Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974 making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage.
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Location:
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
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Geographic coordinates:
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12 07 N, 61 40 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean
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Area:
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total: 344 sq km
land: 344 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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twice the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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121 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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Climate:
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tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
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Terrain:
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volcanic in origin with central mountains
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m
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Natural resources:
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timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors
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Land use:
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arable land: 5.88%
permanent crops: 29.41%
other: 64.71% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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NA
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Natural hazards:
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lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November
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Environment - current issues:
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NA
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada
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Population:
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89,703 (July 2006 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 33.4% (male 15,097/female 14,820)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 30,106/female 26,764)
65 years and over: 3.3% (male 1,394/female 1,522) (2006 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 21.7 years
male: 22.1 years
female: 21.2 years (2006 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.26% (2006 est.)
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Birth rate:
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22.08 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-12.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 14.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.87 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 64.87 years
male: 63.06 years
female: 66.68 years (2006 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.34 children born/woman (2006 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Grenadian(s)
adjective: Grenadian
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Ethnic groups:
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black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
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Languages:
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English (official), French patois
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Grenada
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Government type:
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parliamentary democracy
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Capital:
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name: Saint George's
geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petit Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick
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Independence:
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7 February 1974 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 7 February (1974)
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Constitution:
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19 December 1973
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Legal system:
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based on English common law
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Daniel WILLIAMS (since 9 August 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 22 June 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 13-member body, 10 appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 27 November 2003 (next to be held by November 2008)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 46.65%, NDC 44.12%; seats by party - NNP 8, NDC 7
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE
chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561
FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468
consulate(s) general: New York
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's
mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's
telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1176
FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820
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Flag description:
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a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions
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Economy - overview:
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Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$440 million (2002 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$454 million (2005)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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0.9% (2005 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$3,900 (2005 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5.4%
industry: 18%
services: 76.6% (2003)
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Labor force:
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42,300 (1996)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 24%
industry: 14%
services: 62% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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12.5% (2000)
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Population below poverty line:
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32% (2000)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3% (2005 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $85.8 million
expenditures: $102.1 million; including capital expenditures of $28 million (1997)
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables
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Industries:
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food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction
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Industrial production growth rate:
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0.7% (1997 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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171.3 million kWh (2004)
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Electricity - consumption:
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159.3 million kWh (2004)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2004)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2004)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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1,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA bbl/day
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Oil - imports:
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NA bbl/day
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2004 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2004 est.)
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Exports:
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$40 million (2004 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace
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Exports - partners:
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Saint Lucia 12.2%, US 11.4%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.3%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 7.9%, Saint Kitts & Nevis 7.4%, Dominica 7.4%, UK 6.8%, France 4.2% (2005)
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Imports:
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$276 million (2004 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel
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Imports - partners:
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Trinidad and Tobago 27.6%, US 26.8%, UK 5.9% (2005)
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Debt - external:
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$347 million (2004)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$15.4 million (2004)
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Currency (code):
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East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
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Exchange rates:
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East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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This page was last updated on 15 March, 2007
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