Population
110,000

Capital
Kingstown

Area
344 sq km/133 sq miles; 29 km/18 miles long 18 km/11 miles wide

Geography
St Vincent is a volcanic island. The northern third of the island is mountainous (parts of this area are accessible only by boat because roads cannot be built on the terrain). The highest point is La Soufriere volcano - 1,234 metres. Most of the island’s population lives near the southern coast. The island has a total of 84 km of coastline.
The island has 5 administrative parishes – Charlotte, St Andrew, St David, St George, St Patrick

Time Difference
GMT -4

Language
Official language is English

Monetary Unit
Eastern Caribbean dollar - EC$ (fixed to the US dollar); US dollars are widely accepted

Airport
Local airport, E T Joshua Airport, in Kingstown in the south of the island; an international airport is planned for 2011 +

Flight Times
5 major gateways – Barbados (30 mins) Grenada (30 mins) Martinique (45 mins)
St Lucia (20 mins) Puerto Rico (21/4 hrs); 5 x flights daily from Barbados (LIAT)
Climate Tropical climate with little seasonal temperature variation averaging 27°c; average daily sunshine is 8 – 9 hours; seasonal rainfall between May and November

Location
St Vincent is the largest and most populated island of the 32 St Vincent & the Grenadines islands and cays. It is part of the Windward Islands chain in the Southern Caribbean region and lies 100 miles west of Barbados

Government
St Vincent is an ex-British colony and has been an independent state in the Commonwealth since October 1979; Governor General - Sir Frederick Ballantyne; Prime Minister - Ralph Gonsalves

Economy
St Vincent is emerging as a well-governed and regulated financial jurisdiction, the main activities being banking, trusts, insurance and mutual funds. The registration of International Business Companies has also become a strong growth area.

Tourism
St Vincent is a new, unspoilt tourist destination. It is currently visited by ocean cruisers from the UK & US for day trips. High season is January to May. There are @400 rooms on the island, and no hotel is above a 3 Star.