1989 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1989 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Climate
tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August
Coastline
1 58 km
Comparative area
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Contiguous zone
24 nm
Environment
subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity; deforestation; soil erosion
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (ECS) per US$1— 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Extended economic zone
200 nm
Fiscal Year
1 April-31 March
Land boundaries
none
Land use
8% arable land; 20% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 1 3% forest and woodland; 54% other; includes 2% irrigated
Natural resources
forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
Note
located 700 km southeast of Puerto Rico
Terrain
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Territorial sea
12 nm
Total area
620 km2; land area: 610 km2
Total area
f rrcionil map 111
People and Society
Birth rate
33 births/ 1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
5 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
90.3% African descent, 5.5% mixed, 3.2% East Indian, 0.8% Caucasian
Infant mortality rate
18 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
43,800; 43.4% agriculture, 38.9% services, 17.7% industry and commerce (1983 est.)
Language
English (official), French patois
Life expectancy at birth
69 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Literacy
78%
Nationality
noun — St. Lucian(s); adjective— St. Lucian
Net migration rate
—2 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
20% of labor force
Population
153, 196 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Religion
90% Roman Catholic, 7% Protestant, 3% Anglican
Total fertility rate
3.8 children born/ woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
1 1 parishes; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
Capital
Castries
Communists
negligible
Constitution
22 February 1979
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS; Chancery at Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington DC 30037; telephone (202) 4637378 or 7379; there is a St. Lucian Consulate General in New York; US — none
Elections
House of Assembly — last held 6 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (17 total) UWP 10, SLP 7
Executive branch
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Flag
blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
Independence
22 February 1979 (from UK)
Judicial branch
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders
Chief of State— Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988); Head of Government — Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982) Political parties and leaders: United Workers' Party (UWP), John Compton; St. Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian Hunte; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George Odium
Legal system
based on English common law
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
Long-form name
none
Member of
ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, NAM, OAS, OECS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
National holiday
Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
parliamentary democracy
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 15% of GDP and 43% of labor force; crops — bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa; imports food for the tourist industry
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $4 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $93 million
Budget
revenues $71.7 million; expenditures $79.3 million, including capital expenditures of $19.6 million (1987)
Currency
East Caribbean dollar (plural — dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Electricity
20,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)
Exports
$76.8 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities— bananas 67%, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil, clothing; partners— UK 55%, CARICOM 21%, US 1 8%, other 6%
External debt
$39.5 million (December 1987)
GDP
$172 million, per capita $1,258; real growth rate 6.8% (1988 est.)
Imports
$178.1 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities— manufactured goods 22%, machinery and transportation equipment 21%, food and live animals 20%, mineral fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, petroleum products; partners—US 33%, UK 16%, CARICOM 14.8%, Japan 6.5%, other 29.7%
Industrial production
growth rate 2.4% (1987)
Industries
clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
7.0% (1987)
Overview
Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist industry sectors. There is also an expanding industrial base supported by foreign investment in manufacturing and other activities, such as in data processing. The economy, however, remains vulnerable because the important agricultural sector is dominated by banana production. St. Lucia is subject to periodic droughts and/or tropical storms, and its protected market agreement with the UK for bananas may end in 1992.
Unemployment rate
18.6% (1986)
Communications
Airports
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439
Branches
Royal St. Lucia Police Force
Civil air
2 major transport aircraft
Defense expenditures
NA
Highways
760 km total; 500 km paved; 260 km otherwise improved
Military manpower
NA
Ports
Castries
Telecommunications
fully automatic telephone system; 9,500 telephones; direct radio relay link with Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines; interisland troposcatter link to Barbados; stations — 4 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (cable) Defense Forces