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 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Travel tips, articles, photos, gallery, cities database, population, pics, flags, statistics, free maps online
 
This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007| Introduction - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | Location - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | People - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | Government - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
 |  |  |  | Government type | parliamentary democracy |  |  |  | Capital | name: Kingstown geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W
 time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
 |  |  |  | Administrative divisions | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick |  |  |  | Independence | 27 October 1979 (from UK) |  |  |  | National holiday | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) |  |  |  | Constitution | 27 October 1979 |  |  |  | Legal system | based on English common law |  |  |  | Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |  |  |  | Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)
 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
 elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
 |  |  |  | Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
 election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3
 |  |  |  | Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |  |  |  | Political parties and leaders | New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) |  |  |  | Political pressure groups and leaders | NA |  |  |  | International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO |  |  |  | Diplomatic representation in the us | chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth I. A. JOHN chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730
 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736
 consulate(s) general: New York
 |  |  |  | Diplomatic representation from the us | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |  |  |  | Flag description | three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern |  |  |  | Economy - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | Communications - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | Transportation - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  | Military - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: |  Source: CIA >>>
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