:Saint Lucia Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Castries
Administrative divisions:
11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet,
Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, 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 Acting Governor
General Sir 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; Saint 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 by 27 April 1992); results - percent
of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) UWP 10, SLP 7
Member of:
ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, 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 Saint
Lucian Consulate General in New York
US:
no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown (Barbados)
Flag:
blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges
of the arrowhead have a white border
:Saint Lucia Economy
Overview:
Since 1983 the economy has shown an impressive average annual growth rate of
almost 5% because of strong agricultural and tourist sectors. Saint Lucia
also possesses 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. Saint 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:
exchange rate conversion - $295 million, per capita $1,930; real growth rate
4.0% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.2% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
16.0% (1988)
Budget:
revenues $131 million; expenditures $149 million, including capital
expenditures of $71 million (FY90 est.)
Exports:
$127 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
bananas 54%, clothing 17%, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
partners:
UK 51%, CARICOM 20%, US 19%, other 10%
Imports:
$270 million (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
manufactured goods 23%, machinery and transportation equipment 27%, food and
live animals 18%, chemicals 10%, fuels 6%
partners:
US 35%, CARICOM 16%, UK 15%, Japan 7%, Canada 4%, other 23%
External debt:
$54.5 million (1989)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP
Electricity:
32,500 kW capacity; 112 million kWh produced, 732 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated boxes,
tourism, lime processing, coconut processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 16% of GDP and 43% of labor force; crops - bananas, coconuts,
vegetables, citrus fruit, root crops, cocoa; imports food for the tourist
industry
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$120 million
Currency:
East Caribbean dollar (plural - dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
:Saint Lucia Communications
Highways:
760 km total; 500 km paved; 260 km otherwise improved
Ports:
Castries
Civil air:
no 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 microwave link
with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; interisland
troposcatter link to Barbados; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (cable)
:Saint Lucia Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, Coast Guard
Manpower availability:
NA
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
:Saint Pierre and Miquelon Geography
Total area:
242 km2
Land area:
242 km2; includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon
groups
Comparative area:
slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
120 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France
Climate:
cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy
Terrain:
mostly barren rock
Natural resources:
fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land 13%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 4%; other 83%
Environment:
vegetation scanty
Note:
located 25 km south of Newfoundland, Canada, in the North Atlantic Ocean