Map of Saint Lucia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: The island with its fine natural harbor at Castries was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.


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Location: Caribbean island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 13 53 N 60 68 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 620 km²
Land: 610 km²
Water: 10 km²
Comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April rainy season from May to August

Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad fertile valleys

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

Natural resources: forests sandy beaches minerals (pumice) mineral springs geothermal potential

Land use
Arable land: 8%
Permanent crops: 21%
Permanent pastures: 5%
Forests and woodland: 13%
Other: 53% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity

Geography


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Population: 158,178 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.23% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saint Lucian
Adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups: black 90% mixed 6% East Indian 3% white 1%

Languages: English (official) French patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% Protestant 7% Anglican 3%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 32.13% (male 25,951; female 24,874)
15-64 years: 62.59% (male 48,568; female 50,430)
65 years and over: 5.28% (male 3,120; female 5,235) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.23% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 21.8 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.15 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion particularly in the northern region
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male/female
Total population: 0.96 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 15.22 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.57 years
Male: 69 years
Female: 76.39 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.38 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 67%
Male: 65%
Female: 69% (1980 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Saint Lucia

Government type: Westminster-style parliamentary democracy

Capital: Castries

Administrative divisions: 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye Castries Choiseul Dauphin Dennery Gros Islet Laborie Micoud Praslin Soufriere Vieux Fort

Dependent areas

Independence: 22 February 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 22 February (1979)

Constitution: 22 February 1979

Legal system: based on English common law

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dr. Perlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Assembly - last held 23 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
Election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SLP 16, UWP 1

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda the British Virgin Islands Dominica Grenada Montserrat Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders: National Freedom Party or NFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella JOSEPH]

International organization participation: ACCT (associate) ACP C Caricom CDB ECLAC FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat (nonsignatory user) Interpol IOC ISO (subscriber) ITU NAM OAS OECS OPANAL OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 364-6,792 through 6,795
In the us fax: [1] (202) 364-6,728
In the us consulates general: Miami and New York
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Flag description: blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The recent changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. Improvement in the construction sector and growth of the tourism industry helped expand GDP in 1998-99. The agriculture sector registered its fifth year of decline in 1997 primarily because of a severe decline in banana production. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean and the government is beginning to develop regulations for the small offshore financial sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10.7%
Industry: 32.3%
Services: 57% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas coconuts vegetables citrus root crops cocoa

Industries: clothing assembly of electronic components beverages corrugated cardboard boxes tourism lime processing coconut processing

Industrial production growth rate: -8.9% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 43,800
By occupation agriculture: 43.4%
By occupation services: 38.9%
By occupation industry and commerce: 17.7% (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1996 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $141.2 million
Expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (FY97/98 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $68.3 million (2000 est.)
Commodities: bananas 41% clothing cocoa vegetables fruits coconut oil
Partners: UK 50% US 24% Caricom countries 16% (1995)

Imports: $319.4 million (2000 est.)
Commodities: food 23% manufactured goods 21% machinery and transportation equipment 19% chemicals fuels
Partners: US 36% Caricom countries 22% UK 11% Japan 5% Canada 4% (1995)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $131.6 million (1998)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 110 million kWh (1999)
By source fossil fuel: 100%
By source hydro: 0%
By source nuclear: 0%
By source other: 0% (1999)

Electricity consumption: 102.3 million kWh (1999)

Electricity exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular: 1600 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate system
Domestic: system is automatically switched
International: direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique

Broadcast media

Internet country code: .lc

Internet users: 5,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $5 million (FY91/92)
Percent of gdp: 2% (FY91/92)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 2 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 2
2438 to 3047 m: 1
15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways: 0 km

Roadways

Waterways: none

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs