Kingstown, estimated population 15,900 (July 1999), is the chief port of
Saint VincentSaint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean, the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains...
, and the capital of
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation in the Lesser Antilles chain, which lies at the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, which are a chain of...
. It is located at . Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists. Exports include
bananaBanana is the common name for a herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, and the commonly eaten fruit it produces. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.Banana...
s,
coconutThe Coconut Palm is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the seed of the...
s, and
arrowrootArrowroot, or obedience plant , is a large perennial herb of genus Maranta found in rainforest habitats. Arrowroot is also the name of the edible starch from the rhizomes of West Indian arrowroot....
.
France started a settlement here shortly after 1722.
The
Botanical gardenBotanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes. Botanists and horticulturalists tend the flora and maintain the garden's library and herbarium of dried and documented plant material. Botanical gardens may also serve to entertain and...
, conceived in 1765, is the oldest in the
Western hemisphereThe Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the eastern hemisphere...
. Capt
William BlighVice-Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMS Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift by the mutineers in the Bounty's launch...
made famous from the Mutiny on the Bounty, brought seeds of the
BreadfruitBreadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, that is native to the Malay Peninsula and western Pacific islands. It has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.- Description :...
tree here for planting, ca 1793.
Kingstown is overlooked by Fort Charlotte on Berkshire Hill, just west of town.
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Kingstown, estimated population 15,900 (July 1999), is the chief port of
Saint VincentSaint Vincent is a volcanic island in the Caribbean, the largest island of the chain called Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located in the Caribbean Sea, between Saint Lucia and Grenada. It is composed of partially submerged volcanic mountains...
, and the capital of
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation in the Lesser Antilles chain, which lies at the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, which are a chain of...
. It is located at . Kingstown is a centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists. Exports include
bananaBanana is the common name for a herbaceous plants of the genus Musa, and the commonly eaten fruit it produces. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics.Banana...
s,
coconutThe Coconut Palm is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the seed of the...
s, and
arrowrootArrowroot, or obedience plant , is a large perennial herb of genus Maranta found in rainforest habitats. Arrowroot is also the name of the edible starch from the rhizomes of West Indian arrowroot....
.
France started a settlement here shortly after 1722.
The
Botanical gardenBotanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes. Botanists and horticulturalists tend the flora and maintain the garden's library and herbarium of dried and documented plant material. Botanical gardens may also serve to entertain and...
, conceived in 1765, is the oldest in the
Western hemisphereThe Western Hemisphere, also Western hemisphere or western hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian , the other half being the eastern hemisphere...
. Capt
William BlighVice-Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMS Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift by the mutineers in the Bounty's launch...
made famous from the Mutiny on the Bounty, brought seeds of the
BreadfruitBreadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, that is native to the Malay Peninsula and western Pacific islands. It has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.- Description :...
tree here for planting, ca 1793.
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
redoubtA redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main line of defense and can be a permanent structure or a...
accessed by a
viaductA viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
; its guns point inland. The British
garrisonGarrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, of more than 50 men, but now often simply using it as a home base. The station is usually a city, town, fort, castle or similar...
were to use it for holding out against the French while the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
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
GarifunaThe Garinagu are an ethnic group of mixed ancestry who live primarily in Central America. They live along the Caribbean Coast in Belize, Guatemala, St. Vincent, Nicaragua and Honduras including the mainland, and on the island of Roatán...
depicted on its walls.
See also
- Saint George Parish
Saint George is an administrative parish of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its capital is Kingstown, the same as the country’s capital....
- http://svgancestry.com/index.php/st-vincent-history/ Local History