Caribbean
Country Profiles
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and its dependencies (the islands of Bequia,
Mustique, Mayreau, Canouan and Union, known as the Grenadines)
are comprised of 32 islands and cays. Saint Vincent shares
administration of the Grenadines with Grenada.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines cover an area of 389 square
kilometres, 344 of which is the island of Saint Vincent. The
islands are volcanic and mountainous with a tropical climate.
The islands are susceptible to hurricanes and there is a constant
threat of eruption from the Soufriere volcano on Saint Vincent.
The country is a parliamentary democracy within the British
Commonwealth. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves is the head of
government and Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state. Governmental
elections will be held March 2006. The country is divided into
six parishes. The capital city is Kingstown.
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People
|
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Human Development Index Ranking (out of 173)
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91
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Population (millions)
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0.1
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Population growth rate (%)
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0.6
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Adult literacy rate (% age 15 and above)
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88.9
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Health
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Life expectancy
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69.6
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Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)
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21
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People living with HIV/AIDS (% adults 15-49)
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---
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Population using improved water sources (%)
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93
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Population using adequate sanitation facilities
(%)
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96
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Economy
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GDP (US$ billions)
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0.3
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Population living below national poverty line (%)
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---
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Source: United Nation Human Development Reports,
Human Development Indicators 2002
--- indicates information not available
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