St Vincent was originally settled around 5,000 BC by the Ciboney people, then by the Arawaks and subsequently by the warlike Caribs. The island was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1498 who named it St Vincent. The Caribs of St Vincent, living in the densely forested mountainous interior, were able to resist European settlement for longer than any other island in the Caribbean.

In 1675 a Dutch ship carrying African slaves was shipwrecked to the south of the island. The slaves reached land and intermarried with the local population producing a mixed-race Black Carib community. A rebellion by the Black Caribs in 1795/96 succeeded in gaining control of most of the island, but was eventually suppressed. Most of the Black Caribs were deported in 1797 to the island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras. Their descendants now form the Garifuna community of Belize. Smaller groups of Black Caribs remain in St Vincent and are concentrated in the north-east of the island.

Granted by Charles I to the Earl of Carlisle in 1627, the islands were disputed between Britain and France but were finally ceded to Britain in 1783. The islands had a plantation economy based on slave labour and producing sugar, cotton, coffee and cocoa. As in the rest of the British Caribbean, slavery was abolished in 1834. The islands have been subject to natural disasters caused by hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. The eruption of La Soufriere in 1902 devastated the north of St Vincent killing 2,000 people. Internal self-government was granted in 1969 and St Vincent and the Grenadines attained independence within the Commonwealth in 1979.

Flag

Coat of Arms

Download Anthem

St. Vincent! Land so beautiful,
With joyful hearts we pledge to thee,
Our loyalty and love, and vow,
To keep you ever free.

Refrain

Whate’er the future brings,
Our faith will see us through,
May peace reign from shore to shore,
And God bless and keep us true.

Hairoun! Our fair and blessed isle,
Your mountains high, so clear and green,
Are home to me, though I may stray,
A haven, calm serene.

Refrain

Our little sister islands are,
Those gems, the lovely Grenadines,
Upon their seas and golden sands,
The sunshine ever beams.

Refrain

Words by: Phyllis Punet
Music by: Joel Miguel

National Bird

St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii)

The National Bird of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the St. Vincent Parrot (the Amazona Guildingii). It is the only type of parrot on the island and is a large beautiful coloured bird about 16-18 inches in length. The head is white, yellow and violet. The neck is mostly green, the body plumage is predominantly gold and brown washed with green. The wings are variegated and the tail green and violet blue, broadly tipped with yellow.

National Flower

Soufriere Tree (Spachea perforatais)

The Soufriere Tree (Spachea perforatais) is a member of a fairly well represented family of  the tropical floras, namely MALPIGHIACEAE. Other well-known members are common Barbados Cherry – malpighia punicifolia, and an attractive forest tree, the Shoemaker’s Bark or Bois-tan – Byromina spicata, whose abundant yellow flowers and dark green foliage render it quite conspicuous when in bloom. The family is otherwise represented as trees, shrubs and vines.

The Soufriere Tree was reported to have been collected on the volcano in 1804, i.e. before the 1812 eruption, by Dr. Alexander Anderson the Medical Officer and Curator of the Gardens. An old specimen of the tree is still to be found in the Gardens along with much younger trees. The tree air layers quite readily and will root from cuttings also; but both trees at the Gardens have never fronted or set seed even though they flower profusely and the flowers are bisexual.

The Soufriere tree is an untidy brancher with simple lanceolate leaves - about two inches to four inches long by one inch wide. The individual flower is small, but they are borne in profuse pendent racemes about two inches to three inches long, which are of a quite attractive pale pink hue.

The outstanding feature of the Soufriere tree is that it is a purely endemic species, known from Saint Vincent only and it has not been found in the wild since. Specimens were sent to few Gardens and a plant has been established in the Trinidad Botanic Gardens. Most plants in the Lesser Antilles are widely distributed, endemic species being relatively few, unlike in the Greater Antilles where they are far commoner.

National Holidays

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The incidence of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region is second only to sub-Sahara Africa.

A UK-CARICOM Forum on Reducing Stigma and Discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean was held in St Kitts in November 2004. The Forum was attended by stakeholders from throughout the region. Participants included the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr Peter Piot; the Director of the Caribbean Commission on Health and Development, Sir George Alleyne; Dr Edwin Carrington, CARICOM Secretary-General and DfID Minister Gareth Thomas MP. The aim of the Forum was to accelerate the process of reducing HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination through persons identified as 'Champions for Change'. The Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS has taken this work forward in the private sector. The campaign is starting to gain ground in government and the media, but public attitudes are slow to change.

Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate, 2000-2006*, male

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Youth (15-24 years) literacy rate, 2000-2006*, female

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Number per 100 population 2005: phones

78

Number per 100 population 2005: Internet users

8

Primary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, gross, male

117

Primary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, gross, female

105

Primary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, net, male

92

Primary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, net, female

88

Primary school attendance ratio (2000-2006*) ratio, net, male

-

Primary school attendance ratio (2000-2006*) ratio, net, female

-

% of primary school entrants reaching grade 5 2000-2006*, adMinister data

88

% of primary school entrants reaching grade 5 2000-2006*, survey data

-

Secondary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, gross, male

67

Secondary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, gross, female

83

Secondary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, net, male

57

Secondary school enrolment ratio 2000-2006*, net, female

71

Secondary school attendance ratio (2000-2006*), net, male

-

Secondary school attendance ratio (2000-2006*), net, female

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St Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations. HRH Queen Elizabeth II is Head of State and is represented on the island by a Governor-General, an office with mostly ceremonial functions. Control of government rests with the Prime Minister and the cabinet. The Parliament is a unicameral body (House of Assembly with 21 seats, out of which 15 are elected representatives and six are appointed senators). The Governor-General appoints Senators, four on the advice of the Prime Minister and two on the advice of the leader of the opposition. The parliamentary term of office is five years, although the Prime Minister may call elections at any time. As in other English-speaking Caribbean countries, the judiciary in St Vincent is rooted in British common law. There are 11 courts in three magisterial districts. The Lower Judiciary includes the Magistracy and the Family Court with the High Judiciary comprising of the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Appeals can be made through the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. The court of last resort is the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.

The last election was in December 2005 when the ruling United Labour Party (ULP) party was returned to power and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves was elected for his second term. Dr Gonslaves is an energetic grass-roots politician. Up until the elections in March 2001 the New Democratic Party (NDP) has enjoyed ending almost 17 years of continuous rule. Observers from the OAS, Caricom, the Commonwealth Secretariat and Caribbean Rights were all present to monitor the elections. Education, job creation and poverty alleviation remain the Government's highest priorities. Dr Gonsalves claims that his Government has created over 3500 new jobs, and he has implemented a series of measures aimed at reducing poverty. These include the establishment of a Poverty Alleviation Fund, an increase in the Basic Needs Trust Fund, a comprehensive Social Recovery Programme and the development of a Poverty Reduction Strategy under the auspices of the new National Economic and Social Development Council. He also has a number of ambitious capital projects under consideration, including a new airport and a cross-country road, but is hampered by lack of finance.