Airports [time series]

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

Civil air [time series]

2 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

760 km total; 500 km paved; 260 km otherwise improved

Ports [time series]

Castries

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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)

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Royal St. Lucia Police Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

NA

Military manpower [time series]

NA

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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 [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $4 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $93 million

Budget [time series]

revenues $71.7 million; expenditures $79.3 million, including capital expenditures of $19.6 million (1987)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Electricity [time series]

20,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Exports [time series]

$76.8 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--bananas 67%, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil, clothing; partners--UK 55%, CARICOM 21%, US 18%, other 6%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$39.5 million (December 1987)

Fiscal Year [time series]

1 April-31 March

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$172 million, per capita $1,258; real growth rate 6.8% (1988 est.)

Imports [time series]

$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 (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 2.4% (1987)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

7.0% (1987)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

18.6% (1986)

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

158 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Contiguous zone [time series]

24 nm;

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity; deforestation; soil erosion

Extended economic zone [time series]

200 nm;

Land boundaries [time series]

none

Land use [time series]

8% arable land; 20% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 13% forest and woodland; 54% other; includes 2% irrigated

Natural resources [time series]

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

Note [time series]

located 700 km southeast of Puerto Rico

Terrain [time series]

volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

620 km2; land area: 610 km2

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

Castries

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

negligible

Constitution [time series]

22 February 1979

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS; Chancery at Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington DC 30037; telephone (202) 463-7378 or 7379; there is a St. Lucian Consulate General in New York; US--none

Executive branch [time series]

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet

Flag [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

22 February 1979 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court 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)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

none

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

ACP, CARICOM, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, NAM, OAS, OECS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

United Workers' Party (UWP), John Compton; St. Lucia Labor Party (SLP), Julian Hunte; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George Odlum

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 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

Government type (Type) [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Birth rate [time series]

33 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

90.3% African descent, 5.5% mixed, 3.2% East Indian, 0.8% Caucasian

Infant mortality rate [time series]

18 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

43,800; 43.4% agriculture, 38.9% services, 17.7% industry and commerce (1983 est.)

Languages (Language) [time series]

English (official), French patois

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

69 years male, 74 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

78%

Nationality [time series]

noun--St. Lucian(s); adjective--St. Lucian

Net migration rate [time series]

- 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

20% of labor force

Population [time series]

153,196 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

90% Roman Catholic, 7% Protestant, 3% Anglican

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.8 children born/woman (1990)

Saint Lucia