Saint Lucia
parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realmIndependence 22 February 1979 (from the UK)
Saint Lucia as the 2010 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
19 fieldsLand useshare of 616 sq km
Location
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Climate
tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August
Environment - international 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
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
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2010 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2001 census)
Religions(2001 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.055 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 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 (2010 est.)
Government
Parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Prime Minister Stephenson KING (since 9 September 2007)
19 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
House of Assembly, 17 seats, elected 11 December 2006one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Capital
- name:
- Castries
- geographic coordinates:
- 14 01 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
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 Stephenson KING (since 9 September 2007); note - Sir John COMPTON died in office 7 September 2007
- cabinet:
- Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld 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 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)
- election results:
- House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 50%, SLP 46.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 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
- 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 [Stephenson KING]
International organization participation
ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, PetroCaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Michael LOUIS
- chancery:
- 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 364-6723
- consulate(s) general:
- Miami, 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
Flag description
- blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead;
- the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border;
- the blue color represents the sky and sea, gold stands for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black the racial composition of the island (with the latter being dominant);
- the two major triangles invoke the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island
National anthem
- name:
- "Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia"
- lyrics/music:
- Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS
note: adopted 1967
Economy
43 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Although crops such as bananas, mangos, and avocados continue to be grown for export, tourism provides Saint Lucia's main source of income and the industry is the island's biggest employer.
Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, although tourism sector revenues declined with the global economic downturn as US and European travel dropped in 2009. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry, although recent hurricanes have caused exports to contract.
Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. The public debt-to-GDP ratio is about 77% and high debt servicing obligations constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be reduced.
Central bank discount rate
6.5% (31 December 2009) · 6.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 63
Commercial bank prime lending rate
10.58% (31 December 2009 est.) · 10.08% (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Stock of narrow money
$244.3 million (31 December 2009) · $245 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 169
Stock of broad money
$1.094 billion (31 December 2009) · $1.061 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 160
Stock of domestic credit
$1.378 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $1.217 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Industries
clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing
Imports - commodities
food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
Communications
7 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- adequate system
- domestic:
- system is automatically switched
- 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
Broadcast media
- 3 privately-owned television stations;
- 1 public television station operating on a cable network;
- multi-channel cable TV service is obtainable;
- a mix of state-owned and privately-owned broadcasters operate nearly 25 radio stations including repeater transmission stations (2007)
Transportation
4 fieldsMilitary
No regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit and Coast Guard) (2010)
5 fieldsMilitary branches
no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit and Coast Guard) (2010)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Saint Lucia.” The World Factbook 2010. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/saint-lucia/2010.