Saint Lucia

hurricanes volcanism:

• Mount Gimie (948 m), also known as Qualibou, is a caldera on the west of the island;
• the iconic twin pyramidal peaks of Gros Piton (771 m) and Petit Piton (743 m) are lava dome remnants associated with the Soufriere volcano;
• there have been no historical magmatic eruptions, but a minor steam eruption in 1766 spread a thin layer of ash over a wide area;
• Saint Lucia is part of the volcanic island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

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

noun:

Saint Lucian(s)

adjective:

Saint Lucian

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.83 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Saint Lucia

etymology:

• named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint's feast day;
• Saint Lucia is the only country named specifically after a woman

note: pronounced saynt-looshya

name:

Castries

geographic coordinates:

14 00 N, 61 00 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

in 1785, the village of Carenage was renamed Castries, after Charles Eugene Gabriel de La Croix de Castries (1727-1801), who was then the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies

history:

previous 1958, 1960 (preindependence); latest presented 20 December 1978, effective 22 February 1979

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Assembly membership in the final reading and assent of the governor general;
• passage of amendments to various constitutional sections, such as those on fundamental rights and freedoms, government finances, the judiciary, and procedures for amending the constitution, require at least three-quarters majority vote by the House and assent of the governor general;
• passage of amendments approved by the House but rejected by the Senate require a majority of votes cast in a referendum

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Saint Lucia

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

8 years

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Neville CENAC (since 12 January 2018)

head of government:

Prime Minister Allen CHASTANET (since 7 June 2016)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor general appointed by the monarch;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by governor general;
• deputy prime minister appointed by governor general

highest courts:

• the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States;
• the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges;
• the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts;
• High Court judges reside in the member states with 4 on Saint Lucia;
• Saint Lucia is a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II;
• other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an independent body of judicial officials;
• Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65;
• High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62

subordinate courts:

magistrate's court

• Lucian People's Movement or LPM [Therold PRUDENT]
• Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Philip J. PIERRE]
• United Workers Party or UWP [Allen CHASTANET]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Anton Edsel EDMUNDS (since 8 September 2017)

chancery:

1628 K Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006

telephone:

[1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795

FAX:

[1] (202) 364-6723

consulate(s) general:

New York

• cerulean 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

name:

Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia

lyrics/music:

Charles JESSE/Leton Felix THOMAS

note: adopted 1967

agriculture:

21.7%

industry:

24.7%

services:

53.6% (2002 est.)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

• 3 privately owned TV stations;
• 1 public TV station operating on a cable network;
• multi-channel cable TV service available;
• a mix of state-owned and privately owned broadcasters operate nearly 25 radio stations including repeater transmission stations

total:

1,210 km (2011)

paved:

847 km (2011)

unpaved:

363 km (2011)