AM 1400 * 94.5 FM
               
                 

FACTS ABOUT GRENADA AND CARRIACOU

Panoramic view of Hillsborough, Carriacou from the Princess Royal Hospital
Belair, Carriacou

WHERE WE ARE:
Located in the southeastern Caribbean is the tri-island state of Grenada, Carriacou & Petit Martinique. Grenada, 12 degrees north of the equator, is the southernmost of the Windward Islands and lies 100 miles north of Venezuela, South America. The capital city is St. George's. Grenada's size is 133 square miles - 12 miles wide and 21 miles long. Carriacou is about 7 miles long and 2 1/2 miles wide. Petit Martinique is 400 acres.

The year-round average day-time temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with trade winds cooling the islands. Rainfall averages 78 inches per year on Grenada, although the amount varies widely between the mountainous interior and the coastal areas and on the smaller Islands. Most of Grenada is lush green year round with a number of rivers and several beautiful waterfalls. Carriacou and Petit Martinique have no rivers and get much less rainfall than Grenada. Agriculture and spice production are the main sources of income on Grenada, with tourism the island's second largest industry. Carriacou and Petit Martinique are known for boat-building and get a fair number of tourists visiting in tourist season. Many "Kayaks"(Carriacou people) live and work abroad and come home for holidays and vacations.

The official language for the nearly 100,000 citizens of Grenada is English. The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, which is tied to the U.S. dollar at the rate of $2.70 E.C. per $1.00 U.S. cash. The exchange rate versus other currencies fluctuates according to the world money markets.

Electricity in the tri-island state is 230 volts, 50 hertz. A.C. transformers are needed to use 110 volt appliances.

CARRIACOU
The Harbour Light is built on Grenada's little "sister" island, Carriacou, the largest of the Grenadines -- a string of beautiful little islands between Grenada and St. Vincent. Carriacou is a "big" 13 square miles in area with a population of about 5,000 people and many farm animals. It is a beautiful island, full of surprises, and you will fall in love with it when you come here!

The terrain consists of hills, small mountains (highest two peaks are just under 1,000 feet) and beautiful valleys. The people are very friendly. The climate is tropical. Sea breezes cool the air most of the year. Average rainfall is around 35" per year.

WATER: Carriacou is much drier than Grenada - it has no rivers, and the only water supply is what falls from the sky -- rain water caught and stored in cisterns at each house. There is also a small reservoir in the main town of Hillsborough and several government cisterns around the Island. During the dry time (February to June or July) we have to conserve water as much as possible. Drinking water should be boiled, filtered, or purified in some way.

FOOD: The main crops on Carriacou are corn (like field corn) and pigeon peas, although a few more vegetables are grown during the rainy season, such as okra, tomatoes, melons, and "pumpkins." The stores sell the basics but without the luxury of much variety. The available meat is mainly chicken but fresh mutton, pork & beef are also available. Fish, of course, is plentiful - catch your own! Only a few fruits grow here in Carriacou because of the lack of rain. Grenada is blessed with many fruits which are shipped to Carriacou. The cost of non-perishable food in the stores is 2 to 3 times U.S.A. prices.

RELIGION:
The main religion in Carriacou is Catholicism. There's a Catholic church in almost every village on the island. There are also the following:

Anglicans (Episcopalian)
"Spiritual" Baptists (not our kind!) Tongues, worship the dead, and practice witchcraft, etc.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Mormons
Church of Christ
Seventh Day Adventists
Pentecostals - Tongues, "Christian" Rock music
Evangelical Church of West Indies - new evangelical.
Windward Bible Church - fundamental
Open Door Baptist Church - fundamental, HLW staff attend
Gospel Hall Brethren - fundamental, HLW staff attend. The only fundamental work on the island when we came. The Lord led us to fellowship with these godly people and they have been a blessing to us. Their doctrine is soundly Scriptural. Their church organization is different than that of a traditional Baptist Church. They are led by godly laymen who share preaching and leadership responsibilities. They have communion every Sunday and include all those in fellowship with their group as well as visitors who are born again and are in good standing and fellowship with another fundamental church. The Sunday morning service is a sweet time of worship. (Men wear shirt & tie or shirt-jack. Ladies wear hats.)  The Gospel Hall folks consider the Harbour Light as a definite answer to their long-time prayers for God to do something on Carriacou! They are solidly behind us and through them the Lord has supplied many needs. We praise the Lord for them!

HOW TO GET HERE
Point Salines International Airport (GND), located on the southwestern tip of Grenada can handle the largest commercial jets for both day and night landings. A number of international airlines provide service from New York, Baltimore, Miami, Toronto, London, Trinidad and other Caribbean islands. Connections with small twin-engine aircraft can be made to fly to Carriacou for about $190 E.C. ($75US) round trip.  When leaving Grenada by air there is a departure fee of $50 E.C. (about $20 US - an additional fee of $10 E.C. may be required when leaving Carriacou).

The Osprey Lines operates a ferry between Grenada, Carriacou and Pitit Martinique and can be boarded twice daily on the Carenage in Grenada and Hillsborough jetty in Carriacou.  The cost is $140 E.C. ($55US) round trip to Carriacou.