The state of Grenada which has been independent since 1974 belongs to the Lesser Antilles. It includes the island of Grenada together some of the Grenadines further to the south. Located in the south-east of the Caribbean, Grenada is the southernmost of the Windward Islands. The nutmeg is one of the best known export products of the island and is even featured on the state flag. Apart from spices, above all bananas and cocoa are exported. The island is of volcanic origin, it is very hilly and forested mainly with mahogany and teak. The fantastic sandy beaches attract increasing quantities of tourists to the country.

Grenada was discovered in 1498 by Christopher Columbus. But the Spaniards were not very interested in the island, which became a bone of contention between the French and British from the 17th century on. The French founded the capital Saint George in 1650. A good 100 years later, Grenada was conquered by the British, but the French recovered it in 1779. Just four years later, the island finally became a British crown colony. Up until 1958, Grenada was the headquarters of the British Windward Islands.

At the start of the '80s, the island state hit the headlines when the socialist president Maurice Bishop 1983 was murdered by radical members of his revolutionary council. To prevent a "second Cuba", US troops landed on the island, and didn't withdraw until 1988. The intervention was hotly disputed under international law.

The official language on the island of Grenada is English. But the French contribution to the country's history is recalled in the patois, a French/African dialect, and in the fact that two thirds of the population are catholic.