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46-520: The original crop-over tradition began in 1687 as a way to mark the end of the yearly harvest, but was wide-spread throughout the region at the time, including in St. Vincent , Trinidad and Jamaica . As such, it still shares similarities with Carnival in Brazil and Trinidad . Many crop-over celebrations were organized and sponsored by planters, who used gifts of food and liquor as a means of reenforcing and excusing

92-557: A new wave of immigration occurred, with shiploads of Indian labourers arrived. In 1902, the La Soufrière volcano erupted again, killing 1,500–2,000 people; much farmland was damaged, and the economy deteriorated. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines passed through various stages of colonial status under the British. A representative assembly was authorised in 1776, Crown Colony government

138-533: A representative of the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, then (James Mitchell, who was subsequently knighted) signed the Double Taxation Relief (CARICOM) Treaties. There were seven other signatories to the agreement on that day. The countries which were represented were Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. An eighth country signed

184-564: Is La Soufrière volcano at 1,234 m (4,049 ft). Other major mountains on St Vincent are (from north to south) Richmond Peak, Mount Brisbane , Colonarie Mountain, Grand Bonhomme , Petit Bonhomme and Mount St Andrew. The country is home to two terrestrial ecoregions : Windward Islands moist forests and the Lesser Antillean dry forests . It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.95/10, ranking it 61st globally out of 172 countries. Most of Saint Vincent and

230-567: Is Ralph Gonsalves , elected in 2001 as head of the Unity Labour Party . The legislative branch of government is the unicameral House of Assembly of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , seating 15 elected members representing single-member constituencies and six appointed members known as Senators. The parliamentary term of office is five years, although the Prime Minister may call elections at any time. The judicial branch of government

276-702: Is divided into district courts, the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court and the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in London being the court of last resort. The two political parties with parliamentary representation are the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Unity Labour Party (ULP). The parliamentary opposition is made up of the largest minority stakeholder in the general elections, headed by

322-673: The Commonwealth of Nations , the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas , and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). In April 2021, the La Soufrière volcano erupted several times with "explosive events" continuing for two weeks. By 12 April, 16,000 residents had evacuated the area. Assistance and emergency financial support was being provided by several nearby islands,

368-742: The First Carib War , which lasted from 1772 to 1773. During the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) , the French recaptured St Vincent in 1779. However, the British regained control under the Treaty of Versailles (1783) . The uneasy peace between the British and the Garifuna led to the Second Carib War , which lasted from 1795 to 1797. The Garifuna were led by paramount chief Joseph Chatoyer and supported by

414-574: The La Soufrière volcano erupted, sending ash several miles into the atmosphere. Approximately 16,000 people were evacuated in the days leading up to the eruption. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies to the west of Barbados , south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada in the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles , an island arc of the Caribbean Sea . The islands of Saint Vincent and

460-792: The Leader of the Opposition . The current opposition leader is Godwin Friday . Saint Vincent has no formal armed forces, although the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force includes a Special Service Unit as well as a militia that has a supporting role on the island. In 2017, Saint Vincent signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . Administratively, Saint Vincent and

506-466: The Seven Years' War , a claim confirmed by the Treaty of Paris (1763) . On taking control of the island in 1763, the British laid the foundations of Fort Charlotte and also continued the importation of slaves to work on the island's plantations. The Garifuna , an Afro-Indigenous creole people on the island, were opposed to the British presence and entered into open conflict against the British, starting

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552-807: The US , and cooperates with regional political and economic organisations such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM . The island nation's sixth embassy overseas was opened on 8 August 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan, after Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves' official visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan) ; the other five are located in London (a High Commission as Commonwealth countries have high commissions rather than embassies in each other's countries), Washington D.C., Havana, Caracas and Brussels. On 6 July 1994 at Sherbourne Conference Centre, St Michael, Barbados, as

598-571: The United Kingdom , and agencies such as the United Nations . The first significant offer of long-term funding, of US$ 20 million, was announced on 13 April 2021 by the World Bank . Christopher Columbus , the first European to reach the island, named it after St. Vincent of Saragossa ( San Vicente de Zaragoza ) whose feast day was on the day Columbus first saw it (22 January 1498). The name of

644-542: The coronavirus pandemic . Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ( / ˌ ɡ r ɛ n ə ˈ d iː n z / GREH -nə- DEENZ ) is an island country in the eastern Caribbean . It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles , which lie in the West Indies , at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea , where

690-555: The 16th century, various Amerindian groups passed through or settled on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, including the Ciboney , Arawak , and Kalinago people. The island now known as Saint Vincent was originally named Youloumain by the native Island Caribs who called themselves Kalina. It is thought that Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1498, giving it the name St Vincent. The Kalinago people aggressively opposed European settlement on Saint Vincent. Various attempts by

736-673: The 1960s, the British again tried to unify all of its regional islands, including Saint Vincent, into a single politically unified entity under British control. The unification was to be called the West Indies Federation and was driven by a desire to gain independence from the British government. However, the attempt collapsed in 1962. Saint Vincent was granted "associate statehood" status by Britain on 27 October 1969. This gave Saint Vincent complete control over its internal affairs but fell short of full independence in law. In April 1979, La Soufrière erupted once more. Although no one

782-460: The Atlantic slave trade. Gonsalves won a second term in 2005, a third in 2010, and a fourth in 2015. In 2009, a referendum was held on a proposal to adopt a new constitution that would make the country a republic , replacing Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with a non-executive President, a proposal supported by Prime Minister Gonsalves. A two-thirds majority was required, but the referendum

828-576: The Barbados Tourist Board, as a way to attract more tourists to the island and revive interest in local folk culture. Beginning in June, Crop Over now runs until the first Monday in August when it culminates in the finale, The Grand Kadooment . The entire two months have a party-like atmosphere, with a variety of public and privately held events. The various official 'Events Barbados' festival albums typify

874-473: The Criminal Code states: Any person, who in public or private, commits an act of gross indecency with another person of the same sex, or procures or attempts to procure another person of the same sex to commit an act of gross indecency with him or her, is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for five years. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines maintains close ties to Canada , the United Kingdom and

920-462: The English and Dutch to claim the island proved unsuccessful, and it was the French who were first able to colonise the island, settling in the town of Barrouallie on the leeward side of St Vincent in 1719. The French imported Black slaves to work on plantations producing sugar, coffee, indigo, tobacco, cotton and cocoa. The British captured the island and drove out the French from Barrouallie during

966-417: The French, notably Victor Hugues who was based on the island of Martinique . They were eventually defeated in 1797 by British forces under the command Sir Ralph Abercromby ; a peace treaty agreement was made which resulted in almost 5,000 Garifuna being deported to Roatán , an island off the coast of Honduras , and to Belize and Baliceaux in the Grenadines. In 1806, the construction of Fort Charlotte

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1012-451: The Grenadines include the main island of Saint Vincent 344 km (133 sq mi) and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines 45 km (17 sq mi), which are a chain of smaller islands stretching south from Saint Vincent to Grenada. There are 32 islands and cays that make up St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Nine are inhabited, including the mainland St Vincent and

1058-569: The Grenadines is divided into six parishes . Five parishes are on Saint Vincent, while the sixth is made up of the Grenadine islands. Kingstown is located in the Parish of Saint George and is the capital city and central administrative centre of the country. "Acts of gross indecency", which may be defined to include homosexual activity , are illegal in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Section 148 of

1104-558: The Grenadines islands: Young Island, Bequia , Mustique , Canouan , Union Island , Mayreau , Petit St Vincent and Palm Island. Prominent uninhabited islands of the Grenadines include Petit Nevis , used by whalers , and Petit Mustique , which was the centre of a prominent real-estate scam in the early 2000s. The capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is Kingstown , Saint Vincent. The main island of Saint Vincent measures 26 km (16 mi) long, 15 km (9.3 mi) in width and 344 km (133 sq mi) in area. From

1150-475: The Grenadines lies within the Main Development Region for Atlantic tropical cyclones . Recently, in 2023, the islands were directly impacted by Tropical Storm Bret . Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy , with Charles III as King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines . He does not reside in the islands and is represented as head of state in

1196-557: The Grenadines refers to the Spanish city of Granada , but to differentiate it from the island of the same name , the diminutive was used. Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Kalinago natives who inhabited the island of St. Vincent called it Youloumain, in honour of Youlouca, the spirit of the rainbows, who they believed inhabited the island. Before the arrival of Europeans and Africans in

1242-484: The agreement on 19 August 2016, Guyana. This treaty covered taxes, residence, tax jurisdictions, capital gains, business profits, interest, dividends, royalties and other areas. On 30 June 2014, St. Vincent and the Grenadines signed a Model 1 agreement with the United States of America with respect to Foreign Account Tax Compliance (Act) or FATCA. According to the updated site as of 16 January 2017, on 13 May 2016

1288-1108: The agreement went to "In Force" status. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a member of the United Nations , the Commonwealth of Nations , the Organization of American States , and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). In September 2017, at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly , the Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines called for UN action on alleged human rights abuses committed by Indonesia on Western New Guinea 's indigenous Papuans . Kadooment Day There are 12 public holidays in Barbados , which includes Christian holidays and secular holidays. Holidays in Barbados are also referred to as bank holidays locally: This Barbados -related article

1334-595: The best song but not be able to make use of stage and props and not be crowned 'Party Monarch King/Queen'. The competition is held on the Ermy Bourne Highway, commonly known as East Coast. The air is redolent with the smells of Barbadian cooking during the Bridgetown Market Street Fair . Rich with the spirit of local culture , the Cohobblopot Festival blends dance and drama and music with

1380-461: The centre-left Saint Vincent Labour Party (SVLP) was the country's first Prime Minister (he had been Premier since 1974), ruling until his defeat in the 1984 Vincentian general election by James Fitz-Allen Mitchell of the centre-right New Democratic Party (NDP). During Cato's time in office, there was a brief rebellion on Union Island in December 1979 led by Lennox 'Bumba' Charles . Inspired by

1426-431: The continued enslavement of their labour force. However, slaves would also have often unsanctioned fetes that featured singing, dancing and accompaniment by bottles filled with water, shak-shak , banjo , triangle , fiddle , guitar , and bones that were more in keeping with their ancestral culture. Other traditions that were later added included climbing a greased pole, feasting and drinking competitions. However, with

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1472-469: The country by the Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , currently Susan Dougan (since 1 August 2019). The office of Governor-General has mostly ceremonial functions including the opening of the islands' House of Assembly and the appointment of various government officials. Control of the government rests with the elected Prime Minister and their cabinet. The current Prime Minister

1518-461: The crowning of the King and Queen of costume bands. Every evening the 'Pic-o-de-Crop' Show is performed when finally the King of Calypso is crowned. The climax of the festival is Kadooment Day celebrated with a national holiday when costume bands fill the streets with Barbadian music and fireworks . 2020's Crop Over and National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) were both cancelled due to

1564-471: The fierce battle of calypsonians for the coveted Calypso Monarch Award. There are also the People's Monarch and Party Monarch competitions. The People's Monarch is a competition in which the public are given groups of songs; each group with two songs, and they vote until a winner is chosen. The Party Monarch competition, however, is chosen by a panel of judges and is based on presentation. Therefore, you may have

1610-448: The harsh effects of World War II on Barbados, these annual celebrations came to an end. The Crop Over Festival was first launched on June 1, 1970, around the same time as the birth of Alison Hinds , but was not officially called a festival until four years later. Crop Over was revived and organized as a national festival in 1974 by local stakeholders including Julian Marryshow , Flora Spencer , Emile Straker , and Livvy Burrowes with

1656-556: The issues of the day. Calypso tents feature a cadre of calypsonians who perform biting social commentaries on the happenings of the past year, political exposés or rousing exhortations to wuk up or "wine up", "jonesing", roll de bumper , guh down (pronounced "dung") and "six-thirty" dance. Most recently, local variations of soca music have also featured prominently at the festival. There are also craft markets, food tents and stalls, street parties and cavalcades every week supplemented by other daily events. Competition 'tents' ring with

1702-568: The latter meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its 369 km (142 sq mi) territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and, south of that, two-thirds of the northern part of the Grenadines , a chain of 32 smaller islands. Some of the Grenadines are inhabited— Bequia , Mustique , Union Island , Canouan , Petit Saint Vincent , Palm Island , Mayreau , Young Island —while others are not: Tobago Cays , Baliceaux , Battowia , Quatre , Petite Mustique , Savan and Petit Nevis . To

1748-429: The most northern to the most southern points, the Grenadine islands belonging to Saint Vincent span 60.4 km (37.5 mi), with a combined area of 45 km (17 sq mi). The island of Saint Vincent is volcanic and heavily forested and includes little level ground. The windward side of the island is very rocky and steep, while the leeward side has more sandy beaches and bays. Saint Vincent's highest peak

1794-421: The north of Saint Vincent lies Saint Lucia , to the east is Barbados , and Grenada lies to the south. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a population density of over 300 inhabitants/km (700 per sq mi), with an estimated population of 110,872. Kingstown is the capital and main port. Saint Vincent has a British colonial history, and is now part of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States , CARICOM ,

1840-644: The recent revolution on Grenada, Charles alleged neglect of the Union by the central government. However, the revolt was swiftly put down and Charles was arrested. There were also a series of strikes in the early 1980s. James Mitchell remained Prime Minister for 16 years until 2000, winning three consecutive elections . Mitchell was at the forefront of attempts to improve regional integration. In 1980 and 1987, hurricanes damaged many banana and coconut plantations. Hurricane seasons were also very active in 1998 and 1999, with Hurricane Lenny in 1999 causing extensive damage to

1886-499: The sense of national merriment which is prevalent across the season (see "Official Event Galleries" . ). The private events serve as the lead up to Kadooment Day and have many concepts such as sunrise, cooler, sunset, and all-inclusive themes. One of the major public features held is the calypso competition. Calypso music , originating in Trinidad, uses syncopated rhythm and topical lyrics which may satirise local politics or comment on

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1932-512: The west coast of the island. In 2000, Arnhim Eustace became Prime Minister after taking over the leadership of the NDP following Mitchell's retirement; he was defeated a year later by Ralph Gonsalves of the Unity Labour Party (successor party to the SVLP). Gonsalves—a left-winger known in the country as "Comrade Ralph" —argued that European nations owe Caribbean nations reparations for their role in

1978-588: Was completed. The La Soufrière volcano erupted in 1812, resulting in considerable destruction. The British abolished slavery in Saint Vincent (as well as in all other British West Indies colonies) in 1834, and an apprenticeship period followed which ended in 1838. After its end, labour shortages on the plantations resulted, and were initially addressed by the immigration of indentured servants; starting from 1845, many Portuguese Catholic settlers arrived from Madeira , with around 2,100 arrivals from Portugal recorded from 1845 to 1850. Between 1861 and 1888,

2024-502: Was defeated 29,019 votes (55.64 per cent) to 22,493 (43.13 per cent). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council 2020–21. In November 2020, Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since 2001, made history by securing the fifth consecutive victory of his Unity Labour Party (ULP) in general election. In 2021, on 9 April,

2070-409: Was installed in 1877, a legislative council was created in 1925 with a limited franchise, and universal adult suffrage was granted in 1951. During the period of its control of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Britain made several attempts to unify the island with the other Windward Islands as a single entity, to simplify British control in the sub-region through a single unified administration. In

2116-420: Was killed, thousands were evacuated and extensive agricultural damage occurred. On 27 October 1979, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained full independence; the date is now the country's Independence Day , a public holiday . The country opted to remain within the Commonwealth of Nations , retaining the then-Queen Elizabeth II as Monarch , represented locally by a Governor-General . Milton Cato of

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