Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form:
Grenada
Government type:
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name:
Saint George's
geographic coordinates:
12 03 N, 61 45 W
time difference:
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick
Independence:
7 February 1974 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 7 February (1974)
Constitution:
previous 1967; latest presented 19 December 1973, came into operation 7 February 1974, some provisions suspended 1979; amended 1991 (Constitutional Judicature Act, 1991 - restored provisions suspended in 1979), 1992 (2008)
Legal system:
common law based on English model
International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
[see also: Suffrage country ranks ]
:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Cecile LA GRENADE (since 7 May 2013)
head of government:
Prime Minister Keith MITCHELL (since 20 February 2013)
cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections:
the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10 members appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:
last held on 19 February 2013 (next to be held in 2018)
election results:
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NNP 59%, NDC 41%; seats by party - NNP 15
Judicial branch:
highest court(s):
Supreme Court of Grenada (consists of the High Court with 3 justices and a 2-tier Court of Appeal with NA justices)
note - the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to include Grenada; the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is compri
judge selection and term of office:
justice selection and tenure NA
subordinate courts:
magistrates' courts; Court of Magisterial Appeals
Political parties and leaders:
Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Wilfred HAYES]
National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]
New National Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee for Human Rights in Grenada or CHRG
New Jewel Movement Support Group
The British Grenada Friendship Society
The New Jewel 19 Committee
International organization participation:
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ethelstan A. FRIDAY (since 3 September 2013)
chancery:
1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 265-2561
FAX:
[1] (202) 265-2468
consulate(s) general:
New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:
the US does not have an embassy in Grenada; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada
embassy:
Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's
mailing address:
P. O. Box 54, Saint George's
telephone:
[1] (473) 444-1173 through 1177
FAX:
[1] (473) 444-4820
Flag description:
a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars stand for the seven administrative divisions, with the central star denoting the capital, St. George; yellow represents the sun and the warmth of the people, green stands for vegetation and agriculture, and red symbolizes harmony, unity, and courage
National anthem:
name:
"Hail Grenada"
lyrics/music:
Irva Merle BAPTISTE/Louis Arnold MASANTO
note:
adopted 1974