Grenada- A General Overview

The nation of Grenada is located at the southern end of the Caribbean island chain. It is belongs to a subgroup of this island chain known as the Lesser Antilles and is composed of three main islands, Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique. At 312 km² Grenada, is the largest of the three main islands that make up this small nation, which can be divided into two regions. An interior region composed of rugged mountains, steep slopes and deep valleys, and a second region composed of the low-lying costal areas.

Grenada is an island formed by fire. After it’s volcanic birth , the landscape has been carved by water. Mt. St. Catherine, the tallest and youngest peak, rises to 833 m. It and the other large peaks form a north-south trending central ridge, which collectively help to generate local weather systems. Precipitation varies seasonally, with relatively dry periods from January until May and a wetter a season from June until December. Variations in precipitation are also affected by elevation, with the interior receiving more rainfall than the lower costal areas. Grenada also is influenced by weather systems brought by the “trade winds”, which are steady moisture laden winds from the east. The island is impacted by periodic hurricanes and was struck by a category four hurricane in September of 2004 and a second smaller hurricane in July of 2005.

This combination of local weather and topography creates microclimates that can be influenced further by elevation, aspect, soils, and past land use. Humidity is high and temperature on the island averages 21-22 ° C with minimal diurnal or seasonal changes (Caribbean Conservation Association 1999).