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Saint Lucia Country Guide
Explore Saint Lucia in North America
Saint Lucia with the capital city Castries is located in North America (Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean). It covers some 616 square kilometres (three and a half times the size of Washington, DC) with 172,000 citizens.
The landscape offers volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys. The average density of population is approximately 279 per km². The notable climate conditions in Saint Lucia can be described as tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds with dry season January to April, rainy season May to August. Potential threats by nature are hurricanes or volcanic activity.
To reach someone in Saint Lucia dial +1-758 prior to a number. There are 41,000 installed telephones. And there are 176,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".lc". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 240V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Saint Lucia
Blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border; the blue color represents the sky and sea, gold stands for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black the racial composition of the island (with the latter being dominant); the two major triangles invoke the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island.
The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, 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. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: North America Neighbours: Capital: Castries |
| Size | 616 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 237 square miles (mi² or sqmi) three and a half times the size of Washington, DC |
| Population | 172,000 |
| Currency | Name Dollar, Currency Code:XCD |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .lc |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +1-758 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 176,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 41,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 616 (sq km) | 193 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 162,781 | 186 |
| Population growth rate | 0.36 (%) | 159 |
| Birth rate | 14.19 (births/1,000 population) | 138 |
| Death rate | 7.21 (deaths/1,000 population) | 124 |
| Net migration rate | -3.34 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 180 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 35.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 118 |
| Infant mortality rate | 12.07 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 130 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.22 (years) | 69 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.78 (children born/woman) | 158 |
| Health expenditures | 8.70 (% of GDP) | 49 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 21.40 (%) | 87 |
| Education expenditures | 4.40 (% of GDP) | 96 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 40.80 (%) | 11 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 2,233,000,000 | 190 |
| GDP - real growth rate | -0.40 (%) | 190 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 13,300 | 99 |
| Labor force | 79,700 | 184 |
| Unemployment rate | 20.00 (%) | 160 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 15.20 (% of GDP) | 191 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -3.00 (% of GDP) | 112 |
| Public debt | 77.00 (% of GDP) | 30 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.40 (%) | 122 |
| Central bank discount rate | 6.50 (%) | 48 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 10.20 (%) | 88 |
| Stock of narrow money | 271,200,000 | 175 |
| Stock of broad money | 1,149,000,000 | 166 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 1,469,000,000 | 145 |
| Current account balance | -178,300,000 | 74 |
| Exports | 209,600,000 | 183 |
| Imports | 526,200,000 | 190 |
| Debt - external | 471,400,000 | 172 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 358,000,000 (kWh) | 166 |
| Electricity - consumption | 317,300,000 (kWh) | 172 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 76,000 (kW) | 174 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 100.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 38 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 2,922 (bbl/day) | 183 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 2,980 (bbl/day) | 168 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 430,800 (Mt) | 181 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 35,900 | 171 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 216,500 | 179 |
| Internet hosts | 100 | 210 |
| Internet users | 142,900 | 149 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 2 | 205 |
| Roadways | 1,210 (km) | 180 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Pitons Management Area The 2,909-ha site near the town of Soufriere includes the Pitons, two volcanic spires rising side by side from the sea (770 m and 743 m high respectively), linked by the Piton Mitan ridge. The volcanic complex includes a geothermal field with sulphur ... | 2004 |