# The World Factbook (1990)/St. Lucia

pages 267–268
​St. Lucia
See regional map III
Geography
Total area: 620 km²; land area: 610 km²
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 158 km
Maritime claims:
    Contiguous zone: 24 nm
    Extended economic zone: 200 nm
    Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August
Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Natural resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
Land use: 8% arable land; 20% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 13% forest and woodland; 54% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity; deforestation; soil erosion
Note: located 700 km southeast of Puerto Rico
People
Population: 153,196 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 33 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: -2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—St. Lucian(s); adjective—St. Lucian
Ethnic divisions: 90.3% African descent, 5.5% mixed, 3.2% East Indian, 0.8% Caucasian
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 7% Protestant, 3% Anglican
Language: English (official), French patois
Literacy: 78%
Labor force: 43,800; 43.4% agriculture, 38.9% services, 17.7% industry and commerce (1983 est.)
Organized labor: 20% of labor force
Government
Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Castries
Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufrière, Vieux-Fort
Independence: 22 February 1979 (from UK)
Constitution: 22 February 1979
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
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 Odlum
Suffrage: universal at age 18
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
Communists: negligible
Member of: 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
Diplomatic representation: 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
Flag: blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
Economy
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.
GDP: $172 million, per capita $1,258; real growth rate 6.8% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 18.6% (1986)
Budget: revenues $71.7 million; expenditures $79.3 million, including capital expenditures of $19.6 million (1987)
Exports: $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%
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%
External debt: $39.5 million (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.4% (1987)
Electricity: 20,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 530 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing
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), $93 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
​Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal Year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Highways: 760 km total; 500 km paved; 260 km otherwise improved
Ports: Castries
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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
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
Branches: Royal St. Lucia Police Force
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA