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Picture Perfect Places Kingstown Island of Bequia |
National Flag of St.
Vincent & the Grenadines These gems define St. Vincent and the Grenadines as the gems of the Antilles. The Blue represents the
sky and sea. the gold is for warmth, the bright spirit of the people and the
golden sands of the Grenadines. The Green represents the lush vegetation of
St. Vincent's agriculture and the enduring vitality of the people. The Flag
may be called “The gems”. Map of St Vincent and the
Grenadines St Vincent & the Grenadines form a multi-island nation well known to wintering yachties, aristocrats and rock stars but off the beaten path for most other visitors. St Vincent is a refreshingly rugged and raw-edged backwater, while the 30 islands and cays that comprise the Grenadines are among the most popular cruising grounds in the Caribbean. The Grenadines reach like stepping stones between St Vincent and Grenada and are surrounded by coral reefs and clear blue waters ideal for diving, snorkeling and boating. Fewer than a dozen are inhabited, and even these are lightly populated and barely developed. Although some of the Grenadines, like Mustique and Palm Island, cater to the rich and famous, others, like Bequia and Union Island, attract an international crew of sea salts and beachcombers and offer decent places to stay and eat. Facts at a
Glance Full country name: St Vincent & the Grenadines GDP: US$289 million HistoryWhen Spanish explorers first sighted St Vincent, the island was thickly
settled with Carib Indians who had driven off the earlier Arawak settlers.
Heavy Carib resistance kept European colonists at bay long after most other
Caribbean islands had well-established European settlements. African slaves became the first permanent non-Carib settlers in 1675, when
they made it to shore from a sinking Dutch ship. None of the European crew
survived, but the Africans were absorbed into Carib society. Their descendants
became known as Black Caribs, as distinct from the native Yellow Caribs. The Caribs were generally hostile to all Europeans, but they tended to
find the British, who claimed Carib land by royal grants, more objectionable
than the French. The Caribs allowed the French to establish the first
European settlement on the island in the early 1700s. Shortly after
relinquishing control of St Vincent to the British under the Treaty of Paris,
the French instigated a riot of Black and Yellow Caribs against English
settlers, killing many Brits and burning their plantations. In retaliation,
British troops landed on St Vincent and removed over 5000 Caribs to Roatan,
an island off Honduras. A number of Yellow Caribs were moved to a reservation
at Sandy Bay, in the northeastern corner of St Vincent. With native opposition gone, plantation owners enjoyed stability and
success until 1812, when a major eruption of La Soufrière destroyed most of
the coffee and cocoa trees. Around the same time, the abolitionist movement
was growing in Britain and by 1834 slavery was abolished and plantation
owners forced to free more than 18,000 slaves. Blacks turned away from
plantations and planters began bringing in foreign laborers. But a hurricane
in 1898 and another eruption of La Soufrière in 1902 destroyed what remained
of the plantation economy. In 1969 St Vincent became a self-governing state in association with the
UK and in 1979 St Vincent & the Grenadines acquired full independence as
a member of the Commonwealth. La Soufrière erupted that same year, spewing a
blanket of ash over much of the island and causing the evacuation of 20,000
people to St Vincent's northern villages. Major hurricanes in 1980 and 1986
wrought further havoc on the islands. Sir James F Mitchell has been prime minister of this stable and tranquil democracy since 1984. In the 1994 legislative elections, Mitchell's New Democratic Party won a large majority of seats. The country has been relatively free of the unrest that's affected its neighbors in recent decades. It's the kind of place where a one-person protest against utility rates can make headlines. Culture St Vincent & the Grenadines share traditional West Indian culture,
giving it a multi-ethnic twist of African, Black Carib, French and British
influences. Musically, islanders go for reggae, calypso and steel bands.
Sports-wise they prefer British forms like cricket and soccer. Some of the
Grenadine islands, Bequia in particular, have long been reliant upon the sea
for a living; boat building, both full-scale and models, is an island art
form. The local patois is a mix of French, Spanish and various African
languages. St Vincent has rich volcanic soil and produces most of the fruits and vegetables sold throughout the Grenadines. Seafood is abundant, with conch, fish, shrimp, whelk and lobster appearing on most menus. Common West Indian foods include callaloo soup, pumpkin soup, rotis, saltfish and various breadfruit preparations, including the national dish, which is breadfruit and fried jackfish. Try the sweet and juicy St Vincent orange, which is ripe while still green, or the locally distilled Captain Bligh Rum. Places of Interest Kingstown
Kingstown is best appreciated for its West Indian feel rather than for any
grand attractions. It's a good place to relax and stroll the cobblestone
streets. The town gets its unique atmosphere from the produce vendors along
Bay and Bedford Streets, the crowds at the fish market and rum shops, and its
stone-block colonial buildings. Kingstown is known for its churches. The 1820s St Mary's Cathedral of
the Assumption (Catholic) has an eclectic mix of Romanesque arches and
columns, Gothic spires and Moorish ornamentation. Other notable churches
include the Georgian-style St George's Cathedral and the Kingstown
Methodist Church. Bequia
This delightful, hilly, green island is just an hour's sail south of St
Vincent. The largest of the Grenadines (though that's not saying much), it
was once a center of shipbuilding and whaling. Today, most maritime activity
is confined to yachting and model boat building. The island's commercial
center is Port Elizabeth, which fronts Admiralty Bay on the western
coast. The town strikes a nice balance between quaintness and convenience. It
has an international mix of residents, and many of the restaurants and shops
are run by expats. Many of the waterfront businesses cater to the boaters and
shun touristy glitz. Friendship Bay, on the southern coast of the
island, is oriented more toward the tourist. The bay has a golden-sand beach
and offers good swimming and windsurfing. You can view the paraphernalia of
Bequia's whaling past at Anthneal's Private Petite Museum in
Friendship Bay. Union Island
The southernmost port of entry for the country, Union Island is more of a
jumping off point for the Tobago Cays than a destination in itself.
Consequently, if you wander out of the port of Clifton, you'll discover a
decidedly local atmosphere that's virtually untouched by tourism. About 3
miles (5km) across at its widest point, the island is rocky and dry, covered
in thorny scrub and dotted with cacti, the consequence of decades of foraging
by free-ranging goats. Clifton, in the island's southeastern corner, is the commercial
center of the island. More functional than quaint, it's the hub of the Tobago
Cays tour junket industry. Short walks from the center of town offer views of
the island and its neighbors. Few tourists make it to Ashton, on the
island's southern coast, making it a great place to walk around and soak up
the West Indian atmosphere. Tobago Cays
The Tobago Cays are a group of uninhabited islands near the southern end
of the Grenadines. Many consider them to be the best in the chain, citing
their fine coral reefs and turquoise waters. The islands are rocky and
studded with cactus, fringed with coves and beaches of powdery white sand.
The country has set the cays aside as a national park. Snorkeling, swimming
and tanning are the cays' major attractions. Mustique
Most people who've heard of the Grenadines can probably tell you that Mick
Jagger and Princess Margaret are neighbors on Mustique - though practically
everyone's a neighbor on an island that's only 5 miles (8km) long. Most of
the 800 permanent residents work directly or indirectly for those who
vacation on the island, which has been privately owned since 1958. Since the
1960s it's become a holiday haven for the rich and famous and, despite its
typically dry and hilly Grenadine landscape, it's been successfully planted
with coconut palms and citrus trees. The island is managed by the Mustique
Company, which runs a village of sorts on Britannia Bay on the western
coast that consists of a general store and a handful of boutiques. There's
good swimming and snorkeling at Britannia Bay, and the Mustique Company can
arrange horseback riding and diving. Mayreau
No airport, a single unnamed village, clear waters and white-sand beaches
make Mayreau a quiet, rustic getaway. About 200 people live on this
1.5-mile-long (2.5km) island just west of the Tobago Cays. Most visitors
arrive via small cruise ships that dock at Saline Bay on the southwestern
shore - making the island's other beaches best for seclusion. Salt Whistle
Bay, at the northern end of the island, is protected from rough Atlantic
breakers by a long narrow arm. This gorgeous bay has clear waters, beautiful
white sands, calm swimming conditions and a protected anchorage for visiting
yachts. The 20-minute walk from the village (near the middle of the western
coast) to Salt Whistle Bay follows a path lined by cacti and scored by
birdsong. There's a good view from the hilltop stone church at the northern
side of the village. Belmont & Richmond Bays
These two remote bays on the undeveloped northern side of Union Island
have turquoise waters and powdery white sands. Big Sand, the beach at Belmont
Bay, has nice views of Mayreau and the Tobago Cays, a few cows lazing in the
bush and terns and pelicans feeding just offshore. The more sheltered Richmond Beach, just east of Big Sand, has better
swimming. Richmond Beach is a 25 minute walk northwest from Clifton, and Big
Sand Beach is just a few minutes more to the east. The road from Clifton
skirts a large salt pond with good birdwatching Home | Program Facts | Today's Feature | Archives | Schedule | Bios | Picture Gallery | About Us | Feedback | Contact Us | Advertising | Links |
