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 National Arms
These
arms were officially granted on 07-02-1974.
The arms show the
Santa Maria, the flagship of Columbus' fleet. The lion is the English
lion. The crescent, out of which comes a white lily, is a symbol for
the catholic population.
The seven flowers
on the helmet depict the seven parishes on the island. The supporters
are local animals.
The whole is
placed on a ground, which symbolises the two mountains and the major
lake (Grand Etang) on the island.
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Facts at a Glance
Area: 134 sq miles (344 sq km)
Population: 95,000
Capital city: St George's
People: African descent (82%), mixed descent (13%) European and
East Indian (5%)
Language: English, French-African patois
Religion: Roman Catholic (60%), an array of Protestant churches,
plus some practitioners of the Baha'i faith
Government: Independent state within the British Commonwealth
Major industries: Agriculture (especially spices), tourism
History
Grenada's recorded history began in 1498, when
Christopher Columbus sighted the island on his third voyage to the
so-called New World. The first European settlement wasn't attempted until
1609, when a party of 208 English settlers tried to establish tobacco
plantations, but they quickly fell victim to Carib raids and abandoned
the island.
In 1650, Governor Du Parquet of Martinique `purchased' Grenada from
the Caribs for a few hatchets, some glass beads and couple of bottles of
grog and immediately established 200 French settlers on the island.
Within a year the French were weary of skirmishes with the Caribs and
sent a contingent of soldiers to sort the locals out. The Caribs were
routed at Sauteurs Bay, but rather than submit to the colonists, the
survivors - men, women and children - jumped to their deaths from the
precipitous coastal cliffs. The French then set about establishing
plantations of indigo, tobacco, coffee, cocoa and sugar, that were worked
by African slaves.
Grenada remained under French control until it was captured by the
British in 1762. Over the next two decades it see-sawed between the two
colonial powers until it was ceded to the Brits in 1783. It remained
under British rule until independence, though the British colonialists
and the minority French settlers continued to have lingering animosities
towards each other that occasionally erupted into violence. In 1877
Grenada became a Crown Colony and in 1967 became an associate state
within the British Commonwealth. Grenada and the neighboring Grenadine
Islands of Carriacou and Petit Martinique adopted a constitution in 1973
and became an independent nation in 1974.
The post-independence period was plagued by corruption, extremism and
political thuggery until a bloodless coup by London-educated lawyer
Maurice Bishop in 1979. He immediately reinstated a measure of human
rights and promised to resolve the country's economic problems. Bishop
had widespread popular support and proved a charismatic leader but his
policy of nonalignment and socialist leanings didn't sit well with the
USA or Grenada's more conservative neighbors. Ostracized by the West,
Bishop turned for aid to the Cubans, who undertook construction of a new
airport on Grenada.
A struggle between Bishop and military hardliners resulted in Bishop's
overthrow in 1983 and he was placed under house arrest. A spontaneous
gathering of 30,000 people (one third of the island's population) forced
Bishop's release. Together they marched to Fort George where the military
opened fire on the crowd killing an estimated 40 protesters. Bishop and
several of his followers were taken prisoner and summarily executed.
In the turmoil that followed the US
government convinced a handful of Caribbean nations to pledge support for
a US invasion of the island. US forces invaded six days later in an
operation that claimed the lives of 70 Cubans, 42 Americans and 170
Grenadians, including 18 who were killed when US forces mistakenly bombed
the island's mental hospital. Most US forces withdrew two months later,
although a joint US-Caribbean force remained stationed on the island for
several years. Grenada remains a part of the British Commonwealth and
democratic elections were held in 1985, 1990 and 1995.
Culture
Grenadian culture is a mixture of British, African,
West Indian and French influences. The majority of Grenadians are Roman
Catholic and a French-African patois is spoken by some islanders, but
apart from this the French influence is slight compared to other islands
that have see-sawed between the main Caribbean colonial powers.
The official language is English and there are plenty of Protestant
churches, including Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians. African
creole influences come to the fore during Carnival, and a general
resurgence of Black pride is visible in the widespread practice of giving
African names to Grenadian children. Carriacou has a unique folk troupe
that performs the African-influenced Big Drum Dance, centered around the
playing of drums made of small rum kegs covered with goatskin. On
Grenada, steel band and calypso music are popular.
The folk art of Carriacou artist Canute Caliste has gained
international recognition; he paints visions of mermaids and sailing
vessels from his home in L'Esterre. Though it was once possible to see
wooden schooners being built on Carriacou, it's getting harder and harder
to witness traditional boatbuilders at work because of the popularity of
steel hulls.
Places of Interest
St George's
The picturesque hillside town of St George's surrounds
a deep horseshoe-shaped harbor and is widely regarded as one the
prettiest spots in the Caribbean. It has a charming setting, steep
twisting streets and pastel-hued 19th-century creole houses, many of them
roofed with orange fishscale tiles brought over as ballast on ships from
Europe. Cargo vessels, cruise ships and colorfully painted wooden
schooners from Carriacou dock in the busy harbor, known as the Carenage.
It's surrounded by mercantile houses, warehouses and quayside cafes, then
by the steeply tiered streets of St George's and, finally, backed by
Grenada's lush green hills.
The winding maze of streets and alleys on the west side of the
Carenage are fun to wander around; check out the policemen directing
traffic at blind street corners. The Grenada National Museum in
the center of town incorporates an old French barracks dating from 1704.
Its hodgepodge of exhibits include fragments of Amerindian pottery, an
old rum still and a grubby marble bathtub that once belonged to the
Empress Josephine.
The hilltop Fort George, established by the French in 1705, has
fine views from the harbor's western promontory across the town's
red-tiled roofs and church spires and over the Carenage. In the fort's
inner compound you can see the bullet holes in the basketball pole made
by the firing squad which executed Maurice Bishop. The spot is marked by
fading graffiti reading `No Pain No Gain Brother'.
The late 18th century Fort Frederick
protects the harbor's eastern entrance and has panoramic views of
Grenada's southwestern coastline. The fort is well intact, thanks in part
to a tragic targeting blunder made during the US invasion of 1983. The US
intended to hit Fort Frederick but mistakenly bombed Fort Matthew, just a
few hundred yards to the north, which was being used as a mental hospital
at the time of the attack.
Grand Anse & Morne Rouge
Grand Anse, Grenada's
main resort area, is a long lovely sweep of white sand fronted by
turquoise blue water and backed by hills. There are lots of vendors
selling T-shirts and spice baskets along the beach, and others offering
to braid hair, so if you want total peace and quiet then cross the
peninsula of Quarantine Point (once a leper colony) to the sleepy,
picturesque U-shaped bay at Morne Rouge. A boat also connects the two
beaches.
Grand Etang Road
This road cuts across the
mountainous center of the island through the Grand Etang Forest Reserve,
passing close to waterfalls and a number of hiking trails. While the road
is tortuously narrow and twisting, it's a delightful drive through
rainforest, and the road is lined with ferns, bamboo, heliconia and
buttressed kapok trees. Annandale Falls, close to the village of
Constantine, is an idyllic waterfall surrounded by a grotto of lush
vegetation. There's a pool beneath the falls that's deep enough for a
refreshing swim. A short drive past Constantine is the Grand Etang
National Park, which has some grand sweeping views of the western coast,
numerous hiking trails and a crater lake.
Sauteurs
The largest town on
Grenada's northern coast takes its name from the French word for `jump'.
This is the site where, in 1651, retreating Carib families leapt to their
deaths rather than surrender to approaching French soldiers. Carib's Leap
is the name given to the 130ft (40m) high coastal cliffs where the tragic
event happened. From the cliff ledge you can look down on the fishing
boats along the village beach and see eroded rock formations and nearby
islands. A few miles east of the village is the scenic area of Levera
Beach, a wild sweep of sand backed by eroded sea cliffs. The beach
and nearby mangrove swamp are an important and protected waterfowl
habitat and sea turtle nesting site.
Carriacou
This small rural island
has good beaches and a pace of life that can only be described as slow
motion. There are 12,000 residents on Carriacou, and half of them are
goats who forage the dry scrubby landscape dotted with cacti, acacias and
splashes of bougainvillea. While the island's low-key character and
natural harbor have long attracted yachters, few other Caribbean
travelers have Carriacou on their itinerary. Consequently the beaches are
uncrowded and finding a room is seldom a problem. Carriacou has fantastic
views of the neighboring Grenadines and a couple of nearshore islets of
its own which can readily be visited for picnicking, snorkeling and
diving. Hillsborough is the administrative and commercial center
of the island; Tyrell Bay is a popular yachting anchorage and the
nearest thing the island has to a beach hang-out. The island measures
about 7 miles (12km) from tip to tail and just over 2 miles (3.5 km) in
width. It's 17 miles (27km) northeast of Grenada and can be reached by
boat from St George's (three hours) or by plane from Grenada's Point
Salines airport.
Petit Martinique
This tiny circular volcanic cone rises out of the sea 3 miles (5km)
northeast of Carriacou. Most of Petit Martinique's 600 inhabitants make a
living from the sea and the island enjoys one of the region's highest per
capita incomes. There's not much to see here but it's an interesting
place to come if you're interested in isolated communities. The islanders
have a reputation for their independent spirit, as well as a bit of
notoriety for smuggling. The island has a school, church, guesthouse and
a grocery shop-cum-bar, but no police, customs, bank or roads. A local
cargo boat plies between Petit Martinique and Hillsborough on Carriacou
twice a week, or you can arrange for a speedboat to zip you over to the
island from Windward on Carriacou's northern coast.
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