Environment and Climate
Carriacou is located in the eastern Caribbean approximately 250 km north of Venezuela and 30 km north of Grenada. The island is home to about 5,000 inhabitants and measures 25 km from north to south, 8 km across at its widest point, and is roughly 20 km 2 in area. Geologically, Carriacou is composed of a mixture of volcanic lava and Miocene-aged fossiliferous limestone that reach heights of up to 290 m in both the island’s northern and southern half. Other nearby islands include Petite Martinique, Petite Dominique, Petite St. Vincent, Palm Island, and Union, only the latter of which has been investigated archaeologically.
Over the past several hundred thousand years, the island has been influenced by a number of environmental changes and impacts. These include tropical storms, hurricanes, tsunamis, tidal and wave action, and bioerosion. In concert, these have all served to influence how the island has developed geologically, biologically, and physiographically through time.
The island has also been dramatically altered by humans both prehistorically and historically. When native groups first arrived they brought with them nonindigenous plants and animals such as rats and dogs that outcompeted native flora and fauna. Cassava was an important cultigen and land was also cleared for agriculture.