Grenada
n
´d
), independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations (1995 est. pop. 94,000), 133 sq mi (344 sq km), in the Windward Islands, West Indies. The state includes the island of Grenada (120 sq mi/311 sq km) and the southern half of the archipelago known as the Grenadines, a group of largely uninhabitable small islands and islets north of Grenada in the Windward Islands. Grenada is a volcanic, mountainous island with crater lakes.
The capital, main port, and commercial center is Saint George's. Its people are of mainly African descent and speak English, the official language, or a French patois. Over 50% of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics; the balance is mainly Protestant, with Anglicanism the dominant denomination. Administratively, there are six parishes and one dependency. Grenada's economy is primarily agricultural, and cocoa, bananas, nutmeg, mace, and fruit are exported. Tourism is a developing industry.
Governed under the constitution of 1973, Grenada has a bicameral legislature with a 15-member elected house of representatives and a 13-member appointed senate. The executive branch consists of a cabinet, led by a prime minister. The British sovereign is represented by a governor-general.
From its sighting by Christopher Columbus in 1498 until French settlement began in 1650, the indigenous Caribs prevented European colonization on Grenada. A point of dispute between England and France, the island became permanently British in 1783. The British colonists imported African 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 Government (PRG) under Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. This government's Marxist leanings and favorable stance toward Cuba and the Soviet Union strained relations with the United States and other nations in the region. In Oct., 1983, after Bishop and his associates were assassinated by more hard-line radicals within his own movement, the United States, with token forces from other Caribbean nations, invaded and occupied Grenada. A general election held in Dec., 1984, reestablished democratic government, with Herbert Blaize as prime minister. In the following decade Grenada received aid from Western nations; tourism expanded, but in other respects the economy did not appear to improve. After elections in June, 1995, Keith Mitchell, leader of the New National Party, became prime minister.
