Grenada. This treaty covered concepts such as taxes, residence, tax jurisdictions, capital gains, business profits, interest, dividends, royalties and other areas.
FATCA
On 30 June 2014, Grenada signed a Model 1 agreement with the United States of America in relation to Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
ALBA
In December 2014, Grenada joined
Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America
''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingdom ...
(ALBA) as a full member. Prime Minister Mitchell said that the membership was a natural extension of the co-operation Grenada have had over the years with both Cuba and Venezuela.
Military
Grenada has no standing military, leaving typical military functions to the
Royal Grenada Police Force
The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) is responsible for law enforcement in Grenada. The RGPF enforces criminal, immigration, and maritime laws. It is also held responsible for seaport security and fire services. With 14 police stations and over ...
(including a Special Service Unit) and the
Coast Guard of Grenada.
In 2019, Grenada signed the UN treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Administrative divisions
Grenada is divided into
six parishes:
Carriacou and Petite Martinique
Carriacou and Petite Martinique, also known as the Southern Grenadines, is a dependency of Grenada, lying north of Grenada island and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles. The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martiniq ...
(''not pictured'') have the status of a dependency.
Human rights
Homosexuality is illegal in Grenada and punishable by imprisonment.
Economy
![Grenada Product Exports (2019)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Grenada_Product_Exports_%282019%29.svg)
Grenada has a small economy in which tourism is the major
foreign exchange
The foreign exchange market (Forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. It includes all as ...
earner.
Major short-term concerns are the rising
fiscal deficit
The government budget balance, also alternatively referred to as general government balance, public budget balance, or public fiscal balance, is the overall difference between government revenues and spending. A positive balance is called a ''g ...
and the deterioration in the external account balance. Grenada shares a common
central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union,
and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...
and a common currency (the
East Caribbean dollar
The Eastern Caribbean dollar (symbol: EC$; code: XCD) is the currency of all seven full members and one associate member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The successor to the British West Indies dollar, it has existed sinc ...
) with seven other members of the
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS; French: ''Organisation des États de la Caraïbe orientale'', OECO) is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal ri ...
(OECS).
Grenada has suffered from a heavy external debt problem, with government debt service payments running at about 25% of total revenues in 2017; Grenada was listed as ninth from bottom in a study of 126 developing countries.
Agriculture and exports
![Myris fragr Fr 080112-3294 ltn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Myris_fragr_Fr_080112-3294_ltn.jpg)
Grenada is an exporter of several different spices, most notably nutmeg, its top export and depicted on the national flag, and
mace.
Other major exports include bananas, cocoa, fruit and vegetables, clothing, chocolate and fish.
Tourism
Tourism is the mainstay of Grenada's economy.
Conventional beach and water-sports tourism is largely focused in the southwest region around St George, the airport and the coastal strip.
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...
is growing in significance.
Grenada has many beaches around its coastline, including the long Grand Anse Beach in St. George's, often described as one of the best beaches in the world. Grenada's many waterfalls are also popular with tourists. The nearest to St. George's is the Annandale Waterfalls; others include Mt. Carmel, Concord, Seven Sisters and Tufton Hall.
![Grand Anse Beach Grenada](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Grand_Anse_Beach_Grenada.jpg)
Several festivals also draw in tourists, such as Carriacou Maroon and String Band Music Festival in April,
the Annual Budget Marine Spice Island Billfish Tournament, the Island Water World Sailing Week,
and the Grenada Sailing Festival Work Boat Regatta.
Education
Education in Grenada consists of kindergarten, pre-primary school, primary school, secondary school and tertiary education. The government has spent 10.3% of its budget on education in 2016, the third highest rate in the world.
Literacy rates are very high, with 98.6% of the population being able to read and write.
Schools include:
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Tertiary education
Transport
Maurice Bishop International Airport
Maurice Bishop International Airport , formerly known as Point Salines Airport, is an international airport located in the parish of Saint George Parish, Grenada, St. George's. The town of St. George's is about north of the airport and is th ...
is the country's main airport,
connecting the country with other Caribbean islands, the United States, Canada, and Europe. There is also an airport on Carriacou.
Demographics
![Carriacou Scene](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Carriacou_Scene.jpg)
A majority of Grenadians (82%
) are descendants of the
enslaved Africans
The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
.
Few of the indigenous Carib and Arawak population survived the French purge at
Sauteurs
Sauteurs (pronounced Sau-tez) is a fishing town in the Saint Patrick Parish, Grenada and is the fourth-largest city on the island of Grenada, with a population of about 1,300. It is located in the far north of Grenada. Sauteurs is overlooking over ...
. A small percentage of descendants of indentured workers from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
were brought to Grenada between 1857 and 1885, predominantly from the states of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
and
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. Today, Grenadians of Indian descent constitute 2.2% of the population.
There is also a small community of French and English descendants.
The rest of the population is of mixed descent (13%).
Grenada, like many of the Caribbean islands, is subject to a large amount of out-migration, with a large number of young people seeking more prospects abroad. Popular migration points for Grenadians include more prosperous islands in the Caribbean (such as Barbados), North American Cities (such as New York City, Toronto and Montreal), the United Kingdom (in particular, London and Yorkshire; see Grenadian British, Grenadians in the UK) and Australia.
Religion
Figures are 2011 estimates
* Protestant 49.2%; includes
** Pentecostalism, Pentecostal 17.2%
** Seventh-day Adventist Church, Seventh Day Adventist 13.2%
** Anglicanism, Anglican 8.5%
** Baptists, Baptist 3.2%
** Church of God in Christ, Church of God 2.4%
** Evangelical 1.9%
** Methodist 1.6%
** other 1.2%
* Roman Catholicism in Grenada, Roman Catholic 36%
* none 5.7%
* unspecified 1.3%
* Jehovah's Witness 1.2%
* Rastafari 1.2%
* other (incl. Hinduism, Islam, Afro-American religions and Judaism) 5.5%
Languages
English is the country's official language
but the main spoken language is either of two creole languages (Grenadian Creole English and, less frequently,
Grenadian Creole French
Grenadian Creole is a variety of Antillean Creole. In Grenada and among Grenadians, it is referred to as Patois.
History
The first successful settlement by a western colonial power in Grenada was in 1650, when the French from Martinique establi ...
) (sometimes called 'patois') which reflects the African, European, and native heritage of the nation. The creoles contain elements from a variety of African languages, French and English. Grenadian Creole French is mainly spoken in smaller rural areas.
Some Caribbean Hindustani, Hindustani terms are still spoken amongst the Indo-Grenadian community descendants.
The indigenous languages were Iñeri language, Iñeri and Karina language, Karina (Carib).
Culture
![GrenadaCarnival1965FeatheredHeaddresses](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/GrenadaCarnival1965FeatheredHeaddresses.jpg)
Island culture is heavily influenced by the Ethnic groups of Africa, African roots of most of the Grenadians, coupled with the country's long experience of colonial rule under the British. Although French influence on Grenadian culture is much less visible than on some other Caribbean islands, surnames and place names in French remain, and the everyday language is laced with French words and the local Creole, or Patois.
Stronger French influence is found in the well seasoned Spice, spicy food and styles of cooking similar to those found in New Orleans, and some French architecture has survived from the 1700s. Indian and Island Caribs, Carib Amerindian influence is also seen, especially in the island's cuisine.
Oil down, a stew, is considered to be the national dish.
The name refers to a dish cooked in coconut milk until all the milk is absorbed, leaving a bit of coconut oil in the bottom of the pot. Early recipes call for a mixture of salted pigtail, pig's feet (trotters), salt beef and chicken, dumplings made from flour, and provision like breadfruit, green banana, yam and potatoes. Callaloo leaves are sometimes used to retain the steam and add extra flavour.
Soca music, Soca, Calypso music, calypso, and reggae are popular music genres and are played at Grenada's annual Carnival. Over the years rap music became popular amongst Grenadian youths, and there have been numerous young rappers emerging in the island's underground rap scene. Zouk (musical movement), Zouk is also being slowly introduced onto the island.
An important aspect of the Grenadian culture is the tradition of storytelling, with Folklore, folk tales bearing both African and French influences. The character, ''Anansi, Anancy'', a spider who is a trickster, originated in West Africa and is prevalent on other islands as well. French influence can be seen in ''La Diablesse'', a well-dressed she-devil, and ''Loogaroo'' (from "loup-garou"), a werewolf.
Sports
Olympics
![Kirani James Daegu 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Kirani_James_Daegu_2011.jpg)
Grenada has competed in every Summer Olympics since the Grenada at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Kirani James won the first Olympic gold medal for Grenada in the Athletics at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres, men's 400 meters at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the silver medal in the Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres, men's 400 meters at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the bronze medal in the Athletics at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metres, men's 400 meters at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Cricket
As with other islands from the Caribbean, cricket is the national and most popular sport and is an intrinsic part of Grenadian culture. The Grenada national cricket team forms a part of the Windward Islands cricket team in regional domestic cricket, however it plays as a separate entity in minor regional matches, as well as having previously played Twenty20 cricket in the Stanford 20/20.
The Grenada National Cricket Stadium in St. George's hosts domestic and international cricket matches. Devon Smith, West Indies record holder to win the List-A cricket, List-A West Indian WICB Cup, domestic competition for the second time, was born in the small town of Hermitage (Carriacou), Hermitage.
In April 2007, Grenada jointly hosted (along with several other Caribbean nations) the 2007 Cricket World Cup. The Island's prime minister was the CARICOM representative on cricket and was instrumental in having the World Cup games brought to the region. After Hurricane Ivan, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) paid for the new $40 million Queen's Park, Grenada, national stadium and provided the aid of over 300 labourers to build and repair it. During the opening ceremony, the anthem of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) was accidentally played instead of the PRC's anthem, leading to the firing of top officials.
Football
Football is also a very popular sport in Grenada.
See also
*Outline of Grenada
*Index of Grenada-related articles
Notes
References
*Adkin, Mark. 1989. ''Urgent Fury: The Battle for Grenada: The Truth Behind the Largest US Military Operation Since Vietnam''. Trans-Atlantic Publications.
*Robert J. Beck, Beck, Robert J. 1993. ''The Grenada Invasion: Politics, Law, and Foreign Policy Decisionmaking''. Boulder: Westview Press.
*Brizan, George 1984. ''Grenada Island of Conflict: From Amerindians to People's Revolution 1498–1979''. London, Zed Books Ltd., publisher; Copyright, George Brizan, 1984.
*Martin, John Angus. 2007. ''A–Z of Grenada Heritage''. Macmillan Caribbean.
*
*Sinclair, Norma. 2003. ''Grenada: Isle of Spice (Caribbean Guides)''. Interlink Publishing Group; 3rd edition.
*Stark, James H. 1897. ''Stark's Guide-Book and History of Trinidad including Tobago, Grenada, and St. Vincent; also a trip up the Orinoco and a description of the great Venezuelan Pitch Lake''. Boston, James H. Stark, publisher; London, Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
*
External links
*
Official Website of the Government of GrenadaGrenada ''The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency.
Grenadaat ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''.
*
Grenadafrom the BBC News.
Presentation Brothers CollegeKey Development Forecasts for Grenadafrom International Futures.
''The Grenada Newsletter'', 1974–1994in the Digital Library of the Caribbean
The dream of a Black utopia podcast from The Washington Post. Includes interview with Dessima Williams, Grenada's former ambassador to the U.S.
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