Saint Lucia

[Top of Page]

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

Maritime claims: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

[Top of Page]

Population: 154,020 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 26,068; female 25,359)
15-64 years: 61% (male 46,265; female 48,100)
65 years and over: 6% (male 3,097; female 5,131) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.09% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 21.63 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 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 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.55 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.81 years
male: 68.14 years
female: 75.74 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.27 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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.)

[Top of Page]

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

Data code: ST

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Castries

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 Kenny 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 (an 11-member body, six 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: United Workers Party or UWP [leader NA]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; National Freedom Party or NFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]

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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Juliet Elaine MALLET PHILLIP
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6728
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the Ambassador to Saint Lucia resides in Bridgetown (Barbados)

Flag description: blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

[Top of Page]

Economy—overview: The economy remains vulnerable due to its heavy dependence on banana production, which is subject to periodic droughts and tropical storms. Increased competition from Latin American bananas will probably further reduce market prices, exacerbating Saint Lucia's need to diversify its economy in coming years, e.g., by further expanding tourism, manufacturing, and construction. In 1997, strong activity in tourism and other service sectors offset the contraction in agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors. Improvement in the construction sector and growth of the tourism industry was expected to expand GDP in 1998. The agriculture sector registered its fifth year of decline in 1997 primarily because of a severe decline in banana production.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$625 million (1997 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 2.2% (1997)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$4,100 (1997 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): 1.9% (1997)

Labor force: 43,800

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 (1996)

Electricity—production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 110 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Exports: $70.1 million (1997)

Exports—commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

Exports—partners: UK 50%, US 24%, Caricom countries 16% (1995)

Imports: $292.4 million (1997)

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: $159 million (1997)

Economic aid—recipient: $51.8 million (1995)

Currency: 1 East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March

[Top of Page]

Telephones: 26,000 (1992 est.)

Telephone 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 4, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios: 104,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (of which two are commercial stations and one is a community antenna television [CATV] channel) (1997)

Televisions: 26,000 (1992 est.)

[Top of Page]

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 1,210 km
paved: 63 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: Castries, Vieux Fort

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)

[Top of Page]

Military branches: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $5 million (1991); note—for police force

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2% (1991)

[Top of Page]

Disputes—international: none

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