1994 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1994 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Administrative divisions
11 quarters; Anse La Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux Fort
Agriculture
accounts for 14% of GDP and 43% of labor force; crops - bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa; imports food for the tourist industry
Airports
total: 3 usable: 3 with permanent-surface runways: 3 with runways over 3,659 m: with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 1
Area
total area: 620 sq km land area: 610 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Birth rate
23.12 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Branches
Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Coast Guard
Budget
revenues: $121 million expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of $104 million (1992 est.)
Capital
Castries
Climate
tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August
Coastline
158 km
Constitution
22 February 1979
Currency
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Death rate
5.84 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures
$NA, NA% of GDP
Digraph
ST
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS chancery: Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 30037 telephone: (202) 463-7378 or 7379
Economic aid
recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $120 million
Electricity
capacity: 32,500 kW production: 112 million kWh consumption per capita: 740 kWh (1992)
Environment
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion natural hazards: subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling
Ethnic divisions
African descent 90.3%, mixed 5.5%, East Indian 3.2%, Caucasian 0.8%
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Executive branch
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988) head of government: Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982); Vice President George MALLET (since NA) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister
Exports
$122.8 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: bananas 60%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil partners: UK 56%, US 22%, CARICOM 19% (1991)
External debt
$96.4 million (1992 est.)
FAX
(202) 887-5746 consulate(s) general: New York
Flag
blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
Highways
total: 760 km paved: 500 km unpaved: otherwise improved 260 km
House of Assembly
elections last held 27 April 1992 (next to be held by April 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) UWP 11, SLP 6
Illicit drugs
transit country for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
Imports
$276 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 21%, food and live animals, chemicals, fuels partners: US 34%, CARICOM 17%, UK 14%, Japan 7%, Canada 4% (1991)
Independence
22 February 1979 (from UK)
Industrial production
growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.); accounts for 12% of GDP
Industries
clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing
Infant mortality rate
18.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.1% (1992)
International disputes
none
Irrigated land
10 sq km (1989 est.)
Judicial branch
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Labor force
43,800 by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 8% permanent crops: 20% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 13% other: 54%
Languages
English (official), French patois
Legal system
based on English common law
Legislative branch
bicameral Parliament
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 69.36 years male: 67.06 years female: 71.83 years (1994 est.)
Literacy
age 15 and over having ever attended school (1980) total population: 67% male: 65% female: 69%
Location
Caribbean, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about two-thirds of the way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Member of
ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Names
conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia
National holiday
Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
National product
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $433 million (1993 est.)
National product per capita
$3,000 (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate
6.6% (1992 est.)
Nationality
noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian
Natural resources
forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
Net migration rate
-12.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Overview
Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist sectors. Saint Lucia also possesses an expanding industrial base supported by foreign investment in manufacturing and other activities, such as data processing. The economy, however, remains vulnerable because the important agricultural sector is dominated by banana production, which is subject to periodic droughts and tropical storms. The economy exhibited relatively strong growth in 1992-93 based on a recovery of the agricultural and manufacturing sectors and continued growth in construction and tourism.
Political parties and leaders
United Workers' Party (UWP), John COMPTON; Saint Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian HUNTE; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George ODLUM
Population
145,090 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate
0.52% (1994 est.)
Ports
Castries, Vieux Fort
Religions
Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3%
Senate
consists of an 11-member body, 6 appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Telecommunications
fully automatic telephone system; 9,500 telephones; direct microwave link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; interisland troposcatter link to Barbados; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (cable)
Terrain
volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Total fertility rate
2.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Type
parliamentary democracy
Unemployment rate
NA%
US diplomatic representation
no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown (Barbados)