Saint Lucia

parliamentary democracyIndependence 22 February 1979 (from UK)

Saint Lucia as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 68 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalCastries

Area620 km2

Populationas each edition published it

153,196 people July 1990 · 168,462 in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.52% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 24.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 69.26 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.8 children per woman 1990 · 1.71 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

18 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 11.3 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,650 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.5% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Land useshare of 620 km2

arable land 8%permanent crops 20%meadows and pastures 5%forest and woodland 13%other 54%includes 2% irrigated

Total area

620km2

land area: 610 km2Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

158km

land boundaries: noneTerritorial 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

Natural resources

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

Environment

subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity;
deforestation;
soil erosion

People

14 fields

Population

153,196

(July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

33Death

Ethnic divisions

African descent 90.3%mixed 5.5%East Indian 3.2%Caucasian 0.8%

Literacy

78%

Nationality

noun--St. Lucian(s); adjective--St. Lucian

Religion

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

Labor force

43,800; 43.4% agriculture, 38.9% services, 17.7% industry and commerce (1983 est.)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

17 fields

House of Assembly, 17 seats, elected 6 April 1987one dot, one seat

UWP 10SLP 7

Administrative divisions

11 parishes; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988);
Head of Government--Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982)

Political parties and leaders

United Workers' Party (UWP), John Compton;
St. Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian Hunte;
Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George Odlum

Suffrage

universal at age 18 House of Assembly--last held 6 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(17 total) UWP 10, SLP 7

Member of

ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, NAM, OAS, OECS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS;
Chancery at Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington DC 30037;
telephone (202) 463-7378 or 7379;
there is a St. Lucian Consulate General in New York;
US--none

Flag

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

Economy

Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist industry sectors.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$172million

per capita $1,258; real growth rate 6.8% (1988 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

7.0%

(1987)

Unemployment rate

18.6%

(1986)

External debt

$39.5million

(December 1987)

Imports $178.1 million (c.i.f., 1987)commodities, where a share is given

manufactured goods

22%machinery and transportation equipment

21%food and live animals

20%

also mineral fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, petroleum products; partners--US 33%, UK 16%, CARICOM 14.8%, Japan 6.5%, other 29.7%

Budget

Revenues

$71.7 millionExpenditures

$79.3 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $19.6 million (1987)

Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist industry sectors. There is also an expanding industrial base supported by foreign investment in manufacturing and other activities, such as in data processing.

The economy, however, remains vulnerable because the important agricultural sector is dominated by banana production. St. Lucia is subject to periodic droughts and/or tropical storms, and its protected market agreement with the UK for bananas may end in 1992.