| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |  |  | | Basic facts | | | The country | |
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| | Capital: Kingstown | | Area: 389 sq km; 150 sq miles | | Population: 115,942 (July 2001 est.) | | Urbanisation: Urban 52 per cent (1998 Estimate); Rural 48 per cent (1998 Estimate) | |
Economy
| Exports: Bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, flour, rice
| Industry: Food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch, sugar, rum, tourism
| Agriculture: Bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, fish
| Currency: 1 East Caribbean dollar (EC$), consisting of 100 cents
| Natural resources: Warm climate, sandy beaches, fish
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The people
| Ethnic: Black African descent 66 per cent, mixed 19 per cent, East Indian 6 per cent, Carib Native American 2 per cent, Other 7 per cent.
| Language: English (official), French patois
| Religion: Anglican 47 per cent, Methodist 28 per cent, Roman Catholic 13 per cent, Other including Seventh-Day Adventist 12 per cent.
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The history
| Independence: Granted on 27 October 1979 from the United Kingdom
| Government: The head of state is the British monarch, represented by a governor-general, but a Prime Minister, who is responsible to the parliament, known as the House of Assembly, exercises actual power. Of the Assembly's 21 members, 15 are popularly elected and the governor-general on recommendation from the Prime Minister and the opposition leader appoints 6.
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