About Saint Lucia in detail

Flag of Saint Lucia	Map of Saint Lucia

With its fine natural harbor at Castries and burgeoning sugar industry, the island was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); It was finally ceded to the UK in 1814 and became part of the British Windward Islands colony. Even after abolishing slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. In the mid-20th century, Saint Lucia joined the West Indies Federation (1958-1962) and, in 1967, became one of the six members of the West Indies Associated States, with internal self-government. In 1979, Saint Lucia gained full independence.

Saint Lucia’s names conventional long form: none, conventional short form: Saint Lucia, etymology: named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint’s feast day. Named after Saint LUCY of Syracuse by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on 13 December 1502, the saint’s feast day.

Saint Lucia’s terrain is typically volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys. The country’s mean elevation: N/A, elevation extremes; lowest point: the Caribbean Sea 0 m, highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m.

The country’s general climate is tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds: dry season January to April, rainy season May to August.

The total number of border countries is 0; none are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. Saint Lucia’s coastline is 158 km. Its marital claims are territorial sea: 12 nautical miles, contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles, exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles, continental shelf: 200 nautical miles or the edge of the continental margin. Waterways: N/A. Land use: agricultural land: 17.4%; arable land 4.9%; permanent crops 11.5%; permanent pasture 1%; forest: 77%; other: 5.6% (2011 estimate).

The population in Saint Lucia 165,510 (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 18.5% of total population (2015), major urban area’s population: CASTRIES (capital) 22,000 (2014), while Saint Lucia has most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries. Their spoken languages are English (official language), French patois. Main religions in Saint Lucia are Roman Catholic 61.5%, Protestant 25.5% (includes Seventh-Day Adventist 10.4%, Pentecostal 8.9%, Baptist 2.2%, Anglican 1.6%, Church of God 1.5%, other Protestant 0.9%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Evangelical 2.3% and Jehovah’s Witness 1.1%), Rastafarian 1.9%, other 0.4%, none 5.9%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 estimate). The nation uses English common law. It is a(n) parliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy, a Commonwealth realm, National holiday(s) Independence Day, 22 February (1979).

Economic overview for the country: The island nation has attracted foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. Tourism is Saint Lucia’s main source of jobs and income – accounting for 65% of GDP – and the island’s main source of foreign exchange earnings. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area.

Crops such as bananas, mangos, and avocados continue to be grown for export, but St. Lucia’s once solid banana industry has been devastated by strong competition. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to various external shocks, including volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. Furthermore, high public debt – 77% of GDP in 2012 – and high debt servicing obligations constrain the CHASTANET administration’s ability to respond to adverse external shocks. St. Lucia has experienced anemic growth since the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, largely because of a slowdown in tourism – airlines cut back on their routes to St. Lucia in 2012. St. Lucia also introduced a value-added tax in 2012 of 15%, becoming the last country in the Eastern Caribbean to do so. In 2013, the government introduced a National Competitiveness and Productivity Council to address St. Lucia’s high public wages and lack of productivity.

Natural resources of Saint Lucia: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential.

The main export partners for Saint Lucia, Central America, and the Caribbean are the Dominican Republic 25.1%, US 15.9%, Suriname 9.1%, Antigua and Barbuda 7%, Dominica 6.8%, Trinidad and Tobago 6.3%, Barbados 6.1%, UK 4.8%, Grenada 4.6% (2015) for bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, avocados, mangoes, coconut oil (2010 estimate), while the main import partners for the country are: Brazil 34.9%, US 25.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.4%, Colombia 10.9% (2015) for food, manufactured goods, machinery, and transportation equipment, chemicals, fuels.

When you visit this country in Central America and the Caribbean, consider the natural hazards in Saint Lucia: Hurricanes, volcanic activity, while infectious diseases are noted: active local transmission of the Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes have been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016). Also, note that Saint Lucia faces the following environmental issues: Deforestation, Soil erosion, particularly in the northern region.

You may also be interested in the countries next to Saint Lucia around its 0 km border – No border countries.