island nation lying within the Lesser Antilles, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It consists of the island of Saint Vincent and of the northern Grenadine Islands, which stretch southward toward Grenada. The island of Saint Vincent lies about 21 miles (34 kilometres) southwest of Saint Lucia and 100 miles west of Barbados. It is 18 miles long and has a maximum width of 11 miles, and its area is 134 square miles (347 square kilometres). Some of the larger islands of the Grenadines are Bequia, Canouan, Mayreau, Mustique, and Union Island. Including the Grenadines, the territory comprises a total area of about 150 square miles. The capital and major port is Kingstown, on Saint Vincent. The country is a member of the Commonwealth.

Relief, soils, and drainage

The island of Saint Vincent has thickly wooded volcanic mountains running north to south and producing many short, swift streams. The streams are numerous but, except after heavy rains, small. There are no navigable rivers. The highest peaks are on the volcano Soufrière (4,048 feet [1,234 metres] and 3,864 feet [1,178 metres]) in the north, which erupted disastrously in 1812 and 1902, when the entire northern half of the island was devastated. The 1902 eruption coincided with that of Mount Pelée in Martinique. Soufrière became active again in 1979, causing massive evacuation and a great deal of damage to agriculture. The volcanic ash has produced a fertile soil that has given rise to a lush green vegetation. Birdlife on the island is especially rich. Some of the larger Grenadines have hills, and many are noted for their coral reefs and fine beaches.

Climate

Saint Vincent lies in the path of the northeast trade winds and has a tropical maritime climate. Rainfall and temperature vary with altitude. Average annual rainfall ranges from about 60 inches (1,524 millimetres) on the coast to 150 inches in the central mountains. The temperature at Kingstown averages between 64 and 90 F (18 and 32 C). Hurricanes occasionally pass across the island, and it suffered severely in 1780, 1898, and 1980. The dry season on St. Vincent lasts from January to May; the rains start in June and continue from that time to the end of the year.

The people

Nearly three-fourths of the inhabitants are black, and another fifth is mulatto. A small minority is of European descent, and there is a small group of East Indian extraction; only a few are of Carib Amerindian stock, but there is a small group of black-Amerindian mixture. English is the official language, and some French patois is spoken. The main religious denominations are Anglican, Methodist, and Roman Catholic. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has one of the highest birth rates among the West Indies, giving the islands an extremely high rate of population increase that is moderated by emigration.

Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries

The economy of Saint Vincent is chiefly agricultural. Traditional crops are arrowroot (of which the country is a major producer) and sugarcane, but since the 1950s bananas have become the leading export and the production of sugarcane has become negligible. Other crops include sweet potatoes, plantains, yams, ginger, and nutmeg. Nearly half of the island is forested, the woodland being used for charcoal burning. Both inshore and offshore fishing are carried on.

Colonization

Saint Vincent may have been given its name by Christopher Columbus, who is thought to have visited the island on Jan. 22, 1498 (St. Vincent's Day). Its Carib inhabitants were left almost undisturbed until the 18th century. In 1673 the first Africans arrived, a party of slaves who were shipwrecked in the Grenadines and eventually reached Saint Vincent, intermarrying with the native Caribs. French, Dutch, and British settlements were attempted, with the French dominant until the Seven Years' War, when the British general Robert Monckton occupied it (1762). The Treaty of Paris (1763) confirmed British possession, and settlement proceeded in spite of Carib refusal to accept British sovereignty. In 1779 the island was seized by the French, but it was restored to Britain in 1783. In 1795 the Caribs rose in revolt, assisted by the French, but they were finally subdued the following year. Most of them were then deported to the Bay Islands off Honduras and Belize. The emancipation of black slaves in 1834 decreased the island's labour supply, and Portuguese and East Indian labourers were introduced late in the century.

In the latter half of the 19th century, sugar prices fell, plunging the island into a depression that lasted through the end of the century. The hurricane of 1898 and the volcanic eruption of 1902 hindered recovery.

In 1958 Saint Vincent joined the West Indies Federation. In 1960 it received a new constitution. It became a state in association with the United Kingdom on Oct. 27, 1969. The island had become a member of the Caribbean Free Trade Area on July 1, 1968.

Independence

Plans put forward in 1972 for the unifications of Saint Vincent with Grenada and Saint Lucia were later dissolved. Independence for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as the nation was called, was achieved on Oct. 27, 1979. The new government was formed as a constitutional monarchy and became a member of the Commonwealth. The Saint Vincent Labour Party won the elections of December 1979, and Milton Cato became the first prime minister. Cato was critical of the revolution in Grenada and of developments in Jamaica and Guyana. He preferred closer links with the relatively centrist governments of Trinidad and Tobago and of Barbados.

In 1979 the Soufrière volcano erupted once again, damaging agriculture and the tourist trade. Hurricane Allen virtually wiped out the all-important banana crop in 1980. Recession in the United States and the falling value of the pound sterling against the dollar further lowered tourist visits and exports of bananas.

In July 1984 the New Democratic Party, under James Mitchell, won the general elections. Mitchell began a program of reorganizing agriculture and of lowering unemployment (which stood at more than 30 percent) by encouraging the construction industry. Under his leadership the economy steadily improved, though high unemployment remained a serious problem. Mitchell began a second five-year term in 1989 after elections gave his party all 15 elective seats in the legislature.