Grenada is 133 sq. miles in size and the largest of the Tri-Island State, comprising of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique.
Capital of Grenada Saint George's is also the political center of Grenada, which is considered a Constitutional Monarchy, and home to its Ceremonial head of state.
The Island is located at the southern end of the Grenadines, in the southeastern Caribbean Sea; northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Grenada is known as the "Island of Spice" because of its production of a wide variety of spices. True to its name, Grenada is a leading producer of Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Mace, Allspice and Wild Coffee, used by the locals. Grenada provides 20% of the world’s Nutmeg exports, making it the second largest producer of nutmeg after Indonesia. The nutmeg on the nation's flag represents the economic value of the crop to Grenada.
Grenada is a place where untouched beauty meets our warm people. The Island offers a lifestyle so pure and authentic that you feel instantly renewed. Our enchanting island boasts silky stretches of white sand beaches, sunken treasures adorned by corals and un- spoilt landscapes; undiscovered by crowds; pure and real.
Before the 14th century, the Caribs who displaced the earlier population of Arawaks, settled Grenada. Christopher Columbus during his third voyage to the new world in 1498 sited the island and named it Concepción. The origin of the name "Grenada" is ambiguous but it is likely that Spanish sailors renamed the island for the city of Granada in Spain. The French then adapted Granada to Grenade, and the British followed suit, changing Grenade to Grenada.
European settlement was slow to follow due to the fierce resistance of the warlike Caribs. The island remained un-colonized for more than 150 years although Britain and France fought for control. The French gained control of the island in 1672 and held on to it until the British successfully invaded the island in 1762 during the Seven Years’ War and acquired Grenada by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Although the French regained control in 1779, the island was restored to Britain in 1783 by the Treaty of Versailles.
During the 18th century the British established sugar plantations and slave labour was brought in from Africa to work on the estates. Natural disasters in the late 18th century destroyed the sugar fields and paved the way for the introduction of other crops. Cacao, cotton, nutmeg and other valuable spices were introduced and Grenada assumed a new importance to European traders.
Slavery was outlawed in 1834 at which the slave population had reached 24,000. National political consciousness took shape through the labour movement. Grenada joined the Federation of the West Indies in 1958. When that was dissolved in 1962, Grenada evolved first into an Associated State with internal self government (1967). Independence was achieved in 1974; Grenada became a constitutional monarchy, with a Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State, represented by the Governor General.
Grenada is a member of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Organization of American States, the Caribbean Community, the Association of Caribbean States and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, a member of the Alliance of Small Island States.