According to commit4fitness, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island state in the eastern part of the Caribbean Sea on the border with the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles, and is located south of Saint Lucia and north of Grenada. In addition to the main island of Saint Vincent, a further 31 islands belong to the state.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are divided into six administrative parishes. Five at St. Vincent, the Grenadines are gathered in a separate parish: Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George and Saint Patrick.

Nine of the islands including St. Vincent and the Grenadines are inhabited: Young Island, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Union Island, Mayreau, Petit St Vincent and Palm Island.

The port city and capital of Kingstown is one of the most picturesque in the Caribbean.

The country consists of a total of 32 individual islands stretching 77 km towards Grenada, complete with tropical rainforest, coral reefs, white sandy beaches and clear blue water.

The Caribbean Indians strongly opposed European colonization until the 18th century. Before that time, the island had served as a hiding place for African slaves who had either fled the neighboring islands or ended up there as a result of shipwrecks. These became like garifuna and were often married to local Indians.

In time, African slavery on St. Vincent a hot topic of conversation in England when oppressive rules for the blacks were brutally carried out by the white plantation owners who used slaves to grow sugar cane and other products.

Today, the overall economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines revolves around agriculture, with bananas and coconut palms the major cash crops.

TIMELINE:

1300 – Caribbean Indians from South America conquer the island from the Arawak Indians.

1498 – Christopher Columbus visits the main island of St. Vincent’s Day (January 22?) He had sailed past in 1492, but it would be 100 years before this thickly forested landscape was inhabited by outsiders.

1627 – St. Vincent surrendered to Britain’s Lord Carlisle.

1719 – French plantation begins on the island.

1722 – The French establish the present city of Kingstown in the early months.

1763 – The island is rejected by Britain, until 1779, when it returns to French rule, and again returns to Britain in 1783, following the Treaty of Paris, where the island is recognized as a British colony.

1793 – William Bligh, the famous British naval officer, (best known for the mutiny on the HMAV Bounty, and the subsequent voyage to Timor, which the mutineers had banished him and 18 others to) arrived on the island with breadfruit seeds to be cultivated there.

1795-1797 – The years up to 1796 were marked by conflicts between the colonists and the Indians, more than 5000 Indians were deported to Roatán, an island off Honduras.

1812 – First documented eruption of La Soufriere volcano, causing many injured residents. Several volcanoes in the Caribbean have names that in French mean “sulfur pit”.

1834 – Slavery is abolished, resulting in immigration from other peoples, including the Portuguese and Asians, who often end up living in poor conditions.

1902 – Second eruption of La Soufriere, claiming the lives of 2,000 islanders. Much of the Grenadines’ farmland was damaged and the island’s economy deteriorated rapidly.

1958-1962 – St. Vincent became a member of the British-sponsored West Indies Federation.

1979 – St. Vincent and the Grenadines became independent on October 27th.

1981 – Workers strike a general strike to protest the economic downturn.

2002-2003 – MOVIE: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Black Curse, was recorded on October 9, 2002-7. March, 2003. The main base was at St. Vincent, was the main base for the filming of the movie. The “Port Royal” harbor was built at Wallilabou Bay (St. Vincent – the dock and the facades are long gone) and the set of the small town (also away) at Chateaubelair. Tourism has, of course, doubled due to the success of the films.

2003 – The country is removed from the list of nations considered uncooperative against money laundering in June.

2013 – Saint Vincent calls on European nations to pay compensation for the slave trade.