Saint Vincent

		Food For The Poor in Saint Vincent Food for The Poor partners with the Diocese of Kingstown, which has been in operation for more than 19 years in Saint Vincent. The organization has sent containers of: Food Personal care items Medical supplies Educational supplies
Food For The Poor ships containers of aid items to Saint Vincent and other Caribbean countries every year.

General Information

	Saint Vincent measures 130 square miles, about 2 times the size of Washington, D.C.

Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new industries, and a high unemployment rate of 22 percent continues. The continuing dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands' development.

Success of the economy hinges upon seasonal variations in agriculture, tourism, and construction activity as well as remittance inflows. Much of the workforce is employed in banana production and tourism, but persistent high unemployment has prompted many to leave the islands. The country is also vulnerable to natural disasters – tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002.

History

Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on Saint Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the U.K. in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Interesting Facts

• Saint Vincent, like all the Windwards, is volcanic and mountainous with luxuriant vegetation and black sand beaches.
• Kingstown, capital of Saint Vincent, is a lively port and market town on the southern coast. The town contains 12 small blocks with a variety of shops and a busy dock area.
• Admiralty Bay, the island’s natural harbor, is a favorite anchoring spot for yachtsmen from all over the world.
• West Indian cuisine can always be enjoyed. Specialties include red snapper, kingfish, and souse (a sauce made with pigs’ feet).
• The rugged eastern coast is lined with cliffs and rocky shores. To the north, La Soufrière, St. Vincent’s volcano, rises to 1,219m (4,000ft).
• The Falls of Baleine, at the northern tip of Saint Vincent, are accessible only by boat. The 18m (59ft) freshwater falls stream from volcanic slopes and form a series of shallow pools at the base.
• Only 180m (590ft) off Saint Vincent, Young Island rises from the sea, a 25-acre mountain blanketed with tropical foliage and blossoms.
• Strung along the western coast are the fishing villages of Questelles, Layou, Barrouallie and Châteaubelair, all of which have charming pastel-colored cottages and excellent black-sand beaches from which fishermen set out daily in small brightly painted boats.
• Saint Vincent’s diverse economy consists mainly of exports of bananas and arrowroot (an ingredient for carbonless copy paper).

Demographics