Kingstown

For other uses, see Kingstown (disambiguation).
Kingstown
Town and Capital

Kingstown, Saint Vincent
Nickname(s): "City Of Arches"[1]
Kingstown

Location in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Coordinates: VC 13°09′28″N 061°13′30″W / 13.15778°N 61.22500°W / 13.15778; -61.22500Coordinates: VC 13°09′28″N 061°13′30″W / 13.15778°N 61.22500°W / 13.15778; -61.22500[2]
Country Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Island Saint Vincent
Parish Saint George
Founded 1722
Population (2010)
  Total 16,500[3]
Time zone Eastern Caribbean Time Zone (ECT) (UTC-4)
Area code 784

Kingstown is the capital, chief port, and main commercial centre of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 16,500 (2010), Kingstown is the most populous settlement in the country. It is the centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists. The city lies within the parish of Saint George in the south-west corner of Saint Vincent.

History

People of Kingstown, ca. 1902

The modern capital, Kingstown, was originally founded by French settlers shortly after 1722, although Saint Vincent had 196 years of British rule before her independence.

The botanical garden, conceived in 1765, is one of the oldest in the Western hemisphere. William Bligh, made famous from the Mutiny on the Bounty, brought seed of the Breadfruit tree here for planting, ca 1793.[4]

Geography

The town is surrounded by steep hills.[5]

Sights

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/15/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.