Geography People Government Economy Transportation Communications Defense Forces

SAINT LUCIA

@Saint Lucia:Geography

 Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad
 and Tobago

 Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
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SAINT LUCIA - MAJOR CITIES 
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                                        Latitude,      Internat'l     Time   
                        Population      Longitude      Phone Code     Zone   
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CASTRIES                    53,000    14.01N, 60.59W     809-        GMT-4   
Vieux Fort                  11,000    13.46N, 60.58W     809-        GMT-4   
Dennery                        N/A    13.55N, 60.54W     809-        GMT-4   
Micoud                         N/A    13.50N, 60.54W     809-        GMT-4   
SoufriŠre                      N/A    13.52N, 61.04W     809-        GMT-4   
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 Area:
 total area: 620 sq km
 land area: 610 sq km
 comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington,
 DC

 Land boundaries: 0 km

 Coastline: 158 km

 Maritime claims:
 contiguous zone: 24 nm
 exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
 margin
 territorial sea: 12 nm

 International disputes: none

 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

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

 Land use:
 arable land: 8%
 permanent crops: 20%
 meadows and pastures: 5%
 forest and woodland: 13%
 other: 54%

 Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989 est.)

 Environment:
 current issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the
 northern region
 natural hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity
 international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
 Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
 of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

@Saint Lucia:People

 Population: 156,050 (July 1995 est.)

 Age structure:
 0-14 years: 35% (female 26,710; male 27,255)
 15-64 years: 60% (female 47,584; male 46,326)
 65 years and over: 5% (female 5,040; male 3,135) (July 1995 est.)

 Population growth rate: 1.17% (1995 est.)

 Birth rate: 22.48 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Net migration rate: -4.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

 Infant mortality rate: 20.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

 Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 69.88 years
 male: 66.33 years
 female: 73.67 years (1995 est.)

 Total fertility rate: 2.37 children born/woman (1995 est.)

 Nationality:
 noun: Saint Lucian(s)
 adjective: Saint Lucian

 Ethnic divisions: African descent 90.3%, mixed 5.5%, East Indian 3.2%,
 Caucasian 0.8%

 Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3%

 Languages: English (official), French patois

 Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1980)
 total population: 67%
 male: 65%
 female: 69%

 Labor force: 43,800
 by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and
 commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)

@Saint Lucia:Government

 Names:
 conventional long form: none
 conventional short form: Saint Lucia

 Digraph: ST

 Type: parliamentary democracy

 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 Sir Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10
 October 1988)
 head of government: Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3
 May 1982)
 cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the
 prime minister

 Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
 Senate: consists of an 11-member body, 6 appointed on the advice of
 the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition,
 and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups
 House of Assembly: elections last held 27 April 1992 (next to be held
 by April 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17
 total) UWP 11, SLP 6

 Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

 Political parties and leaders: United Workers' Party (UWP), John
 COMPTON; Saint Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian HUNTE; Progressive
 Labor Party (PLP), Jon ODLUM

 Member of: ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77,
 GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
 INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (subscriber), NAM,
 OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

 Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS
 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

 US diplomatic representation: no official presence since the
 Ambassador resides in Bridgetown (Barbados)

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

Economy

 Overview: Though foreign investment in manufacturing and information
 processing in recent years has increased Saint Lucia's industrial
 base, the economy remains vulnerable due to its heavy dependence on
 banana production, which is subject to periodic droughts and tropical
 storms. Indeed, the destructive effect of Tropical Storm Debbie in
 mid-1994 caused the loss of 60% of the year's banana crop. 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 expanding tourism, manufacturing,
 and construction

 National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $610 million (1994
 est.)

 National product real growth rate: 2% (1994 est.)

 National product per capita: $4,200 (1994 est.)

 Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.8% (1993)

 Unemployment rate: 25% (1993 est.)

 Budget:
 revenues: $121 million
 expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of $104
 million (1992 est.)

 Exports: $122.8 million (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities: bananas 60%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut
 oil
 partners: UK 56%, US 22%, CARICOM 19% (1991)

 Imports: $276 million (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities: manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation
 equipment 21%, food and live animals, chemicals, fuels
 partners: US 34%, CARICOM 17%, UK 14%, Japan 7%, Canada 4% (1991)

 External debt: $96.4 million (1992 est.)

 Industrial production: growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.); accounts for 12%
 of GDP

 Electricity:
 capacity: 20,000 kW
 production: 112 million kWh
 consumption per capita: 693 kWh (1993)

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

 Agriculture: accounts for 14% of GDP and 43% of labor force; crops -
 bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa;
 imports food for the tourist industry

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

 Economic aid:
 recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
 commitments (1970-89), $120 million

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

 Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed
 rate since 1976)

 Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

@Saint Lucia:Transportation

 Railroads: 0 km

 Highways:
 total: 760 km
 paved: 500 km
 unpaved: otherwise improved 260 km

 Ports: Castries, Vieux Fort

 Merchant marine: none

 Airports:
 total: 3
 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
 with paved runways under 914 m: 1

@Saint Lucia:Communications

 Telephone system: 9,500 telephones
 local: low density (6 telephones/100 persons) but the system is
 automatically switched
 intercity: no intercity traffic
 international: direct microwave link with Martinique and Saint Vincent
 and the Grenadines; interisland troposcatter link to Barbados

 Radio:
 broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0
 radios: NA

 Television:
 broadcast stations: 1 cable
 televisions: NA

@Saint Lucia:Defense Forces

 Branches: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Coast Guard

 Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP


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