[syn: Saint Lucia, St. Lucia]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Saint Lucia
n 1: a country on the island of Saint Lucia; gained independence
from Great Britain in 1979 [syn: Saint Lucia, St.
Lucia]
2: a volcanic island in the Windward Isles to the south of
Martinique [syn: Saint Lucia, St. Lucia]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Saint Lucia
Introduction Saint Lucia
------------------------
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.
Geography Saint Lucia
---------------------
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: 616 sq km
water: 10 sq km
land: 606 sq km
Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 158 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the
edge of the continental margin
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: 4.92%
permanent crops: 22.95%
other: 72.13% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion,
particularly in the northern region
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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
Geography - note: 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 Saint Lucia
------------------
Population: 160,145 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.6% (male 25,879;
female 24,695)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 49,667;
female 51,482)
65 years and over: 5.3% (male 3,134;
female 5,288) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.24% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 21.37 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.82 years
female: 76.64 years (2002 est.)
male: 69.26 years
Total fertility rate: 2.34 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 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.)
Government Saint Lucia
----------------------
Country name: conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Lucia
Government type: Westminster-style 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 Dr. Perlette
LOUISY (since September 1997)
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
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister
Kenneth ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997)
and Deputy Prime Minister Mario
MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)
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)
election results: House of Assembly
- percent of vote by party - SLP
55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by
party - SLP 14, UWP 3
elections: House of Assembly - last
held 3 December 2001 (next to be
held NA December 2006)
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 Alliance or NA [George
ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or
SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia
Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth
ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or
STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United
Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella
JOSEPH]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC,
participation: FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), 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 the US does not have an embassy in
US: 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 Saint Lucia
-------------------
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. The island
nation has been able to attract
foreign business and investment,
especially in its offshore banking
and tourism industries. The
manufacturing sector is the most
diverse in the Eastern Caribbean
area, and the government is trying
to revitalize the banana industry.
Despite negative growth in 2001,
economic fundamentals remain solid,
and GDP growth should recover in
2002.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $700
million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -2.5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,400
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7.9%
industry: 19.6%
services: 72.5% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (2001 est.)
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: 115 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 106.95 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
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: $214 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $51.8 million (1995)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar
- 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Saint Lucia
--------------------------
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)
Radios: 111,000 (1997)
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)
Transportation Saint Lucia
--------------------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 1,210 km
paved: 63 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1996)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Castries, Vieux Fort
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2001)
Military Saint Lucia
--------------------
Military branches: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force
(includes Special Service Unit and
Coast Guard)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of $NA
GDP:
Transnational Issues Saint Lucia
--------------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transit point for South American
drugs destined for the US and Europe