Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an independent nation in the Caribbean that is located in the Windward group of the West Indies. The nation consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and a chain of smaller islands to the south that are known as the Grenadines. The country has a population of 103,000 (2013 estimate), and the vast majority of the population live on the island of Saint Vincent, with a quarter of the people living in the capital, Kingstown.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were settled by the French in 1719 and were ceded to Great Britain in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years’ War. The French had maintained small farms in a relatively unsuccessful attempt to produce tobacco, cotton, sugar, ...