Independent state, West Indies, consisting of the island of Saint Vincent and the northern islands of the Grenadines group. Part of the Windward Islands group in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada. The largest of the Grenadines include Bequia, Canouan, Mustique, Mayreau, and Union. The total area is 388 sq km (150 sq mi), of which the island of Saint Vincent constitutes 344 sq km (133 sq mi). The capital and principal port, Kingstown (1991 population, 15,670), is located on the southwestern coast of Saint Vincent.

Land and Population - The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic in origin. It is traversed from north to south by a forested range that rises to a maximum elevation in La Soufrière (1234 m/4094 ft), an active volcano located in the northern part of the island that erupted violently in 1821, 1902, and 1979. The country has a tropical climate with an average annual temperature of about 24° C (76° F). The island's average annual rainfall ranges from 1524 mm (60 in) on the coast to 3810 mm (150 in) in the interior mountains.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had a total population of 114,000 (1989 estimate). Blacks make up the great majority of the population, and English is the official language. Anglicans and Methodists are the two major religious groups.

Economy and Government - The country's economy is dominated by agriculture. In the late 1980s the annual budget figures showed revenue of some $42.7 million and expenditure of about $67.5 million. Bananas are the leading crop. Other important crops include arrowroot, nutmeg and mace, and coconuts. Manufacturing is limited; products include cement, furniture, flour, and refined sugar. Tourism is a growing sector. The national currency is the East Caribbean dollar (2.69 E.C. dollars equal U.S.$1; 1990).

The governor-general represents the British sovereign, but actual power is exercised by a prime minister, who is responsible to the parliament. The parliament is the House of Assembly, consisting of 21 members; 15 are popularly elected, and 6 are appointed by the governor-general on recommendation from the prime minister and the opposition leader.

History - Saint Vincent was probably visited and named by Christopher Columbus in 1498. Inhabited by the fierce Carib people, the island was successfully colonized only in 1762 when the British established a settlement. The Caribs were subdued-and many were deported after an uprising in 1795. Saint Vincent was a member of the Federation of the West Indies from 1958 to 1962. In 1969 it became an internally self-governing member of the West Indies Associated States. On October 27, 1979, it received full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A separatist movement in the Grenadines resulted in a brief uprising (1979) on Union Island.