Grenada | |
Nickname: | The Spice Isle |
Location: | Caribbean Sea |
Pushpin Map: | Grenada#Lesser Antilles#Caribbean |
Pushpin Relief: | 1 |
Coordinates: | 12.1167°N -101°W |
Archipelago: | Grenadines |
Area Km2: | 344.5 |
Length Km: | 21 |
Width Km: | 12 |
Coastline Km: | 121 |
Highest Mount: | Mount St. Catherine |
Elevation M: | 870 |
Country: | Grenada |
Country Largest City Population: | 7,500 |
Languages: | English (official), Grenadian Creole |
Population: | 109,100 |
Population As Of: | 2012 |
Density Km2: | 313 |
Ethnic Groups: | Blacks 82% Mulatto 12% South Asians (Indo-Grenadians) 3% and whites 2.9%, trace Arawak/Carib Amerindian |
Grenada is an island country located between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located at 12.1167°N -101°W. There are no large inland bodies of water on the island, which consists entirely of the state of Grenada. The coastline is 121 km long. The island has 15 constituencies and speaks English and Grenadian Creole. It is volcanic in origin and its topography is mountainous.
Natural resources include timber, tropical fruit and deepwater harbours.
Grenada and its largely uninhabited outlying territories are the most southerly of the Windward Islands. The Grenadine Islands chain consists of some 600 islets; those south of the Martinique Channel belong to Grenada, while those north of the channel are part of the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Located about 160 kilometers north of Venezuela, at approximately 12° north latitude and 61° west longitude, Grenada and its territories occupy a small area of 433 square kilometers. Grenada, known as the Spice Isle because of its production of nutmeg and mace, is the largest at 310 square kilometers, or about the size of the city of Detroit. The island is oval shaped and framed by a jagged southern coastline; its maximum width is thirty-four kilometers, and its maximum length is nineteen kilometers. St. George's, the capital and the nation's most important harbour, is favorably situated near a lagoon on the southwestern coast. Of all the islands belonging to Grenada, only two are of consequence: Carriacou, with a population of a few thousand, and its neighbour Petit Martinique, roughly 40 kilometers northeast of Grenada and populated by some 700 inhabitants.
Part of the volcanic chain in the Lesser Antilles arc, Grenada and its possessions generally vary in elevation from under 300 meters to over 600 meters above sea level. Grenada is more rugged and densely foliated than its outlying possessions, but other geographical conditions are more similar. Grenada's landmass rises from a narrow, coastal plain in a generally north–south trending axis of ridges and narrow valleys. Mount St. Catherine is the highest peak at 840 meters.
Although many of the rocks and soils are of volcanic origin, the volcanic cones dotting Grenada are long dormant. The only known active volcano in the area is Kick 'em Jenny, just north between Grenada and Carriacou.[1] Some of the drainage features on Grenada remain from its volcanic past. There are a few crater lakes, the largest of which is Grand Etang. The swift upper reaches of rivers, which occasionally overflow and cause flooding and landslides, generally cut deeply into the conic slopes. By contrast, many of the water courses in the lowlands tend to be sluggish and meandering.
Nr | Island | Capital | Other Cities | Area (km2) | Population | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Port Calivigny south | 0.28 | 20 | |||
2 | Hillsborough | Grand Bay | 37.77 | 8150 | ||
2.1 | Lauriston, Grand Bay, | 34 | 7200 | |||
2.2 | 0.39 | 0 | ||||
2.3 | 0.5 | 0 | ||||
2.4 | North beach | Piton hill, southwest beach | 2.37 | 950 | ||
2.5 | John Family mansion | 0.28 | 0 | |||
2.6 | Limekiln Bay | 0.05 | 0 | |||
2.7 | More Islands | Petit Dominica | Mabouya, Sandy, little Tobago | 0.18 | 0 | |
4 | Degra Bay | 0.06 | 0 | |||
3 | St. George's | St. David's, Grenville, Sauteurs, Victoria, Gouyave, | 306.00 | 100930 | ||
5 | Saint Patrick Parish Islands | Sugarloaf Island | Ronde Island | 4.28 | 2 | |
5.1 | 0.03 | 0 | ||||
5.2 | West beach | Whale bay | 0.70 | 0 | ||
5.3 | southwest point | 0.22 | 0 | |||
5.4 | 0.14 | 0 | ||||
5.5 | Grand Tantes | Petit Tantes | 0.3 | 0 | ||
5.6 | South dock | Corn Store Bay | 2.70 | 0 | ||
5.7 | west beach | 0.11 | 0 | |||
5.8 | Southwest point mansion | 0.08 | 2 | |||
6 | Other | Hog Island | 0.35 | 0 | ||
Grenada and the Grenadines | St. George's | St. David's, Grenville, Sauteurs, Gouyave, Hillsborough, | 348.5 | 109102 |
The Grenadian climate is tropical, tempered by northeast trade winds. The abundance of water is primarily caused by the tropical, wet climate. Yearly precipitation, largely generated by the warm and moisture-laden northeasterly trade winds, varies from more than 35001NaN1 on the windward mountainsides to less than 15001NaN1 in the lowlands. The greatest monthly totals are recorded throughout Grenada from June through November, the months when tropical storms and hurricanes are most likely to occur. Rainfall is less pronounced from December through May, when the equatorial low-pressure system moves south. Similarly, the highest humidities, usually close to 80 percent, are recorded during the rainy months, and values from 68 to 78 percent are registered during the drier period. Temperatures averaging 29°C are constant throughout the year, however, with slightly higher readings in the lowlands. Nevertheless, diurnal ranges within a 24-hour period are appreciable: between 26and during the day and between 19and at night.