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Kingstown

Capital of Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesKingstown lies in the south-west corner of Saint Vincent, the main island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Steep hills surround the town, which has the country's main port.

Why it's the capital

French settlers founded Kingstown shortly after 1722, and Saint Vincent later spent 196 years under British rule before independence in 1979. The town grew around the islands' main port into their biggest commercial centre, and it is also the seat of government.

Fun facts

  1. Kingstown's nickname is the City of Arches.
  2. The town's botanical garden was planned in 1765 and is one of the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.
  3. William Bligh, the captain made famous by the mutiny on the Bounty, brought breadfruit trees here for planting around 1793.

Finding it on the globe

Saint Vincent sits in the chain of small eastern Caribbean islands, with Saint Lucia to the north, Grenada to the south and Barbados to the east. Kingstown is at the island's south-west corner.

Easy to mix up

Kingstown is easy to mix up with Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, which lies far to the north-west.

Sources: Wikipedia: Kingstown, Wikipedia: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines