A nation of some thirty islands, six of them (St Vincent, Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau and Union) inhabited, this 150-square-mile territory is made up of the main island of St Vincent and the northern two thirds of the Grenadine islands.

Located between Saint Lucia and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles, it became the last of the Windward Islands to gain independence in 1979. Agriculture (mainly banana production) and tourism are the main sectors of the economy, though tropical storms have had devastating effects on both in recent years. A thriving music scene based on Big Drum, Calypso, Soca, Steelpan and Reggae proves to be very popular with tourists during Carnival, Nine Mornings, Blues and Rhythms Festivals.

The greeting could not be warmer from the Minister for Tourism – “from St Vincent right through to the Grenadines, we await you with out stretched arms saying welcome to St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Caribbean you’re looking for” – so what’s holding you back from paying a visit?

Our Caribbean and Atlantic Islands rankings were last updated in February 2017. Click the link to read the story.