Railroads:
58 km 0.760-meter gauge on Saint Kitts for sugarcane
Highways:
total:
300 km
paved:
125 km
unpaved:
otherwise improved 125 km; unimproved earth 50 km
Ports:
Basseterre (Saint Kitts), Charlestown (Nevis)
Airports:
total:
2
usable:
2
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
good interisland VHF/UHF/SHF radio connections and international link
via Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin; 2,400 telephones; broadcast
stations - 2 AM, no FM, 4 TV
@Saint Kitts and Nevis, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force, Coast Guard
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
@Saint Lucia, Geography
Location:
Caribbean, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about two-thirds of the way
between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
of the World
Area:
total area:
620 sq km
land area:
610 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
158 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
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:
arable land:
8%
permanent crops:
20%
meadows and pastures:
5%
forest and woodland:
13%
other:
54%
Irrigated land:
10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion
natural hazards:
subject to hurricanes and volcanic activity
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Whaling
@Saint Lucia, People
Population: 145,090 (July 1994 est.) Population growth rate: 0.52% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 23.12 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 5.84 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: -12.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 18.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.36 years male: 67.06 years female: 71.83 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian Ethnic divisions: African descent 90.3%, mixed 5.5%, East Indian 3.2%, Caucasian 0.8% Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3% Languages: English (official), French patois Literacy: age 15 and over having ever attended school (1980) total population: 67% male: 65% female: 69% Labor force: 43,800 by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)
@Saint Lucia, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Saint Lucia
Digraph:
ST
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)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
Constitution:
22 February 1979
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
General Sir Stanislaus Anthony JAMES (since 10 October 1988)
head of government:
Prime Minister John George Melvin COMPTON (since 3 May 1982); Vice
President George MALLET (since NA)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime
minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
Senate:
consists of an 11-member body, 6 appointed on the advice of the prime
minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after
consultation with religious, economic, and social groups
House of Assembly:
elections last held 27 April 1992 (next to be held by April 1997);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) UWP 11, SLP
6
Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
United Workers' Party (UWP), John COMPTON; Saint Lucia Labor Party
(SLP), Julian HUNTE; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), George ODLUM
Member of:
ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
user), INTERPOL, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OECS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel EDMUNDS
chancery:
Suite 309, 2100 M Street NW, Washington, DC 30037
telephone:
(202) 463-7378 or 7379
FAX:
(202) 887-5746
consulate(s) general:
New York
US diplomatic representation:
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