Saint Lucia Population: 162,781
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| 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. 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. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| Location: | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Geographic coordinates: | 13 53 N, 60 58 W |
| Area: | total: 616 sq km land: 606 sq km water: 10 sq km Size comparison: three and a half times the size of Washington, DC |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 158 km |
| Maritime claims: | 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 |
| Climate: | tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season 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: 6.45% permanent crops: 22.58% other: 70.97% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 30 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | hurricanes; volcanic activity |
| Current Environment Issues: | deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region |
| International Environment Agreements: | 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 162,781 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 21.6% (male 18,101/female 17,098) 15-24 years: 16.9% (male 13,872/female 13,602) 25-54 years: 42.9% (male 33,528/female 36,230) 55-64 years: 8.4% (male 6,371/female 7,372) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 7,510/female 9,097) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 31.6 years male: 30.5 years female: 32.7 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.378% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.42 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 12.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 77.04 years male: 74.34 years female: 79.88 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.78 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | NA |
| Nationality: | noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian |
| Ethnic groups: | black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or unspecified 3.1% (2001 census) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic 67.5%, Protestant 18.2% (Seventh-Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%), other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census) |
| Languages: | English (official), French patois |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 90.1% male: 89.5% female: 90.6% (2001 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital: | name: Castries geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 61 00 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions: | 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort |
| Independence: | 22 February 1979 (from the UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 22 February (1979) |
| Constitution: | 22 February 1979 |
| Legal system: | 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 Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Kenny Davis ANTHONY (since 30 November 2011) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: the monarchy is hereditary; the governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed 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 elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held on 28 November 2011 (next to be held in 2016) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 49.68%, UWP 45.83%; seats by party - SLP 11, UWP 6 |
| Judicial branch: | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consists of a High Court and a Court of Appeals; based on Saint Lucia; three judges of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Lucia); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Lucian People's Movement or LPM [Therold PRUDENT]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenny ANTHONY]; United Workers Party or UWP [Stephenson KING] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, 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 |
| 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) 364-6723 consulate(s) general: Coral Gables (FL), New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia |
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| Economy | |
| 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 and by Hurricane Tomas in 2010. 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 - 78% of GDP in 2012 - and high debt servicing obligations constrain the ANTHONY 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. As airlines cut back on their routes to St. Lucia in 2012, tourism growth slowed. Also, St. Lucia introduced a value added tax in 2012 of 15%, becoming the last country in the Eastern Caribbean to do so. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.234 billion (2012 est.) $2.219 billion (2011 est.) $2.19 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $1.259 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 0.7% (2012 est.) 1.3% (2011 est.) 0.4% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,300 (2012 est.) $13,300 (2011 est.) $13,200 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 2.7% industry: 17% services: 80.2% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 79,700 (2012) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 21.7% industry: 24.7% services: 53.6% (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 20% (2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (2012 est.) 2.8% (2011 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $185.2 million expenditures: $222.2 million (2011 est.) |
| Public debt: | 77% of GDP (2012 est.) 77% of GDP (2010 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa |
| Industries: | tourism; clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 358 million kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 166 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 317.3 million kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$178.3 million (2012 est.) -$220.4 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $209.6 million (2012 est.) $198.6 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avacados, mangoes, coconut oil |
| Exports - partners: | Colombia 21%, US 14.9%, Peru 8.5%, Antigua and Barbuda 8.1%, Dominica 7.9%, Barbados 7.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.6%, UK 5.6%, Grenada 5.4% (2011) |
| Imports: | $526.2 million (2012 est.) $545.9 million (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels |
| Imports - partners: | Brazil 78.8%, US 8.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.1% (2011) |
| Debt - external: | $471.4 million (31 December 2012 est.) $470.5 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Exchange rates: | East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2012 est.) 2.7 (2011 est.) 2.7 (2010 est.) 2.7 (2009) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 35,900 (2011) country comparison to the world: 171 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 216,500 (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 25 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 130 per 100 persons international: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) 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 (2010) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .lc |
| Internet hosts: | 100 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 142,900 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 2 (2012) country comparison to the world: 205 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2012) |
| Roadways: | total: 1,210 km (2002) |
| Ports and terminals: | Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Marine Unit) (2012) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 41,414 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 32,688 females age 16-49: 36,289 (2010 est.) |
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