Saint Lucia

parliamentary democracyIndependence 22 February 1979 (from UK)

Saint Lucia as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 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 sq km

LocationCaribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad

Populationas each edition published it

156,050 people July 1995 est. · 153,196 in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.17% 1995 est. · 0.52% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 24.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

69.88 years 1995 est. · 69.26 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.37 children per woman 1995 est. · 3.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

20.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 18 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$4,200 1994 est. · $1,650 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

2% 1994 est. · 2.5% in 1993

Geography

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad | and Tobago

13 fields

Land useshare of 620 sq km

arable land 8%permanent crops 20%meadows and pastures 5%forest and woodland 13%other 54%irrigated 10 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

620sq km

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

Coastline

158km

land boundaries: 0 kmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginterritorial sea: 12 nm

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago

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

current issues:: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
natural hazards:: hurricanes and volcanic activity
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

People

15 fields

Population

156,050

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 1.17% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

22.48Death

6.1Net migration

-4.67

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years69.88

66.33 · 73.67

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy67%

65% · 69%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over has 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.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 35% (female 26,710; male 27,255)
15-64 years:: 60% (female 47,584; male 46,326)
65 years and over:: 5% (female 5,040; male 3,135) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

20.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Saint Lucian(s)
adjective:: Saint Lucian

Government

Parliamentary democracy; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988); Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982)

21 fields

Legislature, 17 seatsone dot, one seat

UWP 11SLP 6

Names

conventional long form:: none
conventional short form:: Saint Lucia

Digraph

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)

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 Sir Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988)
head of government:: Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982)
cabinet:: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament

Senate

consists of an 11-member body, 6 appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups

House of Assembly

elections 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

Judicial branch

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

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

Member of

ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (subscriber), NAM, OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS
chancery:: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone:: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795

FAX

[1] (202) 364-6728; consulate(s) 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

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$4,200

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.); accounts for 12% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

0.8%

(1993)

Unemployment rate

25%

(1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$121 millionExpenditures

$127 million (1992 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $104 million

Installed generating capacity, 20,000 kW

Electricity production

112 millionElectricity consumption per capita

693 (1993)

Overview

Though foreign investment in manufacturing and information processing in recent years has increased Saint Lucia's industrial base, the economy remains vulnerable due to its heavy dependence on banana production, which is subject to periodic droughts and tropical storms. Indeed, the destructive effect of Tropical Storm Debbie in mid-1994 caused the loss of 60% of the year's banana crop.

Increased competition from Latin American bananas will probably further reduce market prices, exacerbating Saint Lucia's need to diversify its economy in coming years, e.g., by expanding tourism, manufacturing, and construction

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $610 million (1994 est.)

Exports

$122.8 million (f.o.b., 1992)

commodities:: bananas 60%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
partners:: UK 56%, US 22%, CARICOM 19% (1991)

Imports

$276 million (f.o.b., 1992)

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% (1991)

accounts for 14% of GDP and 43% of labor force;
crops - bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa;
imports food for the tourist industry

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 3 in all

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

under 914 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

760Railroads

Highways: paved: 500 km · unpaved: otherwise improved 260 km

Highways

total:: 760 km
paved:: 500 km
unpaved:: otherwise improved 260 km

Ports

Castries, Vieux Fort

Merchant marine

none

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

9,500 telephones

local:: low density (6 telephones/100 persons) but the system is automatically switched
intercity:: no intercity traffic
international:: direct microwave link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; interisland troposcatter link to Barbados