| 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. |
| 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
references: |
Central America
and the Caribbean |
| Area: |
total:
620 sq km
land: 610 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
3.5 times the
size of Washington, DC |
| 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
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 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
hurricanes and
volcanic activity |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation;
soil erosion, particularly in the northern region |
| Environment
- 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
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol |
| Population: |
158,178 (July
2001 est.) |
| 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.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.23% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
21.8 births/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
5.36 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-4.15 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
15.22
deaths/1,000 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.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Saint Lucian(s)
adjective: Saint Lucian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
black 90%, mixed
6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic
90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3% |
| Languages: |
English
(official), French patois |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 67%
male: 65%
female: 69% (1980 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Lucia |
| Government
type: |
Westminster-style
parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative
divisions: |
11 quarters;
Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros
Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux Fort |
| Independence: |
22 February 1979
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
22 February (1979) |
| Constitution: |
22 February 1979 |
| Legal
system: |
based on English
common law |
| 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: |
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 from single-member constituencies to serve
five-year terms)
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] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| 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
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6728
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
| Diplomatic
representation 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 |
| 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. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $700 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
0.5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $4,500 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
10.7%
industry: 32.3%
services: 57% (1996 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture
43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and commerce 17.7% (1983
est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
15% (1996 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$141.2 million
expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital
expenditures of $25.1 million (FY97/98 est.) |
| Industries: |
clothing,
assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated
cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut
processing |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
-8.9% (1997 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
110 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
102.3 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
bananas,
coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa |
| Exports: |
$68.3 million
(2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
bananas 41%,
clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil |
| Exports
- partners: |
UK 50%, US 24%,
Caricom countries 16% (1995) |
| Imports: |
$319.4 million
(2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
food 23%,
manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation
equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 36%, Caricom
countries 22%, UK 11%, Japan 5%, Canada 4% (1995) |
| Debt
- external: |
$131.6 million
(1998) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$51.8 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
East Caribbean
dollar (XCD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31
March |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
37,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
1,600 (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 |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 2, FM 7 (plus
3 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
3 (of which two
are commercial stations and one is a community antenna
television or CATV channel) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
32,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.lc |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
15 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
5,000 (2000) |
| Highways: |
total:
1,210 km
paved: 63 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1996) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Castries, Vieux
Fort |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Saint Lucia
Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$5 million
(FY91/92) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
2% (FY91/92) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transit point for
South American drugs destined for the US and Europe |
|
