Kingstown

Kingstown
Kingstown
Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Location Map
Coordinates: 13°10′N 61°14′W / 13.167°N 61.233°W / 13.167; -61.233
Country	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Island	Saint Vincent
Population (1999 est)
- Total	15,900

Kingstown, estimated population 15,900 (July 1999), is the chief port of Saint Vincent, and the capital of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located at 13°10′N 61°14′W / 13.167°N 61.233°W / 13.167; -61.233. Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists. Exports include bananas, coconuts, and arrowroot.

France started a settlement here shortly after 1722.

The Botanical garden, conceived in 1765, is the oldest in the Western hemisphere. Capt William Bligh made famous from the Mutiny on the Bounty, brought seeds of the Breadfruit tree here for planting, ca 1793.^[1]

Kingstown is overlooked by Fort Charlotte on Berkshire Hill, just west of town. Over 600 feet above the bay, it is the major early 19th century fortification on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. A redoubt accessed by a viaduct; its guns point inland. The British garrison were to use it for holding out against the French while the Royal Navy brought reinforcements from other islands. The British had learnt a lesson when the French invaded the Island in 1779, they landed in Calliaqua thus proving that any likely attack on the island would come from any location rather than directly on Kingstown itself. The fort is named after King George III’s wife Queen Charlotte. The building work started at the turn of the century and was completed by 1806. In its heyday, it supported 600 troops and 34 guns. Some of the old barracks now house a museum with a colourful history of the Black Caribs or Garifuna depicted on its walls.

See also

• Saint George Parish
• Local History

Notes

References

• http://www.bioversityinternational.org/index.php?id=21&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=531&tx_ttnews%5BbackPID%5D=%7Bpage:uid%7D&no_cache=1 The Grapefruit

This Saint Vincent and the Grenadines location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e