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St. Vincent and The
Grenadines |
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St. Vincent, chief island of the chain, is 18 miles long and 11 miles wide and is located 100 miles west of Barbados. The island is mountainous and well forested. St. Vincent is dominated by the volcano Mount Soufrière, which rises to 4,048 ft (1,234 m). The Grenadines, a chain of nearly 600 islets with a total area of only 17 sq miles, extend for 60 miles between St. Vincent and Grenada. The main islands in the Grenadines are:
Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Union Island, Palm
Island and Petit St. Vincent. |
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The Carib Indians inhabited St. Vincent before the
Europeans arrived. Explored by Christopher Columbus in 1498,
and alternately claimed by Britain and France, St. Vincent
became a British colony by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. In
1773, the island was divided between the Caribs and the
British, but conflicts between the groups persisted. In
1776, the Caribs revolted and were subdued. Thereafter the
British deported most of them to islands in the Gulf of
Honduras. Sugarcane cultivation brought thousands of African
slaves and, later, Portuguese and East Indian laborers. |
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The islands belonged to the West Indies Federation from
1958 until its dissolution in 1962, won home rule in 1969 as part of the
West Indies Associated States, and achieved full independence Oct. 27,
1979. The leeward coast has spectacular slopes and valleys running down
to beaches lapped by the tranquil Caribbean Sea. The Capital, Kingstown,
combines reminders of its colonial past with the bright and bustling life
of a modern market town. Make your leisurely way from island to island
using the scheduled ferry boat or travel by air, or let one of the local
tour operators be your guide through the islands.
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St. Vincent is reached via connecting flights from Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique or Grenada.
A half mile outside of Kingstown, the capital, is the botanic gardens, founded in 1765. this twenty acre estate was part of a colonial scheme to exchange exotic plants throughout the British empire. The Grenadines consist of a tail of islands and uninhabited cays stretching 45 miles southeast of the "mainland". Connections to the
small Grenadines are via air from St. Vincent, or by ferry service. These islands all have lovely soft white coral sand beaches and clear waters, ideal for snorkeling, scuba diving and sailing. |
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