Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Is officially known as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a North American island nation in the Lesser Antilles chain of the Caribbean Sea west of Barbados. Its consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines. The Carib Indians inhabited St. Vincent before the Europeans arrived, and the island still sports a sizable number of Carib artifacts. Carib Indians aggressively prevented European settlement on St. Vincent until the 18th century. Enslaved Africans - whether shipwrecked or escaped from Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada and seeking refuge in mainland St. Vincent, or Hairouna as it was originally named by the Caribs - intermarried with the Caribs and became known as Garifuna or Black Caribs. Explored by 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. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.
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 Grenadines receives about 200,000 tourist arrivals annually mainly from the US.