nce

Transnational Issues
Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Introduction
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Background:

Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent
until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most
of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783.
Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a
separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies.
Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geography
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic
Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:

13 15 N, 61 12 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

84 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May
to November)

Terrain:

volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, cropland

Land use:

arable land: 17.95%
permanent crops: 17.95%
other: 64.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.01
per capita: 83 cu m/yr (1995)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a
constant threat

Environment - current issues:

pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by
pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is
severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: no