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
Land: 606 km²
Water: 10 km²
Rank: 193
Comparative: three and a half 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 broad fertile valleys

Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m: highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 17.4%
Forest: 77%
Other: 5.6%

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2012)

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
Distribution: most of the population is found on the periphery of the island with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries: 164,464 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 187
Growth rate: 0.33% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 171
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Saint Lucian
Adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups: black/African descent 85.3% mixed 10.9% East Indian 2.2% other 1.6% unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

Languages: English (official) French patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 61.5% Protestant 25.5% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 10.4% Pentecostal 8.9% Baptist 2.2% Anglican 1.6% Church of God 1.5% other Protestant 0.9%) other Christian 3.4% (includes Evangelical 2.3% and Jehovah's Witness 1.1%) Rastafarian 1.9% other 0.4% none 5.9% unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 20.35%
15-24 years: 15.88%
25-54 years: 42.97%
55-64 years: 9.58%
65 years and over: 11.22% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 47.3%
Youth dependency ratio: 34.1%
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.3%
Potential support ratio: 7.5%

Median age
Total: 34.2 years
Male: 33 years
Female: 35.3 years
Rank: 84

Population growth rate: 0.33% (2016 est.)
Rank: 171

Birth rate: 13.5 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 145

Death rate: 7.6 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 110

Net migration rate: -2.7 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 176

Population distribution: most of the population is found on the periphery of the island with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries

Urbanization
Urban population: 18.5% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.89% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: CASTRIES (capital) 22,000 (2014)

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
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male/female
55-64 years: 0.86 male/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male/female
Total population: 0.95 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 11.2 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 10.7 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 11.7 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 125

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.8 years
Male: 75 years
Female: 80.7 years
Rank: 67

Total fertility rate: 1.75 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 161

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.11 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 1.6 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

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

Major infectious diseases
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 27% (2014)
Rank: 87

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.8% (2012)
Rank: 116

Education expenditures: 4.8% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 107

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 13 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Saint Lucia
Etymology: named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502 the saint's feast day

Government type: parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Capital
Name: Castries
Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N 61 00 W
Time difference: UTC-4

Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Anse-la-Raye Canaries Castries Choiseul Dennery Gros-Islet Laborie Micoud Soufriere Vieux-Fort

Dependent areas

Independence: 22 February 1979 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 22 February (1979)

Constitution: previous 1958 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978 effective 22 February 1979; note - in mid-2015 an amendment was proposed to replace the London-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice as the country's highest appellate court (2016)

Legal system: English common law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years

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 Allen CHASTANET
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by governor general

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: House of Assembly - last held on 6 June 2016
Election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 54.8% SLP 44.1%; seats by party - UWP 11 SLP 6

Judicial branch
Highest court: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and is comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the member states; 3 High Court judges reside on Saint Lucia; note - Saint Lucia is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice
Judge selection and term of office: chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by the Her Majesty Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission an independent body of judicial officials; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
Subordinate courts: magistrate's court

Political parties and leaders:

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth Darius CLARKE
In the us chancery: 3,216 New Mexico Avenue NW Washington DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] 364-6,792 through 6,795
In the us FAX: [1] 364-6,723
In the us consulate general: 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: cerulean blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border; the blue color represents the sky and sea gold stands for sunshine and prosperity and white and black the racial composition of the island (with the latter being dominant); the two major triangles invoke the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton) cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island

National symbols: twin pitons (volcanic peaks) Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue gold black white

National anthem
Name: 'Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia'
Lyrics and music: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS
Note: adopted 1967

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 195

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 123

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 126

Gross national saving:
Rank: 113

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 71.8%
Government consumption: 15%
Investment in fixed capital: 18.3%
Investment in inventories: 0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 40.2%
Imports of goods and services: -45.3%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.9%
Industry: 13.8%
Services: 83.3%

Agriculture products: bananas coconuts vegetables citrus root crops cocoa

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (2015 est.)
Rank: 62

Labor force: 79,700 (2012 est.)
Rank: 183
By occupation agriculture: 21.7%
By occupation industry: 24.7%
By occupation services: 53.6%

Unemployment rate: 20% (2003 est.)
Rank: 170

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: $185.2 million
Expenditures: $222.2 million
Surplus or deficit: -2.6% of GDP (2011 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 104

Taxes and other revenues: 13.1% of GDP (2011 est.)
Rank: 206

Public debt:
Rank: 32

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 16

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 54

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 94

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 176

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 169

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 155

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 63

Exports:
Rank: 187
Commodities: bananas 41% clothing cocoa avocados mangoes coconut oil (2010 est.)
Partners: Dominican Republic 25.1% US 15.9% Suriname 9.1% Antigua and Barbuda 7% Dominica 6.8% Trinidad and Tobago 6.3% Barbados 6.1% UK 4.8% Grenada 4.6% (2015)

Imports:
Rank: 193
Commodities: food manufactured goods machinery and transportation equipment chemicals fuels
Partners: Brazil 34.9% US 25.7% Trinidad and Tobago 14.4% Colombia 10.9% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external:
Rank: 176

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 16,446
Access electrification total population: 91%
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 80%
Production: 400 million kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 167
Consumption: 300 million kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 174
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 198
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 204
Installed generating capacity: 88,000 kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 176
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 28
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 183
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 204
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 129

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 193
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 191
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 127
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 193

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 133
Products consumption: 3,100 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 182
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 134
Products imports: 3,058 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 175

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 130
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 195
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 183
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 135
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 196

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 400,000 Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 187

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 34,874
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21
Fixed lines rank: 171
Mobile cellular total: 188,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 115
Mobile cellular rank: 181

Telephone system
General assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 20 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 115 per 100 persons
International: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber System and Southern Caribbean Fiber 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: 3 privately owned TV stations; 1 public TV station operating on a cable network; multi-channel cable TV service available; a mix of state-owned and privately owned broadcasters operate nearly 25 radio stations including repeater transmission stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .lc
Users total: 86,000
Users percent of population: 52.4%
Users rank: 166

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary security service; no national army (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J6 (2016)

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 204
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 1210 km
Paved: 847 km
Unpaved: 363 km
Rank: 182

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: 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 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 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