Grenadines, << `grehn` uh DEENZ, >> make up a chain of over 100 small and mostly uninhabited islands in the Caribbean region. The Grenadines stretch for about 60 miles (97 kilometers) across the Caribbean Sea between the islands of St. Vincent and Grenada. They have a population of about 16,000 and a total land area of about 30 square miles (78 square kilometers). Carriacou, which covers 13 square miles (34 square kilometers), is the largest island of the group.
The Grenadines from Carriacou southward and the island of Grenada form the nation of Grenada. The Grenadines from Union Island northward and the island of St. Vincent make up the nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. See Grenada ; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines .
The Grenadines were settled by the French in the 1600’s but came under British control in 1763. The southern islands and Grenada gained independence in 1974. The northern islands and St. Vincent did so in 1979.
