Today is our third day in the Caribbean. We don’t travel far, as we are island-hopping to Saint Lucia’s neighbouring island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Like Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a small, island nation that is an ex-British colony. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from the UK in 1979 and is still part of the commonwealth. The nation also shares its currency, the East Caribbean dollar with Saint Lucia and seven other Caribbean nations.
Bananas are a significant export for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines but the largest export is “inflatable pleasure craft” making up 55% of the countries exports. I tried to find out more about this bizarre stat, but couldn’t find any more details. It doesn’t even seem like there is a factory making inflatable pleasure craft in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. If anyone can solve this mystery, please let me know…
In April this year, 16,000 residents had to be evacuated from their homes after the La Soufrière volcano erupted in the North of Saint Vincent. This evacuation was made significantly harder due to covid.
One of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines larger islands, Mustique has some notoriety due to famous residents such as Shania Twain, John Cleese, Mick Jagger and Tommy Hilfiger. It’s also the island that Boris Johnson controversially visited during Christmas 2019 at the expense of a political donor.
One final fact about Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is that whaling is still allowed in limited quantities on the island of Bequia. Locals are allowed to catch up to four humpback whales per year using traditional hand-thrown harpoons. Apparently, often they don’t manage to meet their quota.
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