Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its 369 km2 (142 sq mi) territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and, south of that, two-thirds of the northern part of the Grenadines, a chain of 32 smaller islands. Most of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines lies within the Hurricane Alley. To the north of Saint Vincent lies Saint Lucia, to the east is Barbados, and Grenada lies to the south. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has a population density of over 300 inhabitants/km2 (700 per sq. mi.), with approximately 104,332 total inhabitants.

The island of St Vincent is one of a chain of volcanic islands known as the Lesser Antilles that forms part of an island arc where there is active volcanism. The volcanic activity is caused by the subduction (underthrusting) of the Atlantic Ocean floor below the Caribbean Sea floor. La Soufriere volcano located in the northern part of the island is the only active volcano on the island and is one of 20 other live volcanoes located in the Lesser Antilles. A live volcano is described as a volcano that is currently erupting or has the capacity to erupt again. La Soufriere occupies almost a one third of the island, and embodies several geographical features such as hot springs, several craters and dry rivers. La Soufrière is one of the most active volcanoes in the Lesser Antilles and has a long history of eruptions with the historical records showing eruptions in 1718, 1812, 1814, 1902-1903, 1971-72 and 1979. An explosive eruption occurred at 8:41 AM AST on April 9, 2021, with an ash plume reaching approximately 8,000 m (26,000 ft) and drifting eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean. By then, approximately 16,000 people had evacuated the area surrounding the volcano. Subsequent explosive eruptions, created by multiple pulses of ash, were reported in the afternoon and evening of 9 April, according to the University of the West Indies. Explosions continued over the following days, with plumes reaching nearby Barbados and covering the island with ash. Residents were also faced with power outages and cut off water supplies, and the airspace over the island was closed due to the presence of smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash. There were further reports of continued explosive activity and pyroclastic flows. The final explosion took place on 22 April 2021.The eruption, rated as VEI-4 on the Explosivity Index, was comparable in size to the eruptions of 1979.

Loss of life was recorded in the 1812 and 1902-03 eruptions when 56 persons died in 1812 and over 1500 in 1902-03. The volcano first evolved some 700,000 years ago and has a long history of continuous growth to a stratovolcano comprising mainly of pyroclastic rocks and minor basaltic andesite flows and dome lavas. The entire island of St Vincent is composed of volcanic rock and shows that the island had a volcanic history beginning as far back as 2.7 million years. There are at least 3 extinct volcanic centres on the island located to the south of La Soufriere. These are the South-East volcanic centre, the Grand Bonhomme centre and the Morne Garu centre and represent the early evolution of the island of St Vincent. The La Soufriere volcano by definition can be described as a Geoheritage site. The word geoheritage is defined as the heritage of features of a geological nature. The mixed nomination will include a cultural heritage aspect in the form of the Lasham Sugar Factory Ruins, and natural features such as the West Petit Bordel Bay, and the mountain range which spans the East of Georgetown on the Windward side of the island. The La Soufrière volcano along with the other volcanoes in the Caribbean "Volcanic Island Arch" all originate on hot spots where the Caribbean and Atlantic Plates meet. Thus, all these islands of the Caribbean were formed by volcanic eruptions over many years.