St. Vincent and the Grenadines Travel Overview
Important facts
Capital: Kingstown
Official language: English France
Currency: dollar
Continent: Caribbean North America
Uninhabited island world
A lonely island in the Caribbean, is there anything else like that? In the area of the small Grenadines you can find something.
Location
According to Countryaah, the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Located in the southern part of the Caribbean, the closest island republics are Grenada and Barbados.
Vacation in St. Vincent
In total, it includes the islands of St. Vincent and the 32 islands of the northern Grenadines, many of which are uninhabited. You can reach the capital, Kingstown, St. Vincent on an international flight. You can then continue to the Grendinen by small plane or by boat if you take the time.
Region
Located in the Caribbean Sea, you can count on pleasantly warm water all year round. The area is therefore ideal for diving and sailing trips and beach holidays. The region is also very popular among deep-sea fishermen.
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
Dollars (100 cents)
ISO 4217 code
XCD / 951
Geography
Continent: North America
Region: Caribbean
Geo coordinates: N 12 ° 59 ‘3.5 ” W -61 ° -17’ -14″
Highest mountain: Soufriere (1,234 m)
Total area: 389 km²
Mainland: 389 km²
Coastline: 84 km
Politics
Dependency: Great Britain until 1979
UN member since: 1980
Other political affiliation: Commonwealth
Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy
Houses of Parliament: unicameral
Party system: Two-party system
State building: centralized
Political culture: Civic culture
Particularities: Planning a ‘Windward Islands Federation’
Economy
Export goods: Bananas, vegetables, tobacco
Electricity consumption: 92 million KWh
Cultivation area: 35.9%
Demographic data
Residents: 117,900
Residents in cities: 64,100
Minorities: Indian 6%, Caribbean 2%
Average age: 26.9 years
0-14 years: 26.7%
15-64 years: 66.9%
> 65 years: 6.4%
Population growth: 0.26%
Birth rate: 16.18 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 5.98 / 1,000 residents
Migration: -7.59 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1.04
Fertility: 1.83 children / woman
Infant mortality: 14.4 ‰
Life expectancy men: 71.99 years
Life expectancy women: 75.77 years
Country codes and abbreviations
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: VC
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: VCT
ISO 3166 numeric: 670
Top Level Domain: vc
IOC country code: VIN
UN / LOCODE: VC
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Transportation
Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 589
Health
Number of doctors: 60
Daily food intake: 2,630 kcal / resident
Education
History
Foundation: 1979
Last sovereign since: 1979
Religion
Main religious group: Christians
Distribution of religions: Anglicans 47%, Methodists 28%, Catholics 13%
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
St. Vincent and the Grenadines are mainly served by LIAT (LI) (Internet: www.liatairline.com).
Mustique Airways (Internet: www.mustique.com) and SVG Air (Internet: www.svgair.com ) connect the islands with Barbados, CTA Air Martinique (PN) (Internet: http://martinique.airfrance.fr) flies to the French Caribbean Islands and Envoy (MQ) has direct flights from Puerto Rico.
Departure fee
40 EC $. Children under the age of 12 as well as transit travelers who fly on within 24 hours are exempt from this.
Arrival by ship
Some cruise lines such as Fred Olsen (Internet: www.fredolsencruises.com), Hapag Lloyd (Internet: www.hlkf.de) and Sea Cloud Cruises (Internet: www.seacloud.com) regularly call at Kingstown and some of the Grenadines.
Smaller boats make connections to Barbados and within the Grenadines.
ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Mustique Air (Internet: www.mustique.com) and SVG Air (Internet: www.svgair.com) fly regularly to Mustique, Canouan and Union Island. Small planes can be chartered, and there are also charter airlines.
On the way by car / bus
Left-hand traffic. The road network is relatively well developed. Most of the roads are two-lane, narrow and in some cases very winding. Because of the many potholes, stray animals and the unorthodox driving style, caution is advised in traffic. Motorcycles and scooters should only be used with appropriate protective clothing despite the tropical temperatures.
Bus: The connections on St. Vincent are excellent. Minibuses, so-called route taxis, have unit prices and can be stopped anywhere. Public transportation is often overcrowded but inexpensive. The central bus station is at the New Kingstown Fish Market.
Taxisis usually shared with other passengers. The fares are set by law and are slightly higher in the early morning and late evening hours than during the day. Taxis are not equipped with meters. A fare list is available from the tourist office.
Rental cars are available from numerous local and international companies such as Avis.
Documentation: Local driver’s license required, available upon presentation of your own driver’s license at the airport, the police station (Bay Street, Kingstown) or the Licensing Authority (Halifax Street, Kingstown, Mon-Fri 9 am-3pm).
Out and about by ship
Yachts with and without crew can be chartered without any major formalities.
There are regular ferry connections from St. Vincent to Bequia, Mayreau, Canouan and Union Island. The Jaden Sun high-speed ferry operates daily except Saturdays between St. Vincent and Bequia, Canouan and Union Island (Internet: http://jadeninc.com/ferry/schedule).
In addition, the mailboat sails to almost all the islands of the Grenadines twice a week.
The St. Vincent & the Grenadines Tourist Office (see contact addresses) can provide further information.