Today’s article will discuss the overall history & marine history of Carriacou Island. Carriacou Island is an island in the lesser Antilles, it is owned by Grenada. It sits in the Atlantic Ocean only a 90-minute ferry ride from mainland Grenada. It is only about 13 square miles in size. It was also not always belonging to the county of
Grenada. It is the largest island in the Grenadines. Carriacou Island is home to some of the world’s last untouched coral reefs. However Carriacou wasn’t always known for this. At one point it wasn’t the tourist hot spot that it modernly is. Now let’s delve into the history & marine history of Carriacou Island, Grenada.
The Discovery & Documented History Of Carriacou Island
There are conflicting dates as to when exactly Carriacou was discovered, however Carriacou was formally discovered by the French in 1656. The island was discovered by a certain Père Du Tertre. Pere Du Tertre was a turtle fisherman from Guadeloupe. Upon discovery he reportedly said “The most beautiful of all the little isles is Carriacou…”. In 1750 the first census was conducted, from this census it was reported that 199 people lived on the island all with varying ethnicities. In 1762 it officially became a French colony. However in 1783 it was ceded to British rule. It was ruled as a French Grenadian territory from 1763 to 1779. It was ruled as a British Grenadian territory from 1783 to 1974. The church had large power in this British Grenadian territory. In 1791, Gun Point (Rapid Point) which had been a division of the Grenadines was made latitude on the island, but the point belonged to Saint Vincent and the rest of Carriacou belonged to Grenada.
From those points it was used to house cotton, sugar, lime, & indigo dye plantations. These plantations were established by English settlers. These industries then became the main industries for Carriacou up until slavery was abolished. While evidence may not be sufficient, the windmills of Carriacou are associated with the crushing of sugar cane. Between 400 & 100 BC, people from South America journeyed to the island. They also introduced the psychedelic drug known as “Cohoba” to the island. It was originally inhabited by the Arawaks who were a group of indigenous peoples who originated from northern South America, as well as the Caribs who were the indigenous people of the lesser Antilles. It is theorized that heavy food sources for these indigenous peoples were fish & other seafood. At one point there was a total of 3,153 slaves that were enslaved on the island.
The Stock Market Of Grenada & Carriacou’s Economy
The stock market for Grenada is known as the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange, or the ECSE. The main industries of the island are lime juice, commercial fishing, & the industry that is most heavily relied on, tourism. ECSE is the first regional securities market in the Western Hemisphere & regional exchange. It was established by the bank currently known as Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. It serves the countries & territories of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Monserrat, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, & Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. The ECSE is headquartered in the city of Basseterre which is the capital of Saint Kitts & Nevis. They also have a blog which provides daily financial tips & daily trading reports. Grenada is a middle-class country & has a mixed economic system. This includes types of private freedom, combined with centralized economic planning & government regulation. Grenada’s GDP in 2020 was 1.089 billion dollars USD. The sectors of the GDP are as follows: agriculture 11%, industry 20%, & services 69%. They have a strong economy that doesn’t have seemed to have taken a hit. Their median household income is 43,594$ USD. Their official currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar or the XCD. This means that in Grenada’s currency their median household income is 117,814.97 XCD. The median rent for an apartment in the metropolitan areas is 1,234.18 XCD or 456.67 USD.
Carriacou’s Government Systems
Grenada is a democratic country with a democracy & a Grenadian constitution. They are one of the most politically stable countries of the West Indies. They are an independent Commonwealth realm, meaning that they are a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of nations. It is officially governed under a multi-party parliamentary system whose political & legal traditions & ideologies closely resemble that of the United Kingdom. They currently have a prime minister & a cabinet, & a bicameral Parliament with an elected House Of Representatives & an appointed senate. The citizens enjoy a wide range of civil & political rights which are guaranteed under the Grenadian constitution. The rights of the Grenadian people can widely be compared to those of the Canadian People. Grenada is an overall safe country averaging at a 53 on the corruption perception index.
A History Of Carriacou’s Man Made & Natural Disasters
Grenada has had a rough time when it comes to hurricanes & tropical cyclones. They have had a total of 13 major hurricanes & tropical cyclones as of now. With that being said let’s delve into the most notable of these hurricane & tropical cyclone catastrophes.
No.1 Hurricane Emily
Hurricane Emily was a category 5 Atlantic hurricane that lasted from July 11th 2005 to July 21st 2005. It is the earliest-forming Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record that was in official hurricane season. It caused over $1.01 Billion USD in damage. It targeted mainly the Windward Islands & surrounding Caribbean Areas. However Texas, Mexico, Guyana, & Venezuela were also affected. There are 22 known fatalities from this event.
No.2 Hurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a category 5 hurricane that rocked the Gulf of Mexico & the United States Of America. It went everywhere from Virginia to Grenada. It was from September 2st 2004 to September and 25th 2004. It caused 92 direct fatalities & 32 indirect fatalities. It targeted all of the following islands, provinces, & countries: Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, Barbados, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Grand Cayman, Cuba, Yucatan Peninsula, Florida, & Alabama.
No.3 Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was a category 4 hurricane & was the deadliest out of the 1954 hurricane season. It is not exactly known how many fatalities were sustained however it is estimated at between 591 to 1,191. It destroyed 40% of all coffee trees in Haiti at the time. It lasted from October 5th 1954 to October 18th 1954. The original damages caused about 382 million dollars but to calculate for inflation it would cost about $4,207,000,000 in modern-day currency.
The Geological Formation Of Carriacou Island
Carriacou Island along with the rest of the lesser Antilles were formed by the subduction of the North American & South American plates beneath the Caribbean plate. Convergent plate margins, where two oceanic plates are colliding, often produce megathrust boundary earthquakes. This collision of the plates caused islands to rise out of the fragments of the tectonic plates. This process started approximately 40 million years ago. It’s not exactly clear when the process was completed.
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