Map of Saint Lucia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | 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. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834 Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. 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 58 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 616 km²
Rank: 193
Land: 606 km²
Water: 10 km²
Comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

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

Climate: tropical moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April rainy season 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: 6.45%
Permanent crops: 22.58%
Other: 70.97% (2005)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hurricanes; volcanic activity

Geography
Note: the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton) striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean


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Population: 160,267 (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 187
Growth rate: 0.416% (2009 est.)
Growth rate rank: 161
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saint Lucian
Adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups: black 82.5% mixed 11.9% East Indian 2.4% other or unspecified 3.1% (2001 census)

Languages: English (official) French patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 67.5% Seventh Day Adventist 8.5% Pentecostal 5.7% Rastafarian 2.1% Anglican 2% Evangelical 2% other Christian 5.1% other 1.1% unspecified 1.5% none 4.5% (2001 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.4%
15-64 years: 66.4% (male 51,593/female 54,843)
65 years and over: 9.2% (male 6,668/female 8,107) (2009 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 29.8 years
Male: 28.7 years
Female: 30.8 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.416% (2009 est.)
Rank: 161

Birth rate: 15.1 births/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 140

Death rate: 6.8 deaths/1000 population (July 2009 est.)
Rank: 141

Net migration rate: -4.14 migrant(s)/1000 population (2009 est.)
Rank: 158

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 28% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion particularly in the northern region
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 13.43 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 134
Male: 12.47 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 14.44 deaths/1000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 76.45 years
Rank: 67
Male: 73.78 years
Female: 79.27 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.84 children born/woman (2009 est.)
Rank: 153

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: 6.6% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 29

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
Total population: 90.1%
Male: 89.5%
Female: 90.6% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 13 years
Female: 14 years (2006)

Youth unemployment


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

Government type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Castries
Geographic coordinates: 14 01 N 61 00 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)

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 the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 22 February (1979)

Constitution: 22 February 1979

Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II ; represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
Head of government: Prime Minister Stephenson KING (since 9 September 2007); note - Sir John COMPTON died in office 7 September 2007
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister three on the advice of the leader of the opposition and two after consultation with religious economic and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
Election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 50% SLP 46.9% other 3.1%; seats by party - UWP 11 SLP 6

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeals; based on Saint Lucia; three judges of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Lucia); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)

Political parties and leaders: National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Stephenson KING]

International organization participation: ACP C Caricom CDB FAO G-77 IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO ITU ITUC MIGA NAM OAS OECS OIF OPANAL OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael LOUIS
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) 364-6,723
In the us consulate general: Miami New York
From the us: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to 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 island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006 attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Although crops such as bananas mangos and avocados continue to be grown for export tourism provides Saint Lucia's main source of income and the industry is the island's biggest employer. The tourism sector is likely to face declining revenues with the global economic downturn as US and European travel declines. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry although recent hurricanes have caused exports to contract. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including volatile tourism receipts natural disasters and dependence on foreign oil. The public debt-to-GDP ratio is about 70% and high debt servicing obligations constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid even though unemployment needs to be reduced.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 186
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 189

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 99
Note: data are in 2008 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5%
Industry: 15%
Services: 80% (2005 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: NA

Labor force: 79,700 (2007)
Rank: 178
By occupation agriculture: 21.7%
By occupation industry: 24.7%
By occupation services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% (2003 est.)
Rank: 166

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 (2000 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.9% (2007 est.)
Rank: 16

Central bank discount rate: 6.5% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 62

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 8.34% (31 December 2007)
Rank: 102

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit: $1.217 billion (31 December 2007)
Rank: 99

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$199 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 88

Exports: $288 million (2006)
Rank: 176
Commodities: bananas 41% clothing cocoa vegetables fruits coconut oil
Partners: UK 23.6% US 19.3% South Korea 16.6% Antigua and Barbuda 5.9% Dominica 5.8% Barbados 5.2% Trinidad and Tobago 4.8% (2008)

Imports: $791 million (2006)
Rank: 178
Commodities: food 23% manufactured goods 21% machinery and transportation equipment 19% chemicals fuels
Partners: Brazil 68% US 11.7% Trinidad and Tobago 7.4% (2008)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $257 million (2004)
Rank: 176

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007) 2.7 (2006) 2.7 (2005) 2.7 (2004) 2.7 (2003)


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Electricity
Production: 325 million kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 167
Consumption: 302.2 million kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 168
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 129
Consumption: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 134
Exports: 0 m³ (2008)
Exports rank: 112
Imports: 0 m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 131
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2009 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 134

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 40,900 (2008)
Main lines in use rank: 168
Mobile cellular: 169,600 (2008)
Mobile cellular rank: 174

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate system
Domestic: system is automatically switched
International: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables along with Intelsat from Martinique carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .lc
Hosts: 103 (2009)
Hosts rank: 198
Users: 100,000 (2008)
Users rank: 155

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: NA

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 (2009)
Rank: 201
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2009)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1210 km
Rank: 180

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Castries Cul-de-Sac Vieux-Fort


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Disputes international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation a criterion under UNCLOS which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe