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 |
|
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