Cruising in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Background

Disputed between France and the United Kingdom in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geography

Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N, 61 12 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)
Land: 389 sq km

Coastline

84 km

Maritime claims

Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate

Tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain

Volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes

Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m

Economy

Economic growth in this lower-middle-income country hinges upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors. Tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002, and tourism in the Eastern Caribbean has suffered low arrivals following 11 September 2001.

Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. Saint Vincent is also a producer of marijuana and is being used as a transshipment point for illegal narcotics from South America.

Transportation

Airports: 6 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 5
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
Roadways: total: 829 km

Merchant marine

Total: 584 ships (1000 GRT or over) 5,344,823 GRT/8,033,377 DWT
By type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 95, cargo 349, chemical tanker 7, container 19, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 3, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 43, roll on/roll off 21, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 1
Foreign-owned: 535 (Bangladesh 1, Barbados 1, Belgium 2, Bulgaria 16, Canada 2, China 106, Croatia 8, Cyprus 3, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 14, Egypt 3, Estonia 25, France 8, Germany 11, Greece 84, Guyana 3, Hong Kong 6, Iceland 10, India 6, Iran 1, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 17, Kenya 3, Latvia 17, Lebanon 4, Lithuania 5, Madagascar 1, Monaco 3, Netherlands 7, Norway 17, Pakistan 2, Poland 1, Puerto Rico 1, Romania 2, Russia 21, Saudi Arabia 2, Serbia and Montenegro 2, Singapore 7, Slovenia 5, Spain 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 10, Syria 5, Tunisia 2, Turkey 23, Ukraine 13, UAE 12, UK 16, US 21, Vietnam 1)
Registered in other countries: 2 (Comoros 1, North Korea 1) (2005)

Sailing Specifics: Ports and terminals

Kingstown

Disputes

Joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea 

Other Sailing Destinations in the Region

Anguilla - Antigua and Barbuda - Aruba - Bahamas - Barbados - British Virgin Islands - Cayman Islands - Cuba - Dominica - Dominican Republic - Grenada - Guadeloupe - Haiti - Jamaica - St. Kitts and Nevis - St. Lucia - Martinique - Montserrat - Netherlands Antilles - Puerto Rico - Trinidad and Tobago - Turks and Caicos - St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Virgin Islands (USA)

Further Reading

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