Kingstown | |
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Town and Capital | |
Kingstown, Saint Vincent
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Nickname(s): "City Of Arches" | |
Location in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | |
Coordinates: 13°09′28″N 061°13′30″W / 13.15778°N 61.22500°WCoordinates: 13°09′28″N 061°13′30″W / 13.15778°N 61.22500°W | |
Country | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
Island | Saint Vincent |
Parish | Saint George |
Founded | 1722 |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 16,500 |
Time zone | Eastern Caribbean Time Zone (ECT) (UTC-4) |
Area code | 784 |
Kingstown is the capital, chief port, and main commercial centre of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. With a population of 16,500 (2010), Kingstown is the most populous settlement in the country. It is the centre for the island's agricultural industry and a port of entry for tourists. The city lies within the parish of Saint George in the south-west corner of Saint Vincent.
The modern capital, Kingstown, was founded by French settlers shortly after 1722, although Saint Vincent had 196 years of British rule before her independence.
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, ca 1793.
The town is surrounded by steep hills.