Grenada
Christopher Columbus sighted the island of Grenada during his third voyage to the Americas in 1498. He named it La Concepción in honour of the Virgin Mary. Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci later travelled through the region with Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda and mapmaker Juan de la Cosa. Vespucci is reported to have renamed the island Mayo, though this name appears on only one map. The indigenous Arawak people who once lived on the island gave the name Camajuya. The earliest potential human presence comes from proxy evidence of lake cores beginning around 500 BC. Permanent villages began appearing around 300 AD. The population peaked between 750 and 1250 before major changes occurred. These changes may have resulted from a contested Carib Invasion or regional droughts. Various Europeans passed through the area and fought with the native Carib peoples. The first known settlement attempt was a failed venture by the English in 1609. They were massacred and driven away by the native Carib peoples.
French settlement and colonisation began in 1649 when an expedition of 203 men from Martinique arrived. Jacques Dyel du Parquet led the group that founded a permanent settlement on Grenada. They signed a peace treaty with the Carib chief Kairouane but conflict broke out within months. Warfare continued during the 1600s between the French on Grenada and the Caribs of present-day Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The island was completely subjugated by the French in 1654. Chocolate was brought to Grenada in 1714 with the introduction of cocoa beans. The economy was initially based on sugar cane and indigo, worked by African slaves via the transatlantic slave trade. Between 1669 and 1808 approximately 127,600 enslaved Africans were brought to Grenada by the British and French. During the French colonial period circa 1659, 1762 the enslaved population rose from about 222 in 1669 to roughly 15,200 by 1763. The French established a capital known as Fort Royal which later became St. George's. Nutmeg was introduced to Grenada in 1843 when a merchant ship left nutmeg trees on board while en route to England from the East Indies. Nutmeg continues to be an important crop for the Grenadine economy.
On the 13th of March 1979 the Marxist-Leninist New Jewel Movement launched a bloodless coup that removed Eric Gairy from power. They suspended the constitution and established a People's Revolutionary Government headed by Maurice Bishop who declared himself prime minister. His government established close ties with Cuba Nicaragua and other communist bloc countries. All political parties except for the New Jewel Movement were banned during the four years of PRG rule. A dispute developed between Bishop and certain high-ranking members of the party including communist Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard. On the 16th of October 1983 Bernard Coard and his wife Phyllis led a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop. They placed Bishop under house arrest. Impassioned supporters freed him by marching en masse to his guarded residence from a rally in the capital's central square. Grenadian soldiers were dispatched in armoured vehicles by the Coard faction to retake the fort. A confrontation between soldiers and civilians at the fort ended in gunfire and panic. Three soldiers and at least eight civilians died in the tumult which also injured 100 others. When the initial shooting ended with Bishop's surrender he and seven of his closest supporters were taken prisoner and executed by firing squad. The group included three cabinet ministers a trade union leader and three service-industry workers. After the execution the People's Revolutionary Army formed a military Marxist government with General Hudson Austin as chairman. US President Ronald Reagan stated that particularly worrying was the presence of Cuban construction workers building an airstrip on Grenada. Combined forces from the United States and the Regional Security System invaded Grenada in an operation codenamed Operation Urgent Fury on the 25th of October 1983. Progress was rapid and within four days the Americans had removed the military government of Hudson Austin.
On the 7th of September 2004 Hurricane Ivan struck the island after being hurricane-free for 49 years. It resulted in 39 deaths and damage or destruction to 90% of the island's homes. On the 14th of July 2005 Hurricane Emily struck the northern part of the island killing one person and causing an estimated US$110 million worth of damage. Agriculture and in particular the nutmeg industry suffered serious losses during these events. It took over five years to officially recover from Ivan though recovery continued for decades after. The St. George's Anglican Church and the St Andrew's Presbyterian Church were restored in 2021. On the 1st of July 2024 Hurricane Beryl struck the island of Carriacou as a Category 4 hurricane. There was no electricity on Carriacou and limited communication throughout the rest of the country. 95% of customers had no power and telecommunications were also damaged. Beryl gained international attention because of its rapid intensification from a tropical storm to Category 4 hurricane within just a 48 hour period. All three inhabited Grenadian islands were impacted but it passed directly over the island of Carriacou causing total devastation.
The first democratic elections since 1976 were held in December 1984 and were won by the New National Party under Herbert Blaize. He served as prime minister until his death in December 1989. Ben Jones briefly succeeded Blaize as prime minister and served until the March 1990 election. This election was won by the National Democratic Congress under Nicholas Brathwaite who served as prime minister until he resigned in February 1995. He was succeeded by George Brizan for a brief period until the June 1995 election which was won by the New National Party under Keith Mitchell. Mitchell went on to win the 1999 and 2003 elections serving for a record 13 years until 2008. In November 2021 Prime Minister Keith Mitchell said that the upcoming general elections due no later than June 2023 would be the last one for him. The New National Party subsequently lost the 2022 election to the National Democratic Congress with the NDC winning 9 seats to the NNP's 6. Dickon Mitchell a political newcomer who had only taken over as leader of the National Democratic Congress less than a year before the election was appointed prime minister. Grenada operates a multi-party system with the largest parties being the centre-right New National Party and the centre-left National Democratic Congress.
Tourism is the mainstay of Grenada's economy and serves as the major foreign exchange earner. Conventional beach and water-sports tourism is largely focused in the southwest region around St George the airport and the coastal strip. Ecotourism is growing in significance. Grenada has many beaches including the long Grand Anse Beach in St. George's often described as one of the best beaches in the world. Several festivals also draw in tourists such as Grenada's Carnival Spice Mas in August and the Carriacou Maroon and String Band Music Festival in April. Major short-term concerns are the rising fiscal deficit and the deterioration in the external account balance. Grenada shares a common central bank and a common currency called the East Caribbean dollar with seven other members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. The country has suffered from a heavy external debt problem with government debt service payments running at about 25% of total revenues in 2017. Grenada was listed as ninth from bottom in a study of 126 developing countries regarding this issue. The nutmeg industry provided a major source of foreign exchange earnings to the country according to a case study released in November 2003.
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Common questions
When did Christopher Columbus first sight the island of Grenada?
Christopher Columbus sighted the island of Grenada during his third voyage to the Americas in 1498. He named it La Concepción in honour of the Virgin Mary.
Who led the French expedition that established a permanent settlement on Grenada in 1649?
Jacques Dyel du Parquet led the group that founded a permanent settlement on Grenada when an expedition of 203 men from Martinique arrived. The island was completely subjugated by the French in 1654 after conflict broke out with the Carib chief Kairouane within months.
What happened to Maurice Bishop and his supporters on the 16th of October 1983?
Maurice Bishop and seven of his closest supporters were taken prisoner and executed by firing squad following a confrontation between soldiers and civilians at the fort. This event occurred after Bernard Coard and his wife Phyllis led a coup against the government of Maurice Bishop on the 16th of October 1983.
How many people died when Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada on the 7th of September 2004?
Hurricane Ivan resulted in 39 deaths and damage or destruction to 90% of the island's homes when it struck the island on the 7th of September 2004. It took over five years to officially recover from Ivan though recovery continued for decades after.
Which political party won the 2022 election in Grenada and who became prime minister?
The National Democratic Congress won the 2022 election to the New National Party with 9 seats to the NNP's 6. Dickon Mitchell was appointed prime minister as a political newcomer who had only taken over as leader of the National Democratic Congress less than a year before the election.