Introduction :: SAINT LUCIA
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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.
Geography :: SAINT LUCIA
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
13 53 N, 60 58 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 616 sq km
land: 606 sq km
water: 10 sq km
country comparison to the world: 193
three and a half times the size of Washington, DC
0 km
158 km
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
tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August
volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m
forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
agricultural land: 17.4%
arable land 4.9%; permanent crops 11.5%; permanent pasture 1%
forest: 77%
other: 5.6% (2011 est.)
30 sq km (2007)
total: 0.02 cu km/yr
per capita: 98.22 cu m/yr (2005)
hurricanes; volcanic activity
deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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
People and Society :: SAINT LUCIA
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noun: Saint Lucian(s)
adjective: Saint Lucian
black/African descent 85.3%, mixed 10.9%, East Indian 2.2%, other 1.6%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)
English (official), French patois
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 .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.)
163,922 (July 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
0-14 years: 20.75% (male 17,508/female 16,503)
15-24 years: 16.3% (male 13,541/female 13,177)
25-54 years: 42.93% (male 33,812/female 36,565)
55-64 years: 9.18% (male 6,964/female 8,084)
65 years and over: 10.84% (male 8,036/female 9,732) (2015 est.)
population pyramid:
total dependency ratio: 47.3%
youth dependency ratio: 34.1%
elderly dependency ratio: 13.3%
potential support ratio: 7.5% (2015 est.)
total: 33.5 years
male: 32.4 years
female: 34.6 years (2015 est.)
0.34% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
13.7 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
-2.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
urban population: 18.5% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 0.89% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
CASTRIES (capital) 22,000 (2014)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.86 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
48 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
total: 11.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
total population: 77.6 years
male: 74.87 years
female: 80.47 years (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
1.76 children born/woman (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
8.5% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 51
0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
1.6 beds/1,000 population (2011)
improved:
urban: 99.5% of population
rural: 95.6% of population
total: 96.3% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0.5% of population
rural: 4.4% of population
total: 3.7% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 84.7% of population
rural: 91.9% of population
total: 90.5% of population
unimproved:
urban: 15.3% of population
rural: 8.1% of population
total: 9.5% of population (2015 est.)
NA
NA
NA
27% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 87
2.8% (2012)
country comparison to the world: 116
4.7% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 107
total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2007)
total: 27.5%
male: 21.5%
female: 35.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Government :: SAINT LUCIA
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Lucia
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
name: Castries
geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
22 February 1979 (from the UK)
Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
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 (2015)
English common law
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
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
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Kenny Davis ANTHONY (since 30 November 2011)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections/appointments: 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
description: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 upon consultation with religious, economic, and social groups; members serve 5-year terms) 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 28 November 2011 (next to be held in 2016)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 49.68%, UWP 45.83%; seats by party - SLP 11, UWP 6
highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) 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: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; 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
Lucian People's Movement or LPM [Therold PRUDENT]
Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenny ANTHONY]
United Workers Party or UWP [Allen CHASTANET]
NA
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth Darius CLARKE (since 3 August 2015)
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723
consulate(s) general: New York
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia
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
twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot; national colors: cerulean blue, gold, black, white
name: "Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia"
lyrics/music: Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS
note: adopted 1967
Economy :: SAINT LUCIA
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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 ANTHONY 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.
$1.978 billion (2014 est.)
$1.969 billion (2013 est.)
$1.966 billion (2012 est.)
note: data are in 2014 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 195
$1.404 billion (2014 est.)
0.5% (2014 est.)
0.1% (2013 est.)
-1.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
$11,600 (2014 est.)
$11,600 (2013 est.)
$11,600 (2012 est.)
note: data are in 2014 US dollars
country comparison to the world: 125
22.4% of GDP (2014 est.)
11.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
13% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65
household consumption: 56.3%
government consumption: 19.2%
investment in fixed capital: 31.6%
investment in inventories: -0.1%
exports of goods and services: 53.6%
imports of goods and services: -60.6%
(2014 est.)
agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 15%
services: 82.4% (2014 est.)
bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa
tourism; clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing
3.1% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
79,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 24.7%
services: 53.6% (2002 est.)
20% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $185.2 million
expenditures: $222.2 million (2011 est.)
13.2% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
-2.6% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 112
77% of GDP (2012 est.)
77% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
1 April - 31 March
3.5% (2014 est.)
1.5% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
6.5% (31 December 2010)
6.5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 58
9% (31 December 2014 est.)
9.08% (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
$277.3 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$257.6 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
$1.104 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$1.057 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
$1.519 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
$1.644 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
-$94 million (2014 est.)
-$150 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
$203.3 million (2014 est.)
$205.3 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.)
Dominican Republic 26.3%, US 11.1%, Suriname 9.5%, Antigua and Barbuda 7.3%, Dominica 7.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.9%, Barbados 6.4%, UK 5.7%, Grenada 4.9% (2014)
$558.8 million (2014 est.)
$496.7 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels
Brazil 44.1%, US 27.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.2%, Colombia 8.8% (2014)
$497.5 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$485.9 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -
2.7 (2014 est.)
2.7 (2013 est.)
2.7 (2012)
2.7 (2011)
2.7 (2010)
Energy :: SAINT LUCIA
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361.7 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
336.4 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
0 kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
0 kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
89,000 kW (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
3,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
3,041 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
415,700 Mt (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
Communications :: SAINT LUCIA
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total subscriptions: 32,800
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 20 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
total: 188,400
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 115 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
general assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 25 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 130 per 100 persons
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 (2010)
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)
AM 2, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2008)
2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community antenna television or CATV channel) (2003)
.lc
total: 142,900
percent of population: 89.2% (2009)
country comparison to the world: 166
Transportation :: SAINT LUCIA
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2 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 204
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
total: 1,210 km
paved: 847 km
unpaved: 363 km (2011)
country comparison to the world: 182
major seaport(s): Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort
Military :: SAINT LUCIA
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no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Marine Unit) (2012)
18 years of age for voluntary security service; no national army (2012)
males age 16-49: 41,414 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 32,688
females age 16-49: 36,289 (2010 est.)
male: 1,574
female: 1,502 (2010 est.)
Transnational Issues :: SAINT LUCIA
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joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
Central Intelligence Agency
