Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

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Saint Vincent

Native name: Yurumei or Hairouna
View of Saint Vincent
Saint Vincent Saint Vincent Island Show map of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint Vincent Location in the Lesser Antilles Show map of Lesser Antilles Saint Vincent Location in the Caribbean Show map of Caribbean
Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea on the West Coast Atlantic Ocean on the East Coast.
Coordinates	13°15′N 61°12′W / 13.250°N 61.200°W / 13.250; -61.200
Archipelago	Windward Islands
Area	345 km2 (133 sq mi)
Length	18 mi (29 km)
Width	11 mi (18 km)
Highest point	La Soufrière 4,048 ft (1,234 m)
Administration
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Parishes	6
Constituencies	15
Largest settlement	Kingstown (pop. 25,418)
Demographics
Population	100,000 (2012)
Pop. density	347.83/km2 (900.88/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Black 66%, East Indian 6%, Garifuna 2%, Mixed Race 19%, White 4%, Other 3%.

Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean. It is the largest island of the country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains. Its largest volcano and the country's highest peak, La Soufrière, is active,^[1] with the latest episode of volcanic activity having begun in December 2020 and intensifying in April 2021.^[2]

There were major territory wars between the indigenous population of the Black Caribs, also called the Garifuna, and Great Britain in the 18th century, before the island was ceded to the British in 1763, and again in 1783. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from the United Kingdom on 27 October 1979, and became part of the British Commonwealth of Nations thereafter. Approximately 130,000 people currently live on the island, and the population saw significant migration to the UK in the early 1900s, and between the 1940s, and 1980s. There has also been significant migration to Canada, and other larger neighbouring Anglo-Caribbean islands. The main island consists of the capital Kingstown, with the rest of the island divided into, five main coastal strip towns of; Layou, Barrouallie, Chateaubelair, Georgetown, and Calliaqua.