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.

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
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 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: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Caribbean Sea

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 17.4% (2011 est.)
Forest: 77% (2011 est.)
Other: 5.6% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: hurricanesvolcanism: Mount Gimie (948 m), also known as Qualibou, is a caldera on the west of the island; the iconic twin pyramidal peaks of Gros Piton (771 m) and Petit Piton (743 m) are lava dome remnants associated with the Soufriere volcano; there have been no historical magmatic eruptions, but a minor steam eruption in 1766 spread a thin layer of ash over a wide area; Saint Lucia is part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

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

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: 165,510 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 187
Growth rate: 0.31% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 168
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Saint Lucian(s)
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.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 19.77% (male 16,840 /female 15,874)
15-24 years: 14.79% (male 12,419 /female 12,060)
25-54 years: 42.93% (male 34,228 /female 36,818)
55-64 years: 10.41% (male 7,944 /female 9,284)
65 years and over: 12.11% (male 9,086 /female 10,957) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 41.1 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 27.9 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.3 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 7.5 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 35.5 years
Male: 34.3 years
Female: 36.6 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 80

Population growth rate: 0.31% (2018 est.)
Rank: 168

Birth rate: 13.1 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 146

Death rate: 7.8 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 98

Net migration rate: -2.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 170

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: 18.7% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 0.8% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 10.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 10.2 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 11 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 129

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.1 years (2018 est.)
Male: 75.4 years (2018 est.)
Female: 81 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 64

Total fertility rate: 1.74 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 164

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 55.5% (2011/12)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0.5% of population
Rural: 4.4% of population
Total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 0.1 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 15.3% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 8.1% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases: note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); 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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 19.7% (2016)
Rank: 111

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.8% (2012)
Rank: 104

Education expenditures: 5.7% of GDP (2016)
Rank: 45

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 saints feast day: note: pronounced saynt-looshya

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 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

Independence: 22 February 1979 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Constitution
History: previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979 (2018)
Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority by the House of Assembly membership in the final reading and assent to by the governor general; passage of amendments to various constitutional sections such as those on fundamental rights and freedoms, government finances, the judiciary, and procedures for amending the constitution, require at least three-quarters majority vote by the House and assent to by the governor general; passage of amendments approved by the House but rejected by the Senate require a majority of votes cast in a referendum (2018)

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 only: 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 (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Neville CENAC (since 12 January 2018)
Head of government: Prime Minister Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016)
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

Judicial branch
Highest courts: the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges; the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside in the member states with 4 on Saint Lucia; 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 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: magistrates court

Political parties and leaders: Lucian People's Movement or LPM [Therold PRUDENT]Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Philip J. PIERRE]United Workers Party or UWP [Allen CHASTANET]

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 Anton Edsel EDMUNDS (since 8 September 2017)
In the us chancery: 1628 K Street, NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20,006
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: 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
Lyricsmusic: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS: note: adopted 1967

Economy overview: The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. Tourism is Saint Lucia's main source of jobs and income - accounting for 65% of GDP - and the island's main source of foreign exchange earnings. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area. Crops such as bananas, mangos, and avocados continue to be grown for export, but St. Lucia's once solid banana industry has been devastated by strong competition.Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks, including volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore, high public debt - 77% of GDP in 2012 - and high debt servicing obligations constrain the CHASTANET administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks.St. Lucia has experienced anemic growth since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, largely because of a slowdown in tourism - airlines cut back on their routes to St. Lucia in 2012. Also, St. Lucia introduced a value added tax in 2012 of 15%, becoming the last country in the Eastern Caribbean to do so. In 2013, the government introduced a National Competitiveness and Productivity Council to address St. Lucia's high public wages and lack of productivity.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 191

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 115

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 117

Gross national saving:
Rank: 102

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 66.1% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 16.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 62.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -56.9% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 14.2% (2017 est.)
Services: 82.8% (2017 est.)

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: 6% (2017 est.)
Rank: 42

Labor force: 79,700 (2012 est.)
Rank: 183
By occupation agriculture: 21.7%
By occupation industry: 24.7%
By occupation services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% (2003 est.)
Rank: 186

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Budget
Revenues: 398.2 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 392.8 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: 0.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 41

Taxes and other revenues: 23.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 125

Public debt:
Rank: 49

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 15

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 63

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 100

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 180

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 183

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 164

Current account balance:
Rank: 61

Exports:
Rank: 191
Partners: US 67.6%, UK 5.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5% (2017)
Commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.)

Imports:
Rank: 195
Commodities: food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels
Partners: US 53.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.8% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 166

Debt external:
Rank: 176

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 16,446 (2012)
Access electrification total population: 91% (2012)
Access electrification urban areas: 100% (2012)
Access electrification rural areas: 80% (2012)
Production: 369 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 174
Consumption: 343.2 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 181
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 189
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 191
Installed generating capacity: 89,000 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 180
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 25
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 173
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 196
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 165

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 191
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 185
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 187
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 187

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 194
Products consumption: 3,100 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 187
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 195
Products imports: 3,113 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 184

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 189
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 191
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 174
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 180
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 186

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 437,900 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 186

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 35,014 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 166
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 176,694 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 184

Telephone system
General assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched (2016)
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 20 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 105 per 100 persons (2016)
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 (2016)

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 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 52.4% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 178

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 31,781 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2017 est.)
Rank: 139

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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J6 (2016)

Airports: 2 (2013)
Rank: 205
With paved runways total: 2 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2017)

Roadways
Total: 1210 km (2011)
Paved: 847 km (2011)
Unpaved: 363 km (2011)
Rank: 181

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

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

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