Grenada is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and it consists of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands located at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Its size is 344 km2, and the population in 2012 was approximately 110,000 people. The capital of Grenada is St. George’s. Due to its production of mace crops and nutmeg, Grenada is also known as the ’Island of Spice’. Similarly as other Caribbean islands, Grenada is a Commonwealth realm, with Queen Elizabeth II being a Head of State. opulation: 109,590 Official language: English Area: 348.5 km2 Ethnic groups: African descent 75.1%, Afro-European 12.3%, Mixed race 5.4%, East Indian and Afro-East Indian: 5% Capital: St. George’s Government: Parliamentary democracy under constitutional monarchy GDP (PPP): $1.457 billion Currency: East Caribbean Dollar ISO code: GD Time zone: UTC -4 Climate and culture The islands have volcanic origin and extremely rich soil and it is very mountainous. Numerous small rivers with waterfalls flow into the sea from these mountains. Grenada has a tropical climate – hot and humid weather in the rainy season and cooled during the dry season. Grenada’s islands have some of the most diverse terrain in the Caribbean region, from verdant rainforests and crater lakes to unspoiled underwater ecosystems and sun-kissed swaths of beach. The islands location at the southern extreme of the hurricane belt allows it to escape the seasonal depressions that can cause colder temperatures, grey skies, and extreme weather for its Caribbean neighbours located more to the north. Although the official language is English, the lingua franca of the island is considered Grenadian Creole. French Patois is also spoken by approximately 10%–20% of the population. Also, some Hindi/Bhojpuri terms can be heard amongst the Indian descendants. The majority of Grenadians identify themselves as Roman Catholics (44.6%) or Protestants (43.5%).
