Saint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean Sea, and the largest territory of the country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located between Saint Lucia and Grenada, and is made up of partially submerged volcanoes.

During the 18th century, France and Great Britain disputed over control of the island, and it was ceded to Britain in 1783. Saint Vincent achieved independence on 27 October 1979. The capital is Kingstown, which has 19,300 inhabitants.

The highest point of the island is La Soufrière volcano, at 1,220 m above sea level.

Saint Vincent’s economy depends largely on agriculture; the production of bananas makes up 60% of its employment. International tourism is the other important source of income for the island.

The island of Bequia is the second largest island in the Caribbean archipelago of the Grenadines, with an estimated surface area of 18 km². It belongs to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and is approximately 15 km from the capital of this country. Bequia’s capital is Port Elizabeth.

Its main feature is its navy shipyard. Bequia is so isolated that it has maintained ancestral practices in ship construction. In fact, you can observe the fishermen at work; they are the only remaining in the world who still use hand harpoons. But Bequia is best known for whaling, their long-time speciality. Don’t miss the numerous “kitsch” pontoons on the lagoons and the many-coloured Creole houses on the island.
The centre of the island has trees, and offers excellent views of the beaches (covered in fine, white sand) and the clear, turquoise water.

Baliceaux is another of the Grenadines islands which is located between the Caribbean islands of St. Vincent and Grenada. This island was the place where the English army exiled some 5000 Caribs after the fall of Carib Chief Joseph Chatoyer in the 1790s. Half of them died in this concentration camp, while the others were deported to the island of Roatán, Honduras. Today their descendents live as the Garifuna people in Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and the United States. As a sign of respect, Baliceaux is visited annually by Caribs and Government officials to remember these events.

Despite this, the island has marvellous Caribbean beaches and stunning views.

Mustique, a 5.7-km2 paradisiacal island with a population of approximately 500, is owned by the Mustique Company, which has two hotels on the island, and rents the 89 private villas which are located on the island. Due to its luxury and isolation, Mustique has attracted a fair number of famous people, amongst whom are Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; Mick Jagger; and David Bowie.

Canouan is located approximately 25 miles south of St. Vincent.
A barrier reef stretches the entire length of the island on the Atlantic side. The highest point on the island is Mount Royal. Two bays, Glossy and Friendship, separate the southern side of the island.

There are two main tourist centres on Canouan, Raffles Resort and the Tamarind Hotel, which are a marked contrast to life on the rest of the island. Outside of the two resorts, wild dogs, chickens, goats, turtles, lizards, and bats roam freely.

This is a small island (approximately 1.5 square miles) with a population of around 300, concentrated mainly in Old Wall village located on a high point in the southwest of the island. The village has four bars and restaurants and colourful shops which sell local rum, with domino tournaments and billiards tables. As it does not have an airport and can only be accessed by sea, it is an isolated community.

The island is surrounded by magnificent white sand beaches which are ideal for sailing and snorkelling.

Union Island is the southernmost island in the Grenadines. It is located 90 kilometres to the southwest of Barbados, and the islands of Carriacou and the mainland of Grenada can be seen from the south.

Clifton and Ashton are the two major towns. There are approximately 3000 inhabitants on the island. The official language is English, but some merchants in Clifton also speak French and German.

The island has a semi-arid climate, as its hills are not high enough to produce the rainfall which transforms the northern coast of Grenada into rainforest.

When slavery was abolished, the people still lived off agriculture and fishing. As a result, many of the men went to sea to work in order to support their families. Union Island was the centre of some political disturbances in the 1970s when a group of residents were in favour of secession from St. Vincent and the Grenadines and joining Grenada, their neighbour to the south. The insurrection was put down by forces of the government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Palm Island is a small island in the Grenadines located just a mile from Union Island and which is only accessible by boat. It has a surface area of 135 hectares (0.55 km2) and has five magnificent beaches.

Originally known as Prune Island, Palm Island got its current name when the previous owners, the late John Caldwell (“Coconut Johnny”) and his wife, Mary, planted hundreds of coconut palms, transforming the island from dessert and mosquito-infested swamps into one covered in palms.

There is currently a resort on the island and around twenty private vacation residences.