Saint Lucia

parliamentary democracyIndependence 22 February 1979 (from UK)

Saint Lucia as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 72 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
Locationin the eastern Caribbean Sea, about two-thirds of the way between Puerto
1993

Every edition of Saint Lucia

Populationas each edition published it
144,337 people July 1993 est. · 153,196 in 1990
Population growth% a year
0.52% 1993 est. · 0.25% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 24.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
69.26 years 1993 est. · 79.4 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.62 children per woman 1993 est. · 3.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
18.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 18 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,650 1991 est. · $24,300 in 2025
GDP real growth% a year
2.5% 1991 est. · 3.9% in 2025

Geography

In the eastern Caribbean Sea, about two-thirds of the way between Puerto | Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

13 fields

Land useshare of 620 km2

arable land 8%permanent crops 20%meadows and pastures 5%forest and woodland 13%other 54%irrigated 10 km2 (1989 est.)
Area
620km2
land area: 610 km2comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Coastline
158km
land boundaries: 0 kmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Location

in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about two-thirds of the way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

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
144,337
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 0.52% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
23.97Death
5.91Net migration
-12.87

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years69.26
66.98 · 71.69
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy67%
65% · 69%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over having ever attended school (1980)

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

Roman Catholic 90%Protestant 7%Anglican 3%
Labor force
43,800
by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)

Infant mortality rate

18.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.62 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Saint Lucian(s)
adjective:
Saint Lucian

Languages

English (official), French patois

Government

Parliamentary democracy

20 fields

Names

conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Saint Lucia

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)

Constitution

22 February 1979

National holiday

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Political parties and leaders

  • United Workers' Party (UWP), John COMPTON;
  • Saint Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian HUNTE;
  • Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George ODLUM

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

House of Assembly:
  • 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

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

Leaders

Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Acting Governor General Sir Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982)

Member of

ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS
chancery:
Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 30037
telephone:
(202) 463-7378 or 7379
consulate 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

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

17 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,650
(1991 est.)
Real growth rate
2.5%
(1991 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.); accounts for 12% of GDP

Budget

Revenues
$131 millionExpenditures
$149 million
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $71 million (FY90 est.)

Overview

Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist sectors. Saint Lucia also possesses 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, which is subject to periodic droughts and/or tropical storms.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $250 million (1991 est.)

Exports

$105 million (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:
bananas 58%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
partners:
UK 56%, US 22%,CARICOM 19%

Imports

$267 million (f.o.b., 1991)

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%

External debt

$65.7 million (1991 est.)

Electricity

32,500 kW capacity; 112 million kWh produced, 740 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for 12% of GDP and 43% of labor force;
  • crops - bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa;
  • imports food for the tourist industry

Economic aid

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)

Communications

4 fields

Highways

  • 760 km total;
  • 500 km paved;
  • 260 km otherwise improved

Ports

Castries, Vieux Fort

Airports

total:
2
usable:
2
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439:
1

Telecommunications

  • fully automatic telephone system;
  • 9,500 telephones;
  • direct microwave link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;
  • interisland troposcatter link to Barbados;
  • broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (cable)

Defense Forces

Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Coast Guard

4 fields

Branches

Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Coast Guard

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

Affiliation

(territorial collectivity of France)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Saint Lucia.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/saint-lucia/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →