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
mean elevation: NA
elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Gimie 948 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 (2012)
most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries
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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164,994 (July 2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
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 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.)
0-14 years: 20.02% (male 17,006/female 16,027)
15-24 years: 15.37% (male 12,870/female 12,492)
25-54 years: 42.97% (male 34,117/female 36,779)
55-64 years: 9.99% (male 7,608/female 8,881)
65 years and over: 11.65% (male 8,704/female 10,510) (2017 est.)
population pyramid:
Central America and Caribbean
::SAINT LUCIA
Population Pyramid
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
total dependency ratio: 41.1
youth dependency ratio: 27.9
elderly dependency ratio: 13.3
potential support ratio: 7.5 (2015 est.)
total: 34.2 years
male: 33 years
female: 35.3 years (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84
0.3% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
13.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
7.7 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
-2.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries
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 (2016 est.)
48 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
total population: 77.8 years
male: 75 years
female: 80.7 years (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
1.75 children born/woman (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
55.5% (2011)
6.7% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 87
0.1 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
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 (2016)
27% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 87
2.8% (2012)
country comparison to the world: 116
4.8% of GDP (2015)
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
etymology: named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint's feast day
parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; 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 (2016)
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 Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016)
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 6 June 2016 (next to be held in 2021)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 54.8%, SLP 44.1%, other 1.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6
highest court(s): 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, travelling to member states on a schedule to hears appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts; High Court judges reside at 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: magistrate's court
Lucian People's Movement or LPM [Therold PRUDENT]
Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Philip J. PIERRE]
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 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.
$2.055 billion (2016 est.)
$2.039 billion (2015 est.)
$2.002 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
country comparison to the world: 194
$1.385 billion (2016 est.)
0.8% (2016 est.)
1.8% (2015 est.)
0.4% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
$11,800 (2016 est.)
$11,800 (2015 est.)
$11,600 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
country comparison to the world: 126
13.9% of GDP (2016 est.)
17.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
10.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
household consumption: 69.9%
government consumption: 15.2%
investment in fixed capital: 18.7%
investment in inventories: 0.1%
exports of goods and services: 39%
imports of goods and services: -42.8% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 14.1%
services: 83% (2016 est.)
bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa
tourism; clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing
4% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
79,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 24.7%
services: 53.6% (2002 est.)
20% (2003 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
NA%
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
revenues: $185.2 million
expenditures: $222.2 million (2011 est.)
12.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
-2.6% of GDP (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
77% of GDP (2012 est.)
77% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
1 April - 31 March
-1.7% (2016 est.)
-1% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
6.5% (31 December 2010)
6.5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 60
8.8% (31 December 2016 est.)
8.86% (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
$287.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)
$284.8 million (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
$1.165 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.131 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$1.431 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$1.399 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
$-93 million (2016 est.)
$-37 million (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
$205.2 million (2016 est.)
$207 million (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 est.)
Dominican Republic 24.6%, US 15.6%, Suriname 8.9%, Antigua and Barbuda 6.9%, Dominica 6.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.1%, Barbados 6%, UK 4.7%, Grenada 4.5% (2015)
$532 million (2016 est.)
$540.6 million (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
food, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels
Brazil 35.2%, US 25.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.6%, Colombia 11% (2015)
$523.2 million (31 December 2016 est.)
$517 million (31 December 2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -
2.7 (2016 est.)
2.7 (2015 est.)
2.7 (2014 est.)
2.7 (2013 est.)
2.7 (2012 est.))
Energy :: SAINT LUCIA
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population without electricity: 16,446
electrification - total population: 91%
electrification - urban areas: 100%
electrification - rural areas: 80% (2012)
400 million kWh (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
300 million kWh (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182
0 kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
0 kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
88,000 kW (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
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: 128
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
country comparison to the world: 195
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
3,100 bbl/day (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
3,058 bbl/day (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
country comparison to the world: 196
400,000 Mt (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 187
Communications :: SAINT LUCIA
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total subscriptions: 35,003
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 21 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
total: 176,648
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
general assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 20 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 105 per 100 persons
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)
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)
.lc
total: 86,000
percent of population: 52.4% (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
Transportation :: SAINT LUCIA
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J6 (2016)
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 and Security :: 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)
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 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
transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
