Saint Lucia KEY FACTS Main towns: Castries (capital, pop. 67,700 in 2010, including Bexon, Babonneau, Joined Commonwealth: 1979 Ciceron and La Clery), Dennery (3,700), Population: 182,000 (2013) Laborie (3,500), Monchy (3,100), Vieux Fort GDP p.c. growth: 1.1% p.a. 1990–2013 (3,000), Grande Rivière (2,700), Augier (2,500), Micoud (2,200), Soufrière (1,500) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 97 and Anse La Raye (1,400). Official language: English Transport: There are 1,210 km of roads, Time: GMT minus 4 hrs mainly unpaved. The main cross-island route Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$) runs from Castries in the north to Vieux Fort in the south. Geography The main ports are Castries and Vieux Fort. A fast catamaran service operates between Area: 616 sq km Saint Lucia, Martinique and Dominica. Several Coastline: 158 km cruise lines call at the island. Capital: Castries Hewanorra International Airport lies 57 km Saint Lucia is part of the Windward Islands south of Castries and George F. L. Charles, 3 Education: Public spending on education group, which form an arc jutting out from km to the north-east. was four per cent of GDP in 2012. There are the Eastern Caribbean into the Atlantic. It lies ten years of compulsory education starting at south of Dominica and north of Barbados. Society the age of five. Primary school comprises Topography: Saint Lucia is a pear-shaped KEY FACTS 2013 seven years and secondary five, with cycles of mountainous island of volcanic origin, 43-km Population per sq km: 295 three and two years. Some 92 per cent of long. In the centre of the island, Mount pupils complete primary school (2010). The Life expectancy: 75 years Gimie rises to 950 metres, while Gros Piton school year starts in September. (798 metres) and Petit Piton (750 metres) lie Net primary enrolment: 82% The Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, at to the west, rising sheer out of the sea. Population: 182,000 (2013); 18 per cent of Castries, offers a diverse range of courses – Sulphurous springs, steam and gases bubble people live in urban areas; growth 1.2 per including associate degree, diploma and out of a volcanic crater a few kilometres from cent p.a. 1990–2013; birth rate 15 per 1,000 certificate courses – and 89 per cent of its Petit Piton. The mountains are intersected by people (41 in 1970); life expectancy 75 years students are female (2011). Saint Lucia short rivers, debouching in places into broad (64 in 1970). shares in the regional University of the West fertile valleys. Saint Lucia’s population is mostly of mixed Indies, which has its main campuses in Climate: The hot tropical climate is African and European descent. Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and moderated all year round by the north-east Tobago. The female–male ratio for gross Language: English is the official language; a trade winds. The dry season is January–April, enrolment in tertiary education is 1.70:1 French-based Creole is widely spoken. the rainy season May–November. (2011). Religion: Mainly Christians (Roman Catholics Environment: The most significant Media: There are no daily newspapers in 62 per cent, Seventh Day Adventists ten per environmental issues are deforestation and soil Saint Lucia. The main newspapers are The cent, Pentecostals nine per cent, Anglicans erosion, particularly in the north of the island. Star and The Voice (both three times weekly); two per cent); Rastafarians two per cent and The Crusader , The Mirror and The Vegetation: With its economy traditionally (2010 census). based on agriculture, about 30 per cent of Vanguard (all weekly). Health: Public spending on health was five the land area is under cultivation. Elsewhere Saint Lucia’s broadcast media are mostly per cent of GDP in 2012. The Victoria there is rainforest with exotic and varied Hospital and the new Tapion Hospital provide privately owned. Only the radio network, plant-life, many with brilliant flowers. Forest a range of medical treatment, and the Radio Saint Lucia, is state-owned. covers 77 per cent of the land area. Golden Hope Hospital caters for psychiatric Some 86 per cent of households have TV sets Wildlife: This small island has rich birdlife cases. There are cottage hospitals at Vieux (2010). including several unique species, for example Fort, Dennery and Soufrière, and more than Communications: Country code 1 758; the Saint Lucia oriole and the Saint Lucia 20 health centres. Nurses are trained in the internet domain ‘.lc’. Phonecard telephone black finch. The Saint Lucia parrot was the nursing department of the Community booths, internet cafes and post offices are subject of a successful conservation College. Some 94 per cent of the population located throughout the island. programme established in 1978 which raised uses an improved drinking water source and the population from some 150 birds to over 65 per cent have access to adequate For every 1,000 people there are 184 400. Native reptiles include the Saint Lucia sanitation facilities (2012). Infant mortality landlines, 1,163 mobile phone subscriptions tree lizard and the pygmy lizard. was 13 per 1,000 live births in 2013. and 352 internet users (2013). The CommonweaLTh Yearbook 2015 Saint Lucia Public holidays: New Year (two days), 1814, with the flag of Saint Lucia changing Real growth in GDP Independence Day (22 February), Labour Day 14 times in that period. % (1 May), Carnival (two days in July), 1.5 After unsuccessful early attempts by the Emancipation Day (early August), 1.0 Spanish to take control, possession of the Thanksgiving Day (early October), Saint Lucia 0.5 island was disputed, often bloodily, by the Day (13 December), Christmas Day and French and British. A small English group Boxing Day. 0.0 made a failed attempt to settle in 1605; g Religious and other festivals whose dates vary -0.5 another English colony, started in 1638, was from year to year include Good Friday, Easter annihilated b y the Caribs three years later. -1.0 Monday, Whit Monday and Corpus Christi. The Caribs resisted French settlement with -1.5 equal vigour, until a peace treaty (1660) with -2.0 them permitted settlement, and ensured the Economy 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 KEY FACTS 2013 safety of some French settlers from Martinique who had arrived during the GNI: US$1.3bn Inflation preceding decade. The British made further GNI p.c.: US$7,090 % 5 attempts to gain control, and the island GDP growth: -0.2% p.a. 2009–13 4 changed hands again and again, and was a focus for Anglo-French hostilities during the Inflation: 2.0% p.a. 2009–13 3 Napoleonic Wars. The British ultimately took Although Saint Lucia’s per capita income is 2 possession under the Treaty of Paris in 1814, relatively high among developing countries, it and Saint Lucia became a Crown colony. 1 has been disadvantaged by its economic A prosperous plantation economy developed; dependence on bananas and by its small size, 0 it was based on sugar, and worked by small population, limited physical and human -1 enslaved Africans until Britain abolished resources, and the frequency of hurricanes. -2 slavery in 1834. It has nevertheless successfully exploited 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 The island was a member of the Windward opportunities in tourism and small-scale Islands Federation until 1959. In 1959, Saint industry, benefiting from trade preferences GDP by sector (2013) Lucia joined the West Indies Federation, from the EU and USA, and creating a more under which it was proposed that the British diverse economy, with well developed Agriculture Caribbean countries should proceed to manufacturing, and has substantially reduced 3.0% independence as a federation. Disagreements its dependence on bananas, the production among the larger members led to dissolution and export prices of which have declined Industry 14.1% of the federation in 1962, and the larger sharply. It has also encouraged development members proceeded alone to independence. of an offshore financial services sector and a Services framework of sound regulation has been 82.9% In 1967, Saint Lucia received a new established. constitution, giving full internal self- government under universal franchise, as one After steady growth in the late 1990s, the economy to stall in 2009 and then to of the states of the Federated States of the economy stalled in 2000, and was in contract during 2009–14. Antilles. In February 1979, it became recession during 2000–02, shrinking by more independent, as a constitutional monarchy than four per cent in 2001, due to the History and member of the Commonwealth, with downturn in the USA and consequent fall in John Compton of the United Workers Party tourism and weakening of international Saint Lucia, named after St Lucy, has been (UWP) as its first Prime Minister. markets for manufactures and bananas. In much fought over. The Caribs ousted earlier 2003 tourism recovered strongly, with more Arawak settlers by around 800 CE, with the The Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) won the air services to the island and construction of a first Europeans arriving in the 16th century, election in 1979 and adopted a policy of new resort. Tourism income was then hit in but historical sources vary as to which close collaboration with Grenada, which had 2007 by the impact of Hurricane Dean in explorers landed on the island first. What is recently undergone a revolution led by August – GDP growth moderating that year more certain is that European powers Maurice Bishop, and was aligned with Cuba to 1.5 per cent – and again in 2008–09 by wrestled with the Caribs, and one another, and North Korea.