If you want a more idiosyncratic, personal, anecdotal AND factual view of Grenada read on.
Grenada, the Isle of Spice, is the most southerly of the Windward Islands, lying in the Caribbean Sea and part of the West Indies. The oval shaped island is about 100 miles (160 km.) north of the South American state of Venezuela. Grenada is not all that big but if you listen to Grenadians speak you would think it was massive. It is about 21 miles (34 km.) long by 12 miles (18 km.) wide. My father in his younger days used to be a cyclist and told me on many occasions how in training he would cycle round the island,................before breakfast. This all translates into an area of about 120 sq. miles
(311 sq. km.).
In talking about Grenada, you really cannot forget the other island which is inviolably linked to the main island in the hearts and minds of Grenadians, Carriacou (pronounced by Grenadians - (p. b. G.) "ca - ree - coo"). Carriacou is about 20 miles north-north east of Grenada and is 13 sq. miles in area. The link is so strong that it is represented in the flag. More on this later. Thus Granada is quoted as having a total area of 133 sq. miles (344 sq. km.)
One thing you will not find much of is flat land. You see the island is volcanic in origin and has a backbone of mountains that form a ridge running north to south. The steep faces are to the west and the gentler slopes to the east and south east. The highest peak is Mount Saint Catherine 2749ft. (838m.). A lake, Grand Etang, (p. b. G. "gran - e - tang") sits near the center of the chain, 1,740 ft. (630m.) high, in an extinct volcano. It covers 36 acres (14.4ha) and is deep, very deep, very very deep, so deep no one knows how far down it goes. Grenada also has hot springs, many rivers, and several more mountain lakes.
Now add a tropical climate, average annual temperature of 27.8° C (82° F), annual rainfall of 60 in. (1524 mm.) at the coast, a lavish coating of fertile black soil and a year round growing season. Mix for thousands of years and you have an island covered with lush vegetation everywhere you look. I remember standing on the verandah of my aunt's house once and thinking to myself that I did not know there were so many shades of green.
The best part about Grenada are its people. Over 84% are Negro, 11% mixed race, 3% Asian (from the Indian sub-continent and surrounding areas, not the Far East and Pacific rim) and the remainder, have roots from all over the world. This melting pot is harmonious in ways only dreamed about in some places and is in no small part due to the islands history. A chronology. of which is available.
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