CIA World Fact Book, 2004/Saint Lucia


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!| Background:
 * 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. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.
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!| Location: !| Geographic coordinates: !| Map references: !| Area: water: 10 sq km land: 606 sq km !| Area - comparative: !| Land boundaries: !| Coastline: !| Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm !| Climate: !| Terrain: !| Elevation extremes: highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m !| Natural resources: !| Land use: permanent crops: 22.95% other: 70.49% (2001) !| Irrigated land: !| Natural hazards: !| Environment - current issues: !| Environment - international agreements: signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements !| Geography - note:
 * Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
 * 13 53 N, 60 68 W
 * Central America and the Caribbean
 * total: 616 sq km
 * 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
 * 0 km
 * 158 km
 * territorial sea: 12 nm
 * tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August
 * volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
 * lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
 * forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
 * arable land: 6.56%
 * 30 sq km (1998 est.)
 * hurricanes and volcanic activity
 * deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
 * 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, Whaling
 * 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
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!| Population: !| Age structure: 15-64 years: 64.1% (male 51,750; female 53,530) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,159; female 5,394) (2004 est.) !| Median age: male: 23.7 years female: 25.3 years (2004 est.) !| Population growth rate: !| Birth rate: !| Death rate: !| Net migration rate: !| Sex ratio: under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) !| Infant mortality rate: female: 12.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 15.09 deaths/1,000 live births !| Life expectancy at birth: male: 69.78 years female: 77.16 years (2004 est.) !| Total fertility rate: !| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: !| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: !| HIV/AIDS - deaths: !| Nationality: adjective: Saint Lucian !| Ethnic groups: !| Religions: !| Languages: !| Literacy: total population: 67% male: 65% female: 69% (1980 est.)
 * 164,213 (July 2004 est.)
 * 0-14 years: 30.7% (male 25,913; female 24,467)
 * total: 24.5 years
 * 1.27% (2004 est.)
 * 20.5 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * 5.18 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * -2.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
 * at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
 * total: 13.95 deaths/1,000 live births
 * total population: 73.34 years
 * 2.25 children born/woman (2004 est.)
 * NA
 * NA
 * NA
 * noun: Saint Lucian(s)
 * black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%
 * Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 3%, other Protestant 7%
 * English (official), French patois
 * definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
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!| Country name: conventional short form: Saint Lucia !| Government type: !| Capital: !| Administrative divisions: !| Independence: !| National holiday: !| Constitution: !| Legal system: !| Suffrage: !| Executive branch: elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth Davis ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997) !| Legislative branch: election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by party - SLP 14, UWP 3 elections: House of Assembly - last held 3 December 2001 (next to be held in December 2006) !| Judicial branch: !| Political parties and leaders: !| Political pressure groups and leaders: !| International organization participation: !| Diplomatic representation in the US: 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 and New York !| Diplomatic representation from the US: !| Flag description:
 * conventional long form: none
 * Westminster-style parliamentary democracy
 * Castries
 * 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
 * 22 February 1979 (from UK)
 * Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
 * 22 February 1979
 * based on English common law
 * 18 years of age; universal
 * chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
 * 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 from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
 * Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
 * 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 [Dr. Morella JOSEPH]
 * NA
 * ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
 * chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY
 * the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, 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
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!| Economy - overview: !| GDP: !| GDP - real growth rate: !| GDP - per capita: !| GDP - composition by sector: industry: 20% services: 73% (2002 est.) !| Population below poverty line: !| Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%: NA !| Inflation rate (consumer prices): !| Labor force: !| Labor force - by occupation: !| Unemployment rate: !| Budget: expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.) !| Agriculture - products: !| Industries: !| Industrial production growth rate: !| Electricity - production: !| Electricity - consumption: !| Electricity - exports: !| Electricity - imports: !| Oil - production: !| Oil - consumption: !| Oil - exports: !| Oil - imports: !| Exports: !| Exports - commodities: !| Exports - partners: !| Imports: !| Imports - commodities: !| Imports - partners: !| Debt - external: !| Economic aid - recipient: !| Currency: !| Currency code: !| Exchange rates: !| Fiscal year:
 * Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid.
 * purchasing power parity - $866 million (2002 est.)
 * 3.3% (2002 est.)
 * purchasing power parity - $5,400 (2002 est.)
 * agriculture: 7%
 * NA
 * lowest 10%: NA
 * 3% (2001 est.)
 * 43,800 (2001 est.)
 * agriculture 21.7%, industry, commerce, and manufacturing 24.7%, services 53.6% (2002 est.)
 * 16.5% (1997 est.)
 * revenues: $141.2 million
 * bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa
 * clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing
 * -8.9% (1997 est.)
 * 120.2 million kWh (2001)
 * 111.8 million kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 kWh (2001)
 * 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * 2,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 * NA (2001)
 * NA (2001)
 * $66 million (2002 est.)
 * bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
 * UK 48%, US 24%, Antigua and Barbuda 6%, Dominica 6%, Grenada 4% (2003)
 * $267 million (2002 est.)
 * food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels
 * US 36.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.6%, UK 7.4%, Venezuela 6.8% (2003)
 * $214 million (2000)
 * $51.8 million (1995)
 * East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
 * XCD
 * East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999)
 * 1 April - 31 March
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!| Telephones - main lines in use: !| Telephones - mobile cellular: !| Telephone system: domestic: system is automatically switched international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique !| Radio broadcast stations: !| Radios: !| Television broadcast stations: !| Televisions: !| Internet country code: !| Internet hosts: !| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): !| Internet users:
 * 51,100 (2002)
 * 14,300 (2002)
 * general assessment: adequate system
 * AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)
 * 111,000 (1997)
 * 2 (of which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004)
 * 32,000 (1997)
 * .lc
 * 41 (2003)
 * 15 (2000)
 * 13,000 (2002)
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!| Highways: paved: 63 km unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.) !| Ports and harbors: !| Merchant marine: !| Airports: !| Airports - with paved runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
 * total: 1,210 km
 * Castries, Vieux Fort
 * none
 * 2 (2003 est.)
 * total: 2
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!| Military branches: !| Military expenditures - dollar figure: !| Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
 * Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (including Special Service Unit, Coast Guard)
 * NA
 * NA
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