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Tobago Cays Facts
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Map of the Tobago Cays

General

Island name: Tobago Cays.

Country: St. Vincent and the Grenadines (VC). 

Nationality: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s). 

Language: English, French patois.

Capital: Kingstown.

Population: the four islands are uninhabited.. 

Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November).
 

Geography

Area:  sq.mile.

Coastline: 84 km (SVG).

Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N, 61 12 W. 

Highest point: Mount Parnassus, 275m (900ft). Mt. Toboi at nearly 1,000 feet is the highest peak in the Grenadines. 

Location: in the middle of the Grenadines, west of the Tobago Cays.

Size: all islands are very small.

Terrain: mountainous, dry and rocky, covered in thorny scrub and dotted with cacti, the consequence of decades of foraging by free ranging goats. 
 

Tourist Information

Overview: The Tobago Cays are the jewel of the Grenadines, set in crystal clear turquoise water. Four uninhabited islands are protected by a large horseshoe shaped coral reef. They are called Petit Rameau, Petit Bateau, Baradal et Jamesby. Petit Tabac, although windward of this reef, is protected by another called World's End Reef. Jacques Cousteau called the Tobago Cays as one of the worlds best diving spots. The Tobago Cays are a national park and wildlife preserve, the Tobago Cays Marine Park, run by the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines government. The office is located at Clifton harbour, Union Island. The Tobago Cays are the Grenadines’ most popular anchorage. They are often used in movies and most recently Petit Tabac was the backdrop for Johnny Depp being marooned in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl".

Activities: sailing, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling and other water sports.

Average tourist arrivals: More than 14,000 yachtspersons, 25,000 charter boat day-trippers, and 10,000 cruise ship passengers visit the Cays every year.

Crime: 

Electricity: 220/240 volt, 50 cycle.

Entry Requirements: Valid passports must be carried by all persons entering SVG, except UK, USA and Canadian citizens who possess valid return tickets and ID and who are on a visit not exceeding six months. Visas are not required where the visitor is a citizen of the USA or a Commonwealth country, or where he/she is a national of a country which has an agreement for exemption of the visa requirement.

Shopping: some beach vendors sell t-shirts and evetually grilled lobsters.

Telephone: country code - 1-784. 

Time: Time: 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard US Time and 5 hours ahead of Standard European Time. During daylight savings time, from April through October, local time is the same as U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, and four hours behind GMT. During the remainder of the year, the islands are five hours behind GMT and one hour ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
 

Money

Cost of living: Saint Vincent is one of the cheaper Caribbean islands, but some of the Grenadine Islands are very expensive.

Credit cards: US and EC dollars are accepted at stores, restaurants and hotels, as are travellers' cheques and most major credit cards.

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD). East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (fixed rate since 1976). The U.S. dollar is accepted pretty much everywhere on the island. 

Tipping: Usually a 10 % service charge will be added to your restaurant bill. Tipping is expected only for special service. Taxi drivers and tour guides expect 10 %.
 

Transport

Airports: 

Departure Tax: Departure tax EC$ 40.00.

Flight Times: from Barbados 55 minutes (or fly to St. Vincent and take the ferry to bequia. 

Ferry Service: MV Baracuda operates between St. Vincent and Union three times a week with stops at Bequia (1 hour), Canouan, and Mayreau (all trip 5 hours long). In Union Island you can catch a boat to Carriacou, and from there the ferry to Grenada. This trip is one of the best you can do in the Caribbean. There is as well a boat service from St. Vincent to Mustique.

Ports and harbors: none.

Land Transport: none.
 

Politics

Ethnic groups: black 66 %, mixed 19%, East Indian 6 %, Carib Amerindian 2 %, other 7 %. 

Government type: constitutional monarchy. 

Legal system: based on English common law. 

Literacy: 96 % (male: 96 %, female: 96 %). 

Religions: Anglican 47 %, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13 %, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12%. 
 

Economy

Agriculture products: bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish. 

GDP per capita: US$ 10,200 (2009 est.). 

Industries: food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch. 

Natural resources: hydropower, cropland. 

Unemployment rate: 15 % (2001 est.). 
 

Radio Frequencies
 
BBC World Service
MHz 17.72 15.22 6.195 5.975
 
Voice of America:
MHz 13.74 11.70 6.130 5.995