Grenada has a largely tourism-based, small, open economy. Over the past two decades, the economy has shifted from one of agriculture-dominant into that of services-dominant, with tourism serving as the leading foreign currency earning sector. The country's principal export crops are the spices nutmeg and mace (Grenada is the world’s second largest producer of nutmeg after Indonesia). Other crops for export include cocoa, citrus fruits, bananas, cloves, and cinnamon. Manufacturing industries in Grenada operate mostly on a small scale, including production of beverages and other foodstuffs, textiles, and the assembly of electronic components for export.
Economic growth picked up in the late 1990s following slow growth and domestic fiscal adjustment in early years of the decade. Despite an expansionary fiscal policy, the public debt remained moderate at around 50 percent of GDP as deficits were financed partly by privatization receipts. Since 2001, economic growth declined caused by adverse shocks such as a slowdown in the global economy and natural disasters. To deal with the shocks, fiscal policy became more expansionary while privatization receipts declined. As a result, public debt increased sharply to near 110 percent of GDP in 2003. Economic conditions worsened when Hurricane Ivan hit the country in September 2004; progress in fiscal consolidation was impeded as government revenues fell and policy priority was shifted to post-hurricane relief.
Grenada (i/ɡrɨˈneɪdə/) is an island country and Commonwealth realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Grenada is also known as the "Island of Spice" because of the production of nutmeg and mace crops of which Grenada is one of the world's largest exporters. Its size is 344 square kilometres (133 sq mi), with an estimated population of 110,000. Its capital is St. George's. The national bird of Grenada is the critically endangered Grenada Dove.
Grenada was first sighted by Europeans in 1498 during the third voyage of Christopher Columbus to the new world. At the time the indigenous Island Caribs (Kalinago) who lived there called it Camahogne. The Spaniards did not permanently settle on Camahogne. The English failed in their attempt at settlement in 1609.
Nazim Burke is a politician from the island of Carriacou which is part of the tri island state of Grenada. He was born in Bell Air Carriacou as Nicholas Burke and changed his name to Nazim Burke. Currently he serves as that nation's Minister of Finance, Planning, Economic Development, Energy and Foreign Trade.
Tillman Joseph Thomas (born June 13, 1945) is a Grenadian politician, currently serving as Prime Minister of Grenada. He is also the leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Thomas was born in Hermitage, St. Patrick. He was imprisoned under Prime Minister Maurice Bishop for two years.
In December 1984, Thomas was elected to the House of Representatives from St. Patrick East constituency, and from 1984 to 1990, he was a Junior Minister in the Ministry of Legal Affairs. In 1987 he was a founding member of the NDC, and from 1987 to 1990 he was the party's Assistant General Secretary. Thomas was defeated in St. Patrick East in the 1990 election, but he was nevertheless appointed as a Junior Minister in the Ministry of Labour. Subsequently he was appointed as Minister in the Ministries of Works and Tourism. Following the NDC's defeat in the 1999 general election, in which it failed to win any seats, Thomas was elected as party leader in October 2000. He won a House of Representatives seat in the November 2003 general election, along with six other members of his party; the NDC fell one seat short of a majority in the 15-seat House of Representatives, however, and the governing New National Party (NNP) won another term. Thomas became Leader of the Opposition in early December 2003.
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC (24 February 1733 – 30 June 1800), was a British politician who held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century. His most enduring legacy is probably that the cities of Sydney in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Sydney in New South Wales, Australia are named in his honour, in 1785 and 1788 respectively.
Townshend was born at Raynham, Norfolk, the son of the Hon. Thomas Townshend, second son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend. His mother was Albinia, daughter of John Selwyn. He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge.
Townshend was elected to the House of Commons in 1754 as Whig member for Whitchurch and held that seat till his elevation to the peerage in 1783. He initially aligned himself with his great-uncle the Duke of Newcastle but later joined William Pitt the Elder in opposition to George Grenville. Townshend was a Lord of the Treasury in the first Rockingham ministry and continued in that office in the Pitt (then Lord Chatham) administration until December 1767, when he became a member of the Privy Council and joint-Paymaster of the Forces. During the ministry of Lord Chatham and the Duke of Grafton he supported the position his cousin Charles Townshend was in with regard to the American revenue program. Townshend was forced out of office in June, 1768 by Grafton who wanted Rigby as Paymaster of the Forces to gain favour with the Duke of Bedford.