Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
From Wikitravel
Contents
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| Location | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Kingstown |
| Government | parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth |
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
| Area | 389 sq km |
| Population | 116,394 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | English, French patois |
| Religion | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Hindu Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant |
| Calling Code | 784 |
| Internet TLD | .vc |
| Time Zone | UTC -4 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines [1] is an island nation in the Caribbean, north of Trinidad and Tobago. It shares the southernmost Grenadines Islands with the independent island nation of Grenada.
[edit] Regions
- Saint Vincent - the largest island, the majority of the territory
- Grenadines - an archipelago of 32 islands and cays, to the south
[edit] Cities
- Kingstown - the capital
[edit] Understand
Bananas and other agricultural products remain the staple of this lower-middle income country's economy. Although tourism and other services have been growing moderately in recent years, the government has been ineffective at introducing new industries. Unemployment remains high, and economic growth hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors.
[edit] Climate
Tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November).
[edit] Landscape
Volcanic, mountainous. Highest point: Soufriere volcano (St Vincent) 1,234 m
[edit] Get in
[edit] By plane
The largest airport is E.T. Joshua Airport just outside of the capital of Kingstown. Most flights in and out are relatively local, mostly flying to nearby islands such as Barbados, and Saint Kitts.
[edit] By boat
The islands have many docks and bays, including two large enough to accommodate a cruise ship. Despite this, very few cruises stop in the country and the vast majority of travelers come to the country by airplane.
[edit] Get around
The Island is relativlly small, but the mountainous landscape makes it difficult to get around the island. The main highways run along the costs and as such it is necessary to drive around the whole of the island to get from one side to the other. In terms of public transportaion the island is served by a large number of privatly owned vans that act as a bus service. Driving is on the left.
[edit] By boat
Windward Islands - Windward Islands, one of the worlds largest yacht charter companies, can take care of all crewed charter (no bareboat available) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Operating from 8 international offices (USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Caribbean, Monaco).
TripSailor - Marinas and Cruising Logs in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
[edit] Talk
The main language on the islands is English. As a former British colony, British spellings are more common then American ones.
[edit][add listing] Buy
Ju-C Cola & Hairoun Beer
[edit] Costs
==Do==- Carnival in early July a.k.a. Vincy Mas (much music and drinking)
- Eat pork or chicken at a roadside barbeque on Friday or Saturday night
- Enjoy the view from Fort Charlotte
- Visit Montreal Gardens
- Hike the Vermont Nature Trail
- Visit the Botanical Gardens
- Climb La Soufriere Volcano (not an easy climb!)
- Swim in the Tobago Cays
[edit][add listing] Eat
[edit][add listing] Drink
In Kingstown, the water is safe to drink, but be a bit careful at some other locations. The water quality can vary depending upon the season of the year and how the water (often rain water) is collected. Bitter Lemon is a popular soda. Hairoun is a popular locally produced beer. Adventurous drinkers will want to try Black Wine.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
Many tourists arrive in the Grenadines, stay at a resort, and never get the opportunity to interact with the citizens. If you want to get a taste of the true culture, consider a guest house or apartment in Kingstown. Fort View Guest House in Edinboro is a good choice. It is within walking distance of downtown Kingstown.
Hotels in Kingstown
- Tropic Breeze Hotel Kingstown
- Villa Breezeville Lodge Hotel Kingstown
- Moon Light Villa Hotel Kingstown
Hotels in Saint Vincent
[edit] Learn
[edit] Work
[edit] Stay safe
Hurricanes are an annual risk. The La Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is occasionally active, but a sophisticated advance warning system is in place and resulted in zero casualties in its latest eruption in 1979.
[edit] Stay healthy
The US government suggests that hepatitis A and B shots be given to anyone traveling in the Caribbean, however there are no major health risks in the country.
[edit] Respect
[edit] Contact
St. Vincent uses the North American style of calling codes, where all local numbers are seven digits. The area code for the islands is 784, which makes all international numbers for Saint Vincent in the form of 1-784-XXX-XXXX
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