Grenada, byname Isle of Spice, island country of the West Indies. It is the southernmost island of the north-south arc of the Lesser Antilles, lying in the eastern Caribbean Sea about 100 miles (160 km) north of the coast of Venezuela. Oval in shape, the island is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. The southern Grenadines—the largest of which is Carriacou, about 20 miles (32 km) north-northeast, with an area of 13 square miles (34 square km)—are a dependency.

Grenada Grenada. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Carenage, St. George's, Grenada. Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock

Britannica Quiz Islands and Archipelagos In what island group does Grenada lie?

The capital, St. George’s, on the southwest coast, is also the main port, having a fine natural harbour, and its picturesque pastel-coloured houses rise up the hillsides from the waterfront. The waterfront itself is known as the Carenage because island schooners were once careened (beached for cleaning or repair) there. St. George’s is the yachting and charter-boat centre of the eastern Caribbean.

Grenada Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

In 1974 Grenada attained independence within the Commonwealth and membership in the United Nations. It was the first of the six West Indies Associated States to do so.