Brief History of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation located in the Caribbean Sea. It was originally settled by the Native American Caribs, however it also became a place for runaway African slaves. The slaves married some of the Caribs and the natives soon became known as the Black Caribs.
Although the local Caribs fought off the European settlers for some time, in 1729 the French began to settle the island. The French grew coffee, tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton on plantations that were worked by African slaves. After the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, the Saint Vincent became a British colony. It wasn't until 1979 that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were granted full independence.
The country has suffered from natural disasters in the 20th century. The first was the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano in 1902, which damaged much of the islands farmland. The volcano erupted again in 1979, again damaging the countries important crops. The 1980's and 1990's have seen a number of hurricanes hit the area, too.
