Grenada
Grenada (/ɡrəˈneɪdə/ ⓘ grə-NAY-də; Grenadian Creole French: Gwenad /ɡwiˈnaɪd/) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about 100 miles north of Trinidad and the South American mainland.
This article is about the island country in the Caribbean. For other uses, see Grenada (disambiguation).
Grenada
- 96.6% Christianity
- 48.8% Catholicism
- 39.2% Protestantism
- 8.6% other Christian
- 1.3% Hinduism
- 1.0% no religion
- 0.7% Rastafari
- 0.4% other
Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
3 March 1967
7 February 1974
13 March 1979
4 December 1984
348.5 km2 (134.6 sq mi) (185th)
1.6
318.58/km2 (825.1/sq mi) (45th)
2023 estimate
$2.3 billion[9]
$20,195[9]
2023 estimate
$1.3 billion[9]
$11,437[9]
left
Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and several small islands which lie to the north of the main island and are a part of the Grenadines. Its size is 348.5 square kilometres (134.6 sq mi), with an estimated population of 124,523 in July 2021.[11] Its capital is St. George's.[11] Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" due to its production of nutmeg and mace crops.[12]
12°07′N 61°40′W / 12.117°N 61.667°W
Before the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Grenada was inhabited by the indigenous peoples from South America.[13] Christopher Columbus sighted Grenada in 1498 during his third voyage to the Americas.[11] Following several unsuccessful attempts by Europeans to colonise the island due to resistance from resident Island Caribs, French settlement and colonisation began in 1649 and continued for the next century.[14] On 10 February 1763, Grenada was ceded to the British under the Treaty of Paris. British rule continued until 1974 (except for a brief French takeover between 1779 and 1783).[15] However, on 3 March 1967, it was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs as an Associated State, and from 1958 to 1962, Grenada was part of the Federation of the West Indies, a short-lived federation of British West Indian colonies.
Independence was granted on 7 February 1974 under the leadership of Eric Gairy, who became the first prime minister of Grenada as a sovereign state. The new country became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state.[11] In March 1979, the Marxist–Leninist New Jewel Movement overthrew Gairy's government in a bloodless coup d'état and established the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG), headed by Maurice Bishop as prime minister.[16] Bishop was later arrested and executed by members of the People's Revolutionary Army (PRA), which was used to justify a U.S.-led invasion in October 1983. Since then, the island has returned to a parliamentary representative democracy and has remained politically stable.[11] A Governor General represents the Head of State. The country is currently headed by King Charles III, King of Grenada and 14 other commonwealth realms.
Etymology[edit]
The origin of the name "Grenada" is obscure, but it is likely that Spanish sailors named the island for the Andalusian city of Granada.[11][17] The name "Granada" was recorded by Spanish maps in the 1520s and referred to the islands to the north as Los Granadillos ("Little Granadas");[14] although those named islands were deemed the property of the King of Spain, there are no records to suggest the Spanish ever attempted to settle Grenada.[18] The French maintained the name (as "La Grenade" in French) after settlement and colonisation in 1649.[14] On 10 February 1763, the island of La Grenade was ceded to the British under the Treaty of Paris. The British renamed it "Grenada", one of many place-name anglicisations they made there.[19]
It carried at least two other European names during the Age of Discovery. The island was given its first by Christopher Columbus who sighted it on his third voyage to the region in 1498 and named it "La Concepción" in honour of the Virgin Mary. 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".[17] The year after, Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci travelled through the region with the Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda and mapmaker Juan de la Cosa. Vespucci is reported to have renamed the island "Mayo", although this is the only map where the name appears.[18]
The indigenous Arawak who once lived on the island before the arrival of the Europeans gave the name Camajuya.[20]
Transport[edit]
Maurice Bishop International Airport is the country's main airport,[11] connecting the country with other Caribbean islands, the United States, Canada, and Europe. There is also an airport on Carriacou called Lauriston Airport.[24]
