Grenada

• Geography

GEOGRAPHICAL INFO

 

Grenada is an island nation in the southeastern Caribbean Sea including the southern Grenadines. Grenada is the second-smallest independent country in the Western Hemisphere (after Saint Kitts and Nevis). It is located north of Trinidad and Tobago, and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The National Bird of Grenada is the critically endangered Grenada Dove.

 

Capital: St. George's

Languages: English

Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (XCD)

 

Geography

The island Grenada itself is the largest island; smaller Grenadines are Carriacou, Petit Martinique, Rhonde Island, Caille Island, Diamond Island, Large Island, Saline Island and Frigate Island. Most of the population lives on Grenada itself, and major towns there include the capital St. George's, Grenville and Gouyave. The largest settlement on the other islands is Hillsborough on Carriacou.

 

The islands are of volcanic origin with extremely rich soil. Grenada's interior is very mountainous with Mount St. Catherine being the highest at 2,756 feet. Several small rivers with beautiful waterfalls flow into the sea from these mountains. The climate is tropical: hot and humid in the rainy season and cooled by the trade winds in the dry season. Grenada, being on the southern edge of the hurricane belt, has suffered only three hurricanes in fifty years. Hurricane Janet passed over Grenada on 23 September 1955 with winds of 115 mph, causing severe damage. The most recent storms to hit have been Hurricane Ivan on September 7, 2004 causing severe damage and thirty-nine deaths and Hurricane Emily on July 14, 2005 causing serious damage in Carriacou and in the north of Grenada which had been relatively lightly affected by hurricane Ivan.

 

Climate

Although Grenada's climate is tropical and generally hot, it's also tempered by northeastern trade winds. Temperatures in Grenada are delightfully balmy year-round, with daily highs averaging 29°C (84°F). The rainy season lasts from June to November. On average, rain falls 22 days per month during this period. Even in the driest months, between January and April, it rains 12 days a month, which accounts for the island's lush vegetation. Hurricane season runs from June to November.