Caribs inhabited the island before the Europeans, who arrived about 1500. The English tried to colonize it in 1605 and 1635. The French settled in 1650. But wars between the French and English caused the Island to be exchanged between the two several times. Finally it became British in 1814. The Caribs died out during this period and were replaced by African slaves and by English, French and Indians from India. It was a member of the West Indian Federation from 1958-62. Independent 1979.

Member East Caribbean Currency Union and Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM).

English

creole

French patois

Member CARICOM

Banana producer (see Windward).