Week 2: GRENADA

flag
In the Grenada flag, the colors represent the African heritage of its people.  YELLOW represents sunshine, warmth, and wisdom.  GREEN symbolizes the lush vegetation and agriculture.  The symbol is a clove of nutmeg.  The six stars represent the parishes of the country.





official name - Grenada (greh-NAY-duh)
capital - St. Geoge's
terrain - three volcanic islands: Grenada, Carriacou, Petit Martinique; partly covered by a rainforest
size - 344 sq km, about twice the size of Washington DC
established - 7 February 1974
government - Constitutional Monarchy
language - English
ethnic groups - mostly African descent, some South Asian (East Indian), Europeans, and Arawak or Carib Indian
religion - Roman Catholic, Protestant, Islam, Rastafariansism
national bird - critically endangered Grenada Dove


architecture
St. George's was founded in the early 1700s by the French and has the character of a French town.  The Marryshow House (left), of Theophilus Albert Marryshow, who was a Grenadian statesman.  In his book on architecture in the Caribbean, David Buisseret said about the architecture of St. George's, "The respective parts of the French and English in the architecture of St. George's seem impossible to sort out with any accuracy: the town is best envisioned as a marvellous blend of the two traditions."
Art Fabrik Boutique has beautiful hand-painted batiks.

history
When Columbus discovered the island in 1498, it was inhabited by Carib Indians.  The Carib Indians had migrated from South America and killed or enslaved the Arawaks.  The Indians had named the island Camerhogue and colubus renamed it Concepcion.  It was renamed Granada by Spanish sailors who thought its green hills reminded them of Andalusia.  The French and then British altered the name to its current pronunciation.  It became a Crown Colony in 1877.  In 1967 it because an associate state of the British Commonwealth and then gained independence in 1974.  For 4 years an attempt was made to set up a socialist/communist state.  The United States, Jamaica, and the Eastern Caribbean States launched a military rescue and then in December of 1984 the democratic governement was reestablished.  In August 2010, kids at the Ronald Reagan Library reenact the invasion of 1983.

hurricanes
Grenada was hurricane-free for forty-nine years until Hurricane Ivan hit the island in September 2004.  Ivan was a Category 3 hurricane and damaged or destroyed 90% of the homes.  The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in St. George's was seriously damaged and the roof caved in during Hurricane Ivan.  In 2005, Hurricane Emily, a Category 1 hurricane also hit Grenada.

food
We ate caribbean rotis at Teddy's Roti Shop.  They were huge (about the size and weight of a small sack of flour!) and so delicious!  They were actually Trinidadian, but since Trinidad is so close to Grenada, we thought that was pretty good.  They are made of a large flat piece of bread, similar to naan, but flatter, larger, and with some spice; which is filled with curried potato, chickpeas, and/or meat.

The national dish is called Oil Down.  It is a stew made with local vegetables, breadfruit, coconut milk, and salty meats.  Fruits grow abundantly and are a main part of the diet.  We tried guava juice and a mix of passion fruit and tangarine juice.  Ginger beer is also drunk in Grenada -- we had some gingerale.

spice
Grenada is also know as the "Island of Spice" because it grows more spices per square kilometer than anywhere in the world.  It is the largest exporter of nutmeg and mace, but also grows cinnamon, clove, ginger, allspice, bay leaf, pepper, turmeric, and more.  Cocoa is another of the top three agricultural products of Grenada.  See a BBC video about growing spices in Grenada. 

cacao tree



nutmeg - mace is the red lacy part




beaches, falls, and forests
Grenada claims to have 45 different beaches.  The greatest is Grand Anse Beach, which is 2 miles long.  Grand Etang National Park and Forest Reserve has many walking and hiking trails.  See the 50-foot Annandale Falls and 70-foot Mount Carmel Waterfall.

carnival
We just missed a parade for Caribbean Carnival -- we'll have to remember that for next summer!  Carnival time in Grenada is August.

Learn more about Grenada on the Government of Grenada website.