Where are we?

Picturesque St. Vincent and The Grenadines lie at 60º 56’ West longitude and 13º 15’ North latitude, approximately 1,600 miles southeast of Miami. St. Vincent is the largest of the more than 30 islands that comprise the nation, covering roughly 150 square miles.

The Grenadines extend 45 miles to the southwest, like a kite’s tail. The major islands, north to south, are Young Island, Bequia ("beck-way"), Mustique ("mus-teek"), Canouan ("can-no-wan"), Mayreau ("my-row"), Union Island, Palm Island, and Petit St. Vincent.

As part of the Windward Islands, which are in turn part of the Lesser Antilles, St. Vincent’s closest neighbours include the islands of Grenada, 75 miles to the south; St. Lucia, 24 miles to the north; and Barbados, 100 miles to the east.

Geography

Location

Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates

13 15 N, 61 12 W

Area

total : 340 sq km
land: 340 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

twice the size of Washington, DC

Coastline:

84 km

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Coastline

tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain

volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m

Land use

Arable land: 10%
Permanent crops: 18%
Permanent pastures: 5%
Forests and woodland: 36%
other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land

10 sq km (1993 est.)

Environment - international agreements

Party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling