Grenadines Explained

Grenadine Islands

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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines#Lesser Antilles#Caribbean

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Caribbean

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Major Islands:

Carriacou, Young Island, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent, and Palm Island.

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Demonym:

Grenadinese

Timezone1:

AST

Utc Offset1:

-4

Additional Info:

Nickname:	Grenadine
Population Total:	est. 20,880
Population Density Km2:	194.2

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): Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Petit St Vincent, Palm Island and Mayreau, 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, is part of the country of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 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 of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. 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.

History

The history of the Grenadines^[1] is not well studied due to their relative lack of geopolitical importance, the paucity of original documents and lack of serious research. The islands were sparsely populated by the Caribs, who used them mainly for fishing and food gathering. When the French claimed Grenada in 1650, the Grenadines were included (St Vincent to the north remained Carib country). Because of their small size, dangerous reefs and lack of fresh water, the French used them mainly for fishing, turtle catching and lime-making. They were also used by smugglers and pirates. Permanent settlements began about 1740. When the British took over in 1762 there were a fair number of French plantations on Bequia and Carriacou. In 1791 the islands were divided between Grenada and Saint Vincent.

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.^[2] The following islands make up the Grenadines Parish:

Island	Area	Pop.	Capital
Northern Grenadines
	18.3km2	5,300	Port Elizabeth
	5.7km2	800	Lovell (private island)
Southern Grenadines
	9km2	2,700	Clifton
	7.6km2	1,200	Port Charlestown
	1.2km2	280	Old Wall
Uninhabited Grenadines
	0.55km2		Cactus Hill (private island)
	0.46km2		Telescope Hill (private island)
	0.25km2		marine reserve
	1.52km2
	1.2km2
	0.71km2
	0.4km2
	0.29km2
	0.2km2
	0.11km2

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 contain:

Island	Area	Pop.	Capital
Southern Grenadines
	32.73km2	10,000	Hillsborough
	2.37km2	900	North Village
Non-inhabited Islands
	8.1km2
Caille Island	1.62 km² (400 acres)
	0.11km2
	0.15km2
	0.09km2

Notes and References

Martin, John Angus, Island Caribs and French Settlers in Grenada,2013, Chapter 11
Web site: St Vincent and the Grenadines, Population and Housing Census Preliminary Report 2012. The Census Office, SVG Government. 30 December 2015.