kingdom · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Origins
The Colony of Saint Vincent became independent with the northern Grenadines on 27 October 1979 under Prime Minister Milton Cato. Weeks later a brief armed uprising on Union Island was put down with help from Barbados.
Rule and society
James Mitchell of the New Democratic Party governed from 1984 to 2000, and Ralph Gonsalves of the Unity Labour Party from 2001 to 2025. Bananas sustained farmers until European preferences ended, and the economy turned toward tourism, yachting in the Grenadines and offshore services. Voters rejected a new constitution that would have made the country a republic in 2009. Argyle International Airport opened in 2017.
To the present
La Soufrière erupted in April 2021, forcing thousands to evacuate, and Hurricane Beryl devastated the southern Grenadines in 2024. The New Democratic Party under Godwin Friday won the election of November 2025, and the country remains a parliamentary monarchy.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines
- MLA
- “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻