St. Vincent and the Grenadines Country & Tourist Information

Location
Eastern Caribbean, Windward Islands.

Area
St Vincent: 344 sq km (133 sq miles). Grenadines: 45.3 sq km (17.3 sq miles). Total: 389.3 sq km (150.3 sq miles).

Population
118,432 (official estimate 2008).

Population Density
305 per sq km.

Capital
Kingstown.
Population: 29,000 (estimate 2003).

Government
Constitutional monarachy. Gained independence from the UK in 1979.

Language
English is mostly spoken as well as some French patois.

Religion
Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist and other Christian denominations.

Time
GMT - 4.

Electricity
220/240 volts AC, 50Hz (except Petit St Vincent which has 110 volts AC, 60Hz).

Head of Government
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves since March 2001.

Head of State
Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor General Frederick Ballantyne since 2002.

Recent History
Gonsalves’ Unity Labor Party won a second term in the December 2005 elections. The party secured 12 of the 15 seats in parliament. The remaining seats are held by the New Democratic Party.

Telephone
Country code: 1 784.

Mobile Telephone
North American mobile phones work on all the islands. Network coverage is good.

Internet
Available in Internet cafes and hotels.

Media


Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes up to two weeks.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1500, Sat 0830-1130.

Press
• All newspapers are in English and most are published weekly.
• The most popular papers are The News, Searchlight and The Vincentian.
• The Herald is published daily.

Radio
• NBC Radio is a partly government-funded national station.
• Private stations include Hot 97 and We FM.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1 Jan New Year's Day.
14 Mar National Heroes' Day. 
10 Apr Good Friday. 
13 Apr Easter Monday. 
4 May Labor Day. 
1 Jun Whit Monday. 
13 Jul Carnival Monday. 
14 Jul Carnival Tuesday. 
3 Aug Emancipation Day.
27 Oct Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2010
1 Jan New Year's Day.
14 Mar National Heroes' Day.
2 Apr Good Friday.
4 Apr Easter Monday. 
4 May Labor Day. 
24 May Whit Monday. 
Jul* Carnival Monday. 
Jul* Carnival Tuesday. 
3 Aug Emancipation Day.
27 Oct Independence Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

*Date to be confirmed.

Note
If the above dates fall on a Sunday, the following Monday will be taken as a public holiday.

Contact Information:

High Commission for St Vincent and the Grenadines in the UK
10 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, UK
Tel: (020) 7565 2874.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1700.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourist Office in the UK
10 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, UK
Tel: (020) 7937 6570.
Website: www.svgtourism.com

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com

Embassy of St Vincent and the Grenadines in the USA
3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Tel: (202) 364 6730.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourist Office in the USA
801 Second Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 687 4981 or 1 800 729 1726.
Website: www.svgtourism.com


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