Carriacou and Petite Martinique, also known as the Southern Grenadines, is a dependency of Grenada, lying north of Grenada island and south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles. The islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique belong to the island of Grenada. Together they all form the 3-island country of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. Carriacou Island is the largest island of the Grenadines, an archipelago in the Windward Islands chain. The island is with a population of 9,595. The main settlements on the island are Hillsborough, L'Esterre, Harvey Vale, and Windward. The neighbouring island of Petite Martinique is 2½ miles away from Carriacou, and also a part of Grenada. With its and population of 900, it is smaller than Carriacou. The residents of this island live by boat-building, fishing and seafaring. Carriacou and Petite Martinique are known for its Regatta and Village Maroon.
Colonial history
On 27th Sep 1650, Jacques du Parquet bought Grenada from the Compagnie des Iles de l'Amerique, which was dissolved, for the equivalent of £1160. In 1657, Jacques du Parquet sold Grenada to the Comte de Cerrillac for the equivalent of £1890. In 1664, King Louis XIV bought out the independent island owners and established the French West India Company. In 1674 the French West India Company was dissolved. Proprietary rule ended in Grenada, which became a French crown colony as a dependency of Martinique. Carriacou and Petite Martinique was part of the French colony in 1762. It was part of the British Grenada colony from 1763–1779 and 1783–1974. It was part of French Grenada colony from 1779–1783. During this turbulent period, most of the land on Carriacou and all of the property on Petite Martinique was owned by a free black woman, Judith Philip and her family members. It has been a dependency of Grenada since 1974.
Geography
Carriacou is the largest of the Grenadines and is characterized by hilly terrain sloping to white sand beaches. The island stretches from Pegus Point in the south to Gun Point in the north and it is about 7 miles long. The island has several natural harbors and many coral reefs and small offshore islets. The highest point on the island is High Point North at above sea level. Carriacou has no rivers. Residents rely on rainfall for their water.
Islands
Climate
There are two seasons, wet and dry seasons. The dry season is between January and June when the trade winds dominate the climate; the rainy season is from July to December. The climate is tropical.
Celsius °C
Fahrenheit °F
Land
27–32 °C
80–85 °F
Sea
26–30 °C
78–82 °F
Politics
Carriacou and Petite Martinique is a Grenadian Constituency. Elvin Nimrod, NNP, is the representative for Carriacou and Petite Martinique Constituency and also the Minister of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs.
Festivals
There are four major cultural festivals held on Carriacou and one on Petite Martinique. Carnival is held in February or early March. The Carriacou Regatta, held on the first weekend in August, is a racing event for locally built boats. In 2015, the Regatta celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Parang on the weekend prior to Christmas celebrates the island's traditional Christmas music and culture. Village Maroons all year round and since the turn of the millennium, and finally a new festival of growing popularity has been started – the Carriacou Maroon & String Band Music Festival held in the last weekend of April of the year. On the weekend of whitsuntide Petite Martinique holds their annual Whitsuntide Regatta.
Transport
Carriacou and Petite Martinique main transport system include roads and ferries. The people of Carriacou travel mainly by privately run 15 seater buses. Rental cars and taxis are also available and boats are commonplace. A smaller airport located in Lauriston, Carriacou is the Lauriston Airport, the island's major airport and a small ferry boat known as the "Osprey" that runs between Carriacou, Grenada and Petite Martinique. The short distances between the Grenadines enables travel between them by small boats.
