Grenada
(gre-NAI-duh), republic (1991 pop. 90,691), in the
Windward Isls., West Indies; 12°07'N 61°40'W. The state includes
the isl. of Grenada (
133 sq mi/344 sq km) and the S
⅓ of the archipelago known as the Grenadines
(gren-nuh-DEENZ). The is St. George's, also main port, and
commercial center. Grenada is a volcanic, mountainous isl. with crater
lakes. Its economy is primarily agr., and cocoa, bananas, nutmeg, mace,
and fruit are exported. Tourism is a developing industry, although it
suffered during the political unrest of the late 1970s and
early 1980s. The Grenadines are a group of small isls. and islets N of
Grenada in the Windward Isls. They are largely uninhabitable. From its
sighting by Christopher Columbus in 1498 until Fr. settlement began in
1650, the Caribs prevented European colonization on Grenada. A point of
dispute bet. England and France, the isl. became permanently Br. in
1783. The Br. imported Afr. slaves and established sugar plantations.
In 1967, Grenada became an associated state of Britain with full
internal self-government. When complete independence was achieved in
Feb. 1974, Grenada became a full member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
In 1979 a successful, bloodless coup established the People's
Revolutionary Govt. (PRG) under Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Its
favorable stance toward Cuba and the Soviet Union strained relations
with the U.S. and other nations in the region in the early 1980s. An
internal coup in Oct. 1983 resulted in the execution of Bishop and the
assumption of power by the army. That same month, the U.S. invaded and
occupied Grenada under the rationale of protecting U.S. students
studying at the St. George's Univ. School of Medicine. A general
election held in Dec. 1984 reestablished democratic govt. Since then,
financial aid from the U.S. and Europe has helped boost tourism; 2
world-class resorts, La Source and Rex Grenadian, opened in 1994.
Capital city or county seat is shown by the symbol
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is St. George's, also main port, and
commercial center. Grenada is a volcanic, mountainous isl. with crater
lakes. Its economy is primarily agr., and cocoa, bananas, nutmeg, mace,
and fruit are exported. Tourism is a developing industry, although it
suffered during the political unrest of the late 1970s and
early 1980s. The Grenadines are a group of small isls. and islets N of
Grenada in the Windward Isls. They are largely uninhabitable. From its
sighting by Christopher Columbus in 1498 until Fr. settlement began in
1650, the Caribs prevented European colonization on Grenada. A point of
dispute bet. England and France, the isl. became permanently Br. in
1783. The Br. imported Afr. slaves and established sugar plantations.
In 1967, Grenada became an associated state of Britain with full
internal self-government. When complete independence was achieved in
Feb. 1974, Grenada became a full member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
In 1979 a successful, bloodless coup established the People's
Revolutionary Govt. (PRG) under Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. Its
favorable stance toward Cuba and the Soviet Union strained relations
with the U.S. and other nations in the region in the early 1980s. An
internal coup in Oct. 1983 resulted in the execution of Bishop and the
assumption of power by the army. That same month, the U.S. invaded and
occupied Grenada under the rationale of protecting U.S. students
studying at the St. George's Univ. School of Medicine. A general
election held in Dec. 1984 reestablished democratic govt. Since then,
financial aid from the U.S. and Europe has helped boost tourism; 2
world-class resorts, La Source and Rex Grenadian, opened in 1994.
