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Red
Sea Management provides Saint Vincent and the Grenadines offshore incorporation, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines offshore asset protection and a full range of services. |
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Report on Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines
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| Background:
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Disputed between France and Great Britain in the 18th century, Saint
Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969,
and independence in 1979.
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| Location:
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Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 15 N, 61 12 W
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| Map
references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
land: 389 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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| Area -
comparative:
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twice the size of Washington, DC
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| Land
boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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84 km
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| Maritime
claims:
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contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
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| Climate:
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tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to
November)
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| Terrain:
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volcanic, mountainous
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| Elevation
extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m
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| Natural
resources:
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hydropower, cropland
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| Land use:
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arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 18%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 36%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
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| Irrigated
land:
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10 sq km (1993 est.)
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| Natural
hazards:
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hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a
constant threat
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Environment - current issues:
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pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure
yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough
to make swimming prohibitive
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| Environment
- international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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| Geography
- note:
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the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided
between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada
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|
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Population: |
115,942 (July 2001 est.)
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| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 29.61% (male 17,466; female 16,865)
15-64 years: 64.04% (male 38,074; female 36,179)
65 years and over: 6.35% (male 3,162; female 4,196) (2001 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.4% (2001 est.)
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| Birth
rate: |
17.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Death
rate: |
6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Net
migration rate: |
-7.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
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| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
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| Infant
mortality rate: |
16.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
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| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 72.56 years
male: 70.83 years
female: 74.34 years (2001 est.)
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| Total
fertility rate: |
2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.)
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| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA%
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| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA
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| HIV/AIDS
- deaths:
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NA
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Nationality: |
noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)
adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian
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| Ethnic
groups:
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black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%
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Religions:
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Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Seventh-Day
Adventist, Hindu, other Protestant
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Languages: |
English, French patois
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| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 96%
male: 96%
female: 96% (1970 est.)
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| Country
name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the
Commonwealth
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| Capital:
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Kingstown
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Administrative divisions:
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6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint
George, Saint Patrick
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Independence: |
27 October 1979 (from UK)
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| National
holiday: |
Independence Day, 27 October (1979)
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Constitution:
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27 October 1979
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| Legal
system: |
based on English common law
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| Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 September 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Ralph GONSALVES (since 29
March 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice
of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general
is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by
the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister
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|
Legislative branch: |
unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and
6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from
single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by NA March
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party
- ULP 12, NDP 3
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| Judicial
branch:
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Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of
the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
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| Political
parties and leaders:
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National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or
NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA];
Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement
or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES]
(formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the
Movement for National Unity or MNU)
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| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA
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International organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO
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Diplomatic representation in the US: |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth JOHN
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
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Diplomatic representation from the US: |
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines
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| Flag
description: |
three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and
green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V
pattern
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| Economy
- overview:
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Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important
sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based
mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The
government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new
industries, and a high unemployment rate persists. The continuing
dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the
islands' development; tropical storms wiped out substantial portions
of crops in both 1994 and 1995. The tourism sector has considerable
potential for development over the next decade. Recent growth has been
stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an
improvement in tourism. There is a small manufacturing sector and a
small offshore financial sector whose particularly restrictive secrecy
laws have caused some international concern.
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| GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $322 million (2000 est.)
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| GDP -
real growth rate: |
2% (2000 est.)
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| GDP - per
capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2000 est.)
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| GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: 10.6%
industry: 17.5%
services: 71.9% (1996 est.)
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Population below poverty line: |
NA%
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| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2% (1999 est.)
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| Labor
force: |
67,000 (1984 est.)
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| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.)
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Unemployment rate: |
22% (1997 est.)
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| Budget:
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revenues: $85.7 million
expenditures: $98.6 million, including capital expenditures of
$25.7 million (1997 est.)
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Industries: |
food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-0.9% (1997 est.)
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| Electricity
- production:
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82 million kWh (1999)
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| Electricity
- production by source:
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fossil fuel: 73.17%
hydro: 26.83%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
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Electricity - consumption:
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76.3 million kWh (1999)
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| Electricity
- exports:
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0 kWh (1999)
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Electricity - imports: |
0 kWh (1999)
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle,
sheep, pigs, goats; fish
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| Exports: |
$53.7 million (2000 est.)
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| Exports -
commodities: |
bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis
racquets
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| Exports -
partners: |
Caricom countries 49%, UK 16%, US 10% (1995)
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| Imports: |
$185.6 million (2000 est.)
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| Imports -
commodities: |
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers,
minerals and fuels
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| Imports -
partners: |
US 36%, Caricom countries 28%, UK 13% (1995)
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| Debt -
external: |
$99.3 million (1998)
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| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998)
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| Currency:
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East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
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| Currency
code: |
XCD
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| Exchange
rates:
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East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
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| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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20,500 (1998)
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
NA
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Telephone system: |
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF
radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the
Grenadines
international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to
Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access
to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia
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| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)
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| Radios: |
77,000 (1997)
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Television broadcast stations: |
1 (plus three repeaters) (1997)
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Televisions: |
18,000 (1997)
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| Internet
country code: |
.vc
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| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
15 (2000)
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| Internet
users: |
2,000 (2000)
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| Railways:
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0 km
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| Highways: |
total: 1,040 km
paved: 320 km
unpaved: 720 km (1996)
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Waterways: |
none
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| Ports and
harbors: |
Kingstown
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| Merchant
marine: |
total: 800 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,705,336 GRT/10,134,002
DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 131, cargo 395, chemical
tanker 29, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 1, container 46,
liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load
carrier 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 42,
roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 11, specialized tanker 10,
vehicle carrier 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a
flag of convenience: China 4, Ireland 1, France 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong
1, Croatia 10, India 1, Japan 2, Monaco 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 2,
Netherlands Antilles 1, Pakistan 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, UAE 1 (2000
est.)
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| Airports: |
6 (2000 est.)
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| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)
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| Airports -
with unpaved runways: |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
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| Military
branches: |
Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special
Service Unit), Coast Guard
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| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA
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| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA%
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| Disputes
- international: |
none
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| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and
Europe
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