Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia, often referred as Helen of the West Indies, is located at the juncture of the eastern Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The island nation is a part of Lesser Antilles, and is located north of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Castries is the capital of Saint Lucia.

HISTORY:- The earliest inhabitants of Saint Lucia were the Arawak Indians. The Arawak Indians were replaced by the Caribs around 800 AD. The first European colonial powers to explore the land were the Spanish and the British. But the Caribs resisted all the Dutch, English, and French efforts to establish outposts on Saint Lucia during the 17th century. In 1814, the island became a British territory. Headquartered in Barbados, the island was included into the British Windward Islands administration in 1838. The island joined the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1958, which collapsed in 1962. The United Kingdom and the six windward and leeward islands- Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, and St. LuciaIn established the associated statehood in 1967.  Home rule was granted to the island. Until 1979, Saint Lucia enjoyed autonomy only in internal affairs. In 1979, the island gained full independence.

GEOGRAPHY:- Saint Lucia is located at 13 53 N, 60 58 W in the Caribbean region. The island nation occupies total 616 sq km area on earth in which only 10 sq km is occupied by internal water sources. The coastline is 158 km long along with the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. The lowest point is Caribbean Sea (0 m) and the highest point is Mount Gimie (950 m). Saint Lucia is volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys around. Saint Lucia is comparatively more mountainous than the other islands of the region.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Saint Lucia is mostly tropical, moderated by the northeast trade winds. It has a dry season form January to April, and a rainy season from May to August.

GOVERNMENT:- Saint Lucia has a parliamentary democracy. The constitution was adopted on 22nd February 1979. The legal procedures are kept on according to the English common law. The three principal branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprise the queen Elizabeth II (chief of state), the Governor General, the Prime Minister (head of government), the deputy prime minister, and the cabinet. The governor general is appointed by the monarch and he represents the Queen in the island. The leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is normally appointed the prime minister by the governor general. The deputy prime minister is also appointed by the governor general. The cabinet ministers are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral Parliament, consists of the Senate (11 seats) and the House of Assembly (17 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the district courts; the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, comprising High Court and Court of Appeals; and the Privy Council in London.

United Workers Party, National Alliance, St. Lucia Labour Party, Saint Lucia Freedom Party, and Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini are the major political parties of Saint Lucia. Suffrage is universal at the age of 18.

Queen Elizabeth II
Governor-General Dame Pearlette Louisy
Prime Minister Stephenson King

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Saint Lucia is divided into 11 quarters:

Anse la Raye

Canaries

Castries

Choiseul

Dennery

Forest

Gros Islet

Laborie

Micoud

Soufrière

Vieux Fort.

CULTURE:-  The culture of the island is derived from African, French and English cultures. La Rose and La Marguerite are the most popular festivals of the island. Soca, zouk, kompa, and reggae are the popular music genres of Saint Lucia while Quadrille is the popular folk-dance.

ECONOMY:- Offshore banking and tourism are the main sources of foreign revenues of the island. Almost over 900,000 foreigners visited Saint Lucia in 2007.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $1.794 billion; per capita $10,700.

Real growth rate: 3.2%.

Inflation: 1.9%.

Unemployment: 20% (2003 est.).

Arable land: 6.45% (2005 est.).

Agriculture: Bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa.

Labor force: 43,800 (2001 est.); agriculture 21.7%, industry, commerce, and manufacturing 24.7%, services 53.6% (2002 est.).

Budget:  

Revenues: $141.2 million

Expenditures: $146.7 million (2000 est.)

Debt - external: $257 million (2004)

Industries: Clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing.

Natural resources: Forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential.

Exports: $288 million (2006 est.): bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil.

Imports: $791 million (2006 est.): food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels.

Major trading partners: UK, U.S., Brazil, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, Finland (2004).

Monetary unit: East Caribbean dollar

LANGUAGE:- English is the official language of Saint Lucia but French patois is also widely spoken.

CITIES:- The capital and largest city of Saint Lucia is Castries. Other major cities are Micoud, Gros-Islet, Vieux Fort, and Soufriere.

POPULATION:- The approximated population of Saint Lucia is 170,649 with an average growth rate of 1.3%.

Density per sq mi: 723

Literacy rate: 90% (2001 est.)

RACE:-

Black 82.5%

Mixed 11.9%

East Indian 2.4%

Other or unspecified 3.1% (2001_

RELIGION:-

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)

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 18.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 4.99 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 12.46 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.32 years

Total fertility rate: 2.11 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 397

UNICEF:- UNICEF in the nation is focusing on the child protection on the issues like adoption of children, the legal status of children, advocacy and juvenile justice. UNICEF is rigorously working to set back teenage mothers to school to complete their education. Awareness campaigns are organized to make the youth aware on the HIV as well as sample lessons are tested in pilot schools of the schools of St. Lucia. UNICEF also fights against child labour, and violence against children. The Eastern Caribbean region is free from Measles, polio and smallpox.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: 0 km.

Highways: total: 910 km; paved: 48 km; unpaved: 862 km (2000 est.).

Ports and harbors: Castries, Vieux Fort.

Airports: 2 (2007).