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.

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

13 53 N, 60 58 W

Central America and the Caribbean

3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

158 km

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August

volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

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

30 sq km (2003)

hurricanes; volcanic activity

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

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

160,267 (July 2009 est.)

0.416% (2009 est.)

15.1 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

6.8 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

-4.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

1.84 children born/woman (2009 est.)

NA

NA

NA

black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or unspecified 3.1% (2001 census)

Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Rastafarian 2.1%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census)

English (official), French patois

6.6% of GDP (2006)

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

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

22 February 1979 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

22 February 1979

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

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 are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

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)

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]

NA

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

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

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. The tourism sector is likely to face declining revenues with the global economic downturn as US and European travel declines. 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 70% 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.

$1.801 billion (2008 est.)

$1.761 billion (2007)

$1.732 billion (2006)

$1.031 billion (2008 est.)

2.3% (2008 est.)

1.7% (2007 est.)

4.9% (2006 est.)

$11,300 (2008 est.)

$11,100 (2007 est.)

$11,000 (2006 est.)

43,800 (2001 est.)

20% (2003 est.)

NA%

1.9% (2007 est.)

6.5% (31 December 2008)

6.5% (31 December 2007)

NA% (31 December 2008)

8.34% (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$264.7 million (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$720.9 million (31 December 2007)

$NA (31 December 2008)

$1.217 billion (31 December 2007)

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

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

NA

325 million kWh (2007 est.)

289.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

0 kWh (2007 est.)

0 kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

2,780 bbl/day (2006 est.)

0 bbl/day (2005)

2,631 bbl/day (2005)

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$-199 million (2007 est.)

$288 million (2006)

bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

US 24.5%, France 23.2%, UK 19.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 5%, Dominica 4.9%, Barbados 4.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.1% (2007)

$791 million (2006)

food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels

Brazil 63.6%, US 10.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 8.2% (2007)

$257 million (2004)

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

51,100 (2002)

105,700 (2005)

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)

2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community antenna television or CATV channel) (2003)

.lc

17 (2008)

110,000 (2007)

2 (2008)

Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit and Coast Guard) (2007)

NA

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

transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe