When is St. Vincent Independence Day?
Independence is a public holiday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines observed on October 27th.
This holiday is the National Day of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and commemorates the independence of the islands from the United Kingdom on this day in 1979.
History of St. Vincent Independence Day
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a southern Caribbean nation consisting of 32 islands, of which nine are inhabited.
The first contact with Europeans took place on January 22nd 1498 when Christopher Columbus sighted the main island naming it after Saint Vincent whose feast day is January 22nd.
The Spanish didn't settle and over the centuries, possession of the islands was disputed by the British, French and Spanish and nobly resisted by the Caribs who had lived on the islands since before the arrival of the colonists.
Britain won the European rights to the islands under the Treaty of Versailles in 1783, with a plantation economy based on sugar and slave trading emerging in the 19th century.
Did you know?
The fortunes of the islands have depended on the activity of La Soufrière, an active volcano on St. Vincent that has erupted with deadly effect several times since 1718.
St Vincent and the Grenadines was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. After its dissolution in 1962, and the movement of the larger Caribbean countries to gain independence, the transition towards independence began. St. Vincent was granted "associate statehood" status by Britain on October 27th 1969. While this gave St. Vincent complete control over its own internal affairs, it fell short of complete independence.
It was exactly ten years later on October 27th 1979, when St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the last of the Windward Islands to gain independence following a referendum. It became a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elisabeth II as the head and Milton Cato became the first prime minister.
Did you know?
The capital of St. Vincent and The Grenadines is Kingstown which is often referred to as "The City of Arches" due to there being 400 arches in the capital.
