25 Facts About Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea that consists primarily of the main island of Saint Vincent and 32 smaller islands known as the Grenadines.

The Ciboney people first inhabited Saint Vincent before being joined and eventually displaced by the Arawak people, who originated in Venezuela and spread throughout the West Indies. Around 1300, the islands were conquered by the Carib Indians of South America.

Originally, it was thought that Christopher Columbus visited the main island on St Vincent's Day in 1498, hence the name. It has now been established that Columbus was in Spain at the time and never visited Saint Vincent.

The islands of Mustique, Palm Island, and Union Island are frequented by the ultra-wealthy as well as the British Royal Family, making Saint Vincent and the Grenadines a playground for the rich and famous.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are known as the "Gem of the Antilles," and this is reflected in the country's flag.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' flag consists of a vertical yellow stripe with three green diamonds in the centre and narrower green and blue stripes on either side. The diamonds' V-shape represents Saint Vincent, the blue represents the sky, the yellow represents the sun, and the green represents the lush terrain.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were disputed between France and the United Kingdom for the majority of the 18th century before being ceded to the United Kingdom in 1783.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a member of the British-sponsored West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1979.

Despite a referendum in 2009 on whether or not to become a republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines still has the Queen of the United Kingdom as its head of state.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is one of 27 countries with no UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The active volcano of La Soufriere can be found in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The volcano erupted in 2021 after lying dormant since 1979, sending an ash plume 20,000 feet into the air and displacing thousands of people.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is the 11th smallest sovereign state in the world.

With 36.5 intentional homicides per 100,000 people, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has the world's seventh highest murder rate.

Bequia, the largest of the Grenadine islands, is only about seven square miles in size - roughly one-third the size of Manhattan in New York - and has a population of about 5,000 people.

Several Pirates of the Caribbean films were shot in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

There are only nine inhabited islands in the Grenadines.

The oldest botanical gardens in the Western Hemisphere can be found in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The Saint Vincent Botanic Gardens were founded in Kingstown in 1765.

Every year, approximately 76,000 people visit Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

In 1763, the capital, Kingstown, was named after King George III of the United Kingdom.

Other locations in the country named after the British Royal Family include Princess Margaret Beach and Port Elizabeth.

Kingstown has been dubbed the "City of Arches" due to its alleged 400 arches.

The Saint Vincent Amazon (Amazona guildingii), also known as the Saint Vincent Parrot, is the national symbol of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The bird can only be found on the island of Saint Vincent and is critically endangered, with fewer than 1,000 thought to remain.

Vincentians, also known colloquially as Vincies, are citizens of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

During the month of August, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines hosts an annual Breadfruit Festival. Breadfruit was originally brought to the islands as a cheap source of food for slaves.