Grenada

Overview

Grenada is an island nation in the southern Lesser Antilles, made up of the main island along with a few smaller islands in the Grenadines chain, including Carriacou and Petite Martinique. The country is often called the "Spice Isle", as nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon have long been cultivated there, and Grenada remains one of the world's largest exporters of nutmeg. The country gained independence from Britain in 1974, and in 1983 it was briefly the site of an internal political crisis followed by a US-led military intervention. The official language is English, and most of the population is of African descent and Christian.

Saint George's, the capital, with its horseshoe-shaped harbor and pastel-colored colonial buildings, is regarded as one of the most attractively situated capitals in the Caribbean. Grand Etang National Park contains a lake within the crater of an extinct volcano, surrounded by rainforest and hiking trails. The Underwater Sculpture Park, off Grenada's western coast, was among the first underwater sculpture parks in the world, established in 2006, with its figures gradually transforming into coral reef. Nutmeg processing facilities, such as the Nutmeg Processing Station near Gouyave, offer insight into the handling of the island's most important agricultural product.

Grenada's coral reefs, along with the wreck of the Bianca C, sunk in 1961 and one of the largest wreck-diving sites in the Caribbean, offer excellent diving opportunities. The island's mountainous interior, including the Concord Falls, is reached via rainforest trails, where monkeys and numerous bird species can be observed. Levera National Park, along the northern coast, serves as a nesting site for sea turtles, which lay their eggs on the sandy beaches between May and October. Local cuisine blends Caribbean and African influences, with "oil down", a one-pot dish of vegetables, meat, and breadfruit cooked in coconut milk, holding the status of national dish.