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Saint Vincent

Translation
Saint Vincent

      island of the Windward (Windward Islands) group in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Saint Lucia and about 100 miles (160 km) west of Barbados. The island has an area of 133 square miles (344 square km). It is 18 miles (30 km) long and has a maximum width of 11 miles (18 km). In 1979 the seven large northern Grenadine Islands and Saint Vincent became the independent country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. On the southwestern coast of Saint Vincent is Kingstown, which is the chief port and the national capital.

      Saint Vincent comprises thickly wooded volcanic mountains that run north-south, with many short swift streams. The mountains are not crossed by roads. The highest peak is part of the volcano Soufrière (4,048 feet [1,234 metres]), in the north, which erupted violently in 1812, 1902, and 1979. Located in the path of the northeasterly trade winds, Saint Vincent has a tropical climate. Tropical cyclones (tropical cyclone) (hurricanes) usually pass to the north but have occasionally struck the island and caused severe damage.

      Saint Vincent was among the last set of Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans. The indigenous people, the Carib, rebuffed attempts at settlement by the Dutch, French, and British until the early 18th century, when they allowed the French to settle on part of the western (leeward) side of the island. The British acquired Saint Vincent in 1763 as part of the settlement of the Treaty of Paris. The Caribs (Carib), who refused to accept British sovereignty, resisted throughout the late 1700s, but they were eventually exiled to an island off the coast of Honduras following their surrender in 1796. A few Caribs remained in the mountains in the interior until their pardon by the colonial legislature in 1805. Descendants of those Caribs who were sent into exile, known as Garifuna, are now found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; there are also large numbers of Garifuna in California and New York.

      The economy of Saint Vincent is agricultural. Small peasant farms are the rule; only a small proportion of the agricultural land is cultivated in large farms, a result of government land-reform initiatives.

      The island differs notably from its neighbours by the terracing of slopes to control soil erosion. Bananas and arrowroot are major crops; other crops include sweet potatoes, eddoes and dasheens (types of taro), plantains, yams, and coconuts. Pop. (2004 est.) 93,935.

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Universalium. 2010.

  
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  • Saint Vincent — may refer to:Places*São Vicente, a municipalty in Madeira *Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *Saint Vincent (island), the main island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *Saint Vincent de Paul, Quebec, a borough in Laval, Quebec, Canada *São… …   Wikipedia

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  • Saint-Vincent — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Saint Vincent o Saint Vincent puede referirse a: Contenido 1 Geografía 1.1 En Italia 1.2 En Francia 1.3 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Saint-vincent — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Saint Vincent et Vincent. Saint Vincent peut faire référence à : Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint Vincent — Saint Vincent, John Jervis Baron Meaford Earl of S. V., geb. 1734 in Meaford, trat schon 1744 in Seedienste, war 1759 Schiffslieutenant bei dem Unternehmen gegen Quebec, zeichnete sich im Amerikanischen Kriege sehr aus, machte 1778 das Seegefecht …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Saint Vincent — (spr. ßent winnßĕnt). 1) Eine der brit. Kleinen Antillen (Windward Islands), 344 qkm, (1904) mit den Nördl. Grenadinen (52 qkm) 48.424 E., vulkanisch; Hauptort Kingstown. – 2) S. V., auch Monte Corvo, Südwestspitze Europas in Portugal; Leuchtturm …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Saint-Vincent — Der Begriff Saint Vincent bzw. Saint Vincent bezeichnet St. Vincent und die Grenadinen, einen Inselgruppe in der Karibik St. Vincent, eine Insel der Karibik Grégoire de Saint Vincent (1584–1667), einen belgischen Jesuiten Mathematiker Saint… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Saint Vincent —  Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents saints chrétiens partageant un même nom. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Vincent et Saint Vincent. Saint Vincent désigne plusieurs saints des Églises chrétiennes  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint-Vincent — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Saint Vincent et Vincent. Saint Vincent peut faire référence à : Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint Vincent — geographical name island British West Indies in central Windwards; with N Grenadines became independent 1979 as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines capital Kingstown area 150 square miles (390 square kilometers), population 109,000 …   New Collegiate Dictionary