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Kingstown

Coordinates: 13°09′28″N 061°13′30″W / 13.15778°N 61.22500°W / 13.15778; -61.22500
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Kingstown, Saint Vincent)
For other uses, see Kingstown (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Kingston, Jamaica.

Kingstown
Capital city
Top:Aerial view of Kingstown; Middle: Carnegie Old Public Library, Fort Charlotte; Bottom: St. George's Cathedral, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens
Nickname: 
City Of Arches[1]
Kingstown is located in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Kingstown
Kingstown
Map of Kingstown
Kingstown is located in North America
Kingstown
Kingstown
Kingstown (North America)
Coordinates: 13°09′28″N 061°13′30″W / 13.15778°N 61.22500°W / 13.15778; -61.22500[2]
CountrySaint Vincent and the Grenadines
IslandSaint Vincent
ParishSaint George
Founded1722
Constituencies
  • East Kingstown
  • Central Kingstown
  • West Kingstown
Government
 • MPs
Population
 (2012)[3]
 • Total
12,909
Time zoneUTC-04:00 (AST)
Area code784
ClimateAw

Kingstown /ˈkɪŋsˌtaʊn/ is the capital and largest city of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The city, located on the main island of Saint Vincent, has the main port and the biggest commercial center of the islands. With a population of 12,909 (2012),[3] Kingstown is the most populous settlement in the country. It is the island's agricultural industry centre and a port of entry for tourists. The city lies within the parish of Saint George in the south-west corner of Saint Vincent.[4]

History

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People of Kingstown, ca. 1902

The modern capital, Kingstown, was founded by French settlers shortly after 1722, although Saint Vincent was under British rule for 196 years before its independence.[5]

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, c. 1793.[6]

During the Second Carib War the fort at Dorsetshire Hill, just outside the city, was taken by rebels on 12 March 1795.[7]

In 1841, three militia men fired their guns into the air to celebrate the end of their duty. They were arrested for riotous behaviour, but a crowd of people protested their arrest. A riot involving 200 to 300 people broke out after a police officer knocked down a woman and this resulted in the destruction of the police station. 30 people were convicted for participating in the riot.[8] Multiple riots broke out under Governor Edward John Eyre.[9]

Plans for water supply were conceived in 1866, after a large fire destroyed large sections of the town, but this was not completed until 1871.[10]

Demographics

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There were around 3,000 people in Kingstown in 1825, and this rose to 4,769 by 1844, and 5,101 by 1861, despite cholera and small pox epidemics in the 1850s. In 1861, people under 30 accounted for 67% of the population and those under 20 accounted for 47%. Over 60% of the population was female.[11]

The population of Kingstown fell from 17,117 in 1970, to 16,998 in 1980, and to 15,670 in 1991. From 1980 to 1991, Kingstown saw a 7.81% decline in its population while its suburbs expanded by 25.56%.[12] 43.90% of the population lived in Kingstown, its suburbs, and Calliaqua in 1991.[13]

Geography

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Topography

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The town is surrounded by steep hills.[14]

Climate

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Climate data for Kingstown（temperature,precipitation,humidity 1991～2021/sunshine hours 1999～2019）
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 25.7
(78.3) 		25.7
(78.3) 		26.1
(79.0) 		26.7
(80.1) 		27.3
(81.1) 		27.3
(81.1) 		27.2
(81.0) 		27.4
(81.3) 		27.7
(81.9) 		27.4
(81.3) 		26.9
(80.4) 		26.3
(79.3) 		26.8
(80.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 24.8
(76.6) 		24.7
(76.5) 		25.0
(77.0) 		25.6
(78.1) 		26.2
(79.2) 		26.2
(79.2) 		26.1
(79.0) 		26.4
(79.5) 		26.7
(80.1) 		26.5
(79.7) 		26.0
(78.8) 		25.5
(77.9) 		25.8
(78.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.9
(75.0) 		23.7
(74.7) 		24.0
(75.2) 		24.6
(76.3) 		25.2
(77.4) 		25.3
(77.5) 		25.1
(77.2) 		25.3
(77.5) 		25.6
(78.1) 		25.4
(77.7) 		25.0
(77.0) 		24.6
(76.3) 		24.8
(76.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 49
(1.9) 		32
(1.3) 		34
(1.3) 		45
(1.8) 		62
(2.4) 		105
(4.1) 		132
(5.2) 		155
(6.1) 		152
(6.0) 		162
(6.4) 		147
(5.8) 		67
(2.6) 		1,142
(44.9)
Average rainy days 11 9 8 8 11 14 17 18 15 17 16 12 156
Average relative humidity (%) 76 74 74 76 77 78 80 81 80 80 80 77 78
Mean daily sunshine hours 8.8 9.0 9.2 9.4 9.5 9.4 9.3 9.1 9.0 8.5 8.5 8.7 9.0
Source: "Climate Data". Retrieved 22 January 2024.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Exploring Kingstown". discoversvg.com. St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Kingstown". Wikimapia. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  3. ^ a b "2012 POPULATION & HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY REPORT" (PDF). Statistical Office Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  4. ^ "About Kingstown (St Vincent and the Grenadines)". Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  5. ^ "History in Kingstown (St Vincent)". Exploring Tourism. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Bioversity International: The breadfruit mutiny". www.bioversityinternational.org. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009.
  7. ^ Murphy 2021, pp. 216–217.
  8. ^ Boa 2002, pp. 146–147.
  9. ^ Boa 2002, p. 149.
  10. ^ Boa 2002, p. 137.
  11. ^ Boa 2002, pp. 135–136.
  12. ^ Potter 1992, p. 376.
  13. ^ Potter 1992, p. 375.
  14. ^ "Kingstown". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 12 February 2016.

Works cited

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Books

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Journals

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