Carriacou

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Carriacou
Views of Hillsborough, capital of Carriacou
Views of Hillsborough, capital of Carriacou
Waters Caribbean Sea
Archipelago Grenadines
Geographical location 12 ° 29 ′  N , 61 ° 27 ′  W Coordinates: 12 ° 29 ′  N , 61 ° 27 ′  W
Carriacou (Grenada)
Carriacou
length 12 km
width 5 km
surface 34 km²
Highest elevation High North
291  m
Residents 6000
176 inhabitants / km²
main place Hillsborough
Nautical chart from 1891
Nautical chart from 1891

The island of Carriacou is an island belonging to Grenada in the Caribbean Sea .

It is part of the Grenadines , an archipelago within the Lesser Antilles . Carriacou has an area of ​​34 km² and about 6000 inhabitants. The largest settlements on the island are Hillsborough , L'Esterre, Argyle, Dumfries, Grand Bay, Meldrum and L'Appelle. The mountainous island formed by volcanism is surrounded by coral reefs and reaches a height of 291 m. The height of the elevations is insufficient to make passing clouds rain down; therefore there is not a single river on the island and the island is much drier than Grenada.

It is separated from St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the north by an approximately 7 km wide waterway. Grenada is 32 km to the southwest, and Petite Martinique is 5 km to the east . off the south coast are some other uninhabited and very small islands: Saline Island with 0.3 km², Mushroom Island , White Island , Frigate Island with 0.4 km² and Large Island with 0.5 km², as well as other rocks and reefs.

history

The name comes from the Caribbean language and means "island of reefs". The Arawak colonized the island first, followed by the Caribs . The island was first mentioned in 1656 in Père du Tertres Histoire des Antilles . The French came to the island before Carriacou and Grenada came into English possession in 1763. Cotton, coffee, indigo, sugar cane and cocoa were grown in plantations.

traffic

Since 1998 there has been daily ferry service to Grenada and the neighboring island of Petite Martinique. Directly on the coast in the south-east of the main town Hillsborough (approx. 600 inhabitants) is Lauriston , a small town with a landing pad for small aircraft. The airline SVG Air flies regularly to the main island Grenada from here and offers charter flights to many other Caribbean islands. There are many buses and cars in Hillsborough and the surrounding area. The roads are in poor condition, narrow, winding and partly unpaved.

economy

Most of the residents make a living from livestock farming. Many goods have to be imported from Grenada. The tourism is usually from a few people who spend only a few days in the few B & Bs basic facilities.

post Office

For the two inhabited islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique , separate stamps with the inscription "Grenada-Grenadines" and since 1999 with the inscription "Grenada Carriacou & Petite Martinique" have been issued. However, the stamps are issued by a foreign agency and are not in stock at the post offices on Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

Personalities

literature

  • Nicole Boisvert: Carriacou . Quintin, Waterloo (Québec) 1997. ISBN 2-89435-098-8 (French).
  • Raymond Devas: A History of the Island of Grenada, 1498–1796. With Some Notes and Comments on Carriacou and Events of Later Years . Carenage Press, St. George's 1964 (2nd ed. 1974).

Web links

Wikivoyage: Carriacou  - travel guide