Constitution of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 1979

Please Download

Please Download

Geography

Area: 340 sq. km. (130 sq. mi.). The Grenadines include 32 islands, the largest of which are Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, and Union. Some of the smaller islands are privately owned.
Capital: Kingstown.
Terrain: Volcanic and mountainous, with the highest peak, Soufriere, rising to 1,219 meters (4,000 ft.).
Climate: Tropical.

Nationality: Vincentian.
Population (2002 est.): 115,000.
Ethnic groups: African descent (66%), mixed (19%), West Indian (6%), Carib Indian (2%).
Religions: Anglican (47%), Methodist (28%), Roman Catholic (13%), other Protestant denominations, Seventh-day Adventist, Hindu.
Language: English (official).
Education: Literacy - 98%.
Health (1998): Infant mortality rate - 22.2/1,000. Life expectancy - females 72 yrs.; males - 68 yrs.
Work force: About 40,000. Agriculture - 60%.

Type: Parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth.
Independence: October 27, 1979.
Constitution: October 27, 1979.
Branches: Executive - Governor General (representing Queen Elizabeth II, head of state), Prime Minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative - Unicameral legislature with 15-member elected house of assembly and six-member appointed senate. Judicial - district courts, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (high court and court of appeals), final appeal to the Privy Council in London.
Subdivisions: Six parishes.
Political parties: Unity Labor Party (ULP, incumbent; holds 12 of 15 seats in parliament), New Democratic Party (NDP).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.

GDP (2004): $409 million.
GDP real growth (2004): 5.4%.
Per capita GDP (2004): $3,857.
Agriculture: 10% of GDP (mostly bananas).
Industry: Plastic products, food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch, and detergents.
Trade: Exports (2004) - $34 million (bananas, eddoes and dasheen, arrowroot starch). Major markets - U.K. 34%, Barbados 13%, St. Lucia 11%, Trinidad 10%. Imports (2004) - $200 million (foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers). Major suppliers - U.S., CARICOM, U.K., Japan.

Carib Indians aggressively prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. African slaves,whether shipwrecked or escaped from St. Lucia and Grenada and seeking refuge in St. Vincent intermarried with the Caribs and became known as black Caribs. Beginning in 1719, French settlers cultivated coffee, tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar on plantations worked by African slaves. In 1763, St. Vincent was ceded to Britain. Restored to French rule in 1779, St. Vincent was regained by the British under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. Conflict between the British and the black Caribs continued until 1796, when General Abercrombie crushed a revolt fomented by the French radical Victor Hugues.

From 1763 until independence, St. Vincent passed through various stages of colonial status under the British. A representative assembly was authorized in 1776, Crown Colony government installed in 1877, a legislative council created in 1925, and universal adult suffrage granted in 1951.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth of Nations. Queen Elizabeth II is head of state and is represented on the island by a governor general, an office with mostly ceremonial functions. Control of the government rests with the prime minister and the cabinet.

As in other English-speaking Caribbean countries, the judiciary in St. Vincent is rooted in British common law. There are 11 courts in three magisterial districts. The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, comprising a high court and a court of appeals, is known in St. Vincent as the St. Vincent and the Grenadines supreme court. The court of last resort is the judicial committee of Her Majesty's Privy Council in London.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Pledge

Land of my birth I pledge to thee my loyalty and devotion. In all I think , or do or say.

The flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines was officially adopted on October 12, 1985. The blue is symbolic of the sky, yellow for the almost constant sunshine and green for abundant vegetation. The Gems of Antilles (centered), are placed in the shape of a V, one that represents St. Vincent.

The coat of arms of Saint Vincent shows peace and justice represented by two women, one holding an olive branch (peace) and the other making a sacrifice over an altar (justice). This design with the Latin motto “Pax et justitia” (“Peace and justice”) was used as a flag badge on the British Blue Ensign when Saint Vincent was an associated state of the United Kingdom from 1969 to 1979. At independence on October 27, 1979, however, a national flag designed by Elaine Liverpool was introduced. The arms were shown on a green breadfruit leaf, recalling the introduction of breadfruit in Saint Vincent by Captain William Bligh. The background of the flag consisted of vertical stripes of blue, yellow, and green separated by narrow white stripes.

The national bird of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona Guildingii). A species unique to this island, it is a Colorful creature about sixteen to eighteen inches long, with a white, yellow and violet head. Its neck is primarily green and its body plumage is a tawny brown-gold. The parrot's wings are variegated and its tail is green, blue and yellow-tipped. The Vincentian parrot derived its name from an English biologist, Rev. Landsdown Guilding, who first identified the bird's distinctiveness". The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines prohibits unlawful sale or capture of the national bird. The Calvin Nicholls Wildlife Complex, located in the Botanic Gardens in Kingstown is the new breeding centre for the parrot.

Lyrics of the National Anthem