Advanced search
image
Travel & living abroad

North & Central America and Caribbean

Saint Lucia

 Flag of St Lucia

Last reviewed: 9 February 2009

Country information

Map of St Lucia

ST LUCIA TODAY

Country Facts

Area: 620 sq km
Population: 171,100(2007EIU estimate)
Capital City: Castries
Languages: English is the official and commercial language but a broken French or patois (known as Kweyol) is also widely spoken.
Religion(s): The principal denominations are Roman Catholic, (93%), Anglican, Methodist and Baptist. There are also small Jewish, Hindu and Muslim minorities.
Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC$)
Major political parties: United Workers Party (UWP), Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP), People’s Progressive Movement (PPM)
Government: A Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. There are two chambers, the 17 member House of Assembly, whose members are elected for five-year terms, and the 11-Member Senate, whose members are nominated (six by the Prime Minister, three by the Leader of the opposition, two by the Governor General).
Head of State: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette Louisy, (since September 1997)
Prime Minister: Hon Stephenson King
Foreign Minister: Hon Rufus Bousquet
Membership of international groups/organisations: ACCT (associate), ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, CFATF, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Legal System: Based on English common law
  • Currency: The Eastern Caribbean Dollar is shared with other members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union and is pegged to the US dollar (US$1 = EC$2.7)
  • National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February
  • Nobel Laureates: St Lucia boasts more Nobel Laureates per head of population than any other country - Derek Walcott (Laureate for Literature in 1992) and Sir Arthur Lewis (Laureate for Economics in 1979)

HEALTH

Life expectancy (2002 est.): 74 years
Infant mortality rate (2006 WHO est.): 14 deaths per 1000 live births

HIV/AIDS

The incidence of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean region is second only to sub-Sahara Africa. Heterosexual transmission is the largest known mode of infection (25%). It is officially accepted that reported cases represent only 20- 25% of the true estimate of HIV/AIDS infection in St Lucia.

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

Nominal GDP: US$960m (IMF 2007)
Nominal GDP per head: US$5,606 (IMF 2007)
Annual growth: 1.7% (2007 EIU estimate)
Inflation: 7.2% (2008 EIU est) 
Major industries: Tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing), financial services.
Agricultural products: Bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa, nutmeg.
Major trading partners: UK, United States, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados 

St Lucia's economy was traditionally reliant on its agricultural sector. However, the banana industry has declined over the last 10-15 years with the erosion of the ACP countries' preferential access to the EU market and increasing competition from Latin American producers. As in other Windward Island banana producing countries, a large number of farmers have been displaced over this period. Banana exports fell to 30,000 tonnes in 2005 from a peak of 132,000 tonnes in 1992. Nevertheless, St Lucia continues to be the leading Windward Island banana producer, accounting for around half of Windward banana exports in recent years.

In 2006, the country saw a modest recovery in banana production, with growth of 13.2%. This continued into 2007, with year-on-year growth of 34.8% in the first half of the year. However, the banana industry suffered widespread damage when Hurricane Dean passed close to St. Lucia in August. The Windward Islands Crop Insurance scheme (wincrop) will provide compensation to most farmers, although financial losses will still be high as plants take a year to produce fruit. The industry benefits to a limited extent from the strong value of the Euro, which has increased the price in EC-dollar terms, and also from the growing market for fair trade fruit in the UK.

In recent years, tourism has replaced bananas as the main earner of foreign exchange. In addition to land-based tourism, St Lucia is a prime yachting centre and cruise destination. In recent years the number of stayover visitors has been declining from 317,939 in 2005 to 287,407 in 2007 including 79,180 from the United Kingdom.  The numbers for 2008 reached 249,785 up to October but the forecast for early 2009 predicts a large drop due to the global financial crisis.  Hotels have already started to put staff on rotation with Sandals announcing it is to lay off 210 staff in St Lucia.

Construction activity  has slowed down with work stopping on a number of new hotel developments citing difficulty obtaining financing.St Lucia's small manufacturing sector is among the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean, but is threatened by competition from Trinidad, Jamaica and Barbados.  In 2007, GDP growth was 1.7% and the total public-sector debt was 73% of GDP.  In an effort to seek an additional source of revenue, the St Lucia Ministry of Finance, in November 2008, established a unit to consider proposals for a value-added tax (VAT).

HISTORY

The island was first settled by Arawak Indians around 200 AD but by 800 AD their culture had been superseded by an early Amerindian group known as the Caribs. The Caribs called the island 'Iouanalao' and 'Hewanorra', meaning 'Island of the Iguanas'. The first European to discover Saint Lucia was Juan de la Cosa, who had at one time served as Columbus's navigator (it is generally believed that Columbus did not set foot on Saint Lucia, but merely sailed close by). The first European settlement was in the 1550s by the buccaneer Francois le Clerc (aka Jambe de Bois, or Wooden Leg). Around 1600 the Dutch arrived, establishing a fortified base at Vieux Fort. However, two attempts by English colonists, in 1605 and 1639, ended in failure as the resident Caribs forced the colonists to flee. By the mid 17th century the French arrived and 'purchased' the island for the French West India Company. Anglo-French rivalry for the island continued for more than a century and a half, with the island changing hands a total of 14 times. The island's first settlements were all French, beginning with Soufrière in 1746. By 1780, 12 settlements and a large number of sugar plantations had been established. Two years earlier, the British launched their first invasion effort at the 'Battle of Cul de Sac'. By 1814, after a prolonged series of battles, the island was finally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Paris. Self-government with Associated State Status was achieved in 1967 and independence followed on 22 February 1979. St Lucia is part of the Commonwealth.

BBC News Country Timeline: St Lucia

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Relations with Neighbours

St Lucia is a member of CARICOM and also of the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), whose Secretariat is in Castries. The UWP government has stated its commitment to deeper regional integration.

Relations with the International Community

Apart from the UK, only France, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and Taiwan have resident diplomatic representation in St Lucia. All offer varying levels of assistance to the St Lucian government. Healthy relationships with, inter alia, the United States, Canada and Japan are managed remotely from regional diplomatic missions.

Relations with Taiwan were resumed in April 2007, following which China announced the suspension of relations with St Lucia.

Relations with the UK

The United Kingdom and St Lucia share an excellent bilateral relationship. Historical links are strong; many St Lucians have lived in the UK or have relatives there; and 80,000 British visitors holiday in St Lucia each year. The two governments work closely together in a number of areas with a focus on joint efforts to eradicate drug trafficking and abuse. In July 2008, Prime Minister Stephenson King attended the UK/Caribbean Ministerial Forum in London.

Recent Outward visits

The Duke of York visited St Lucia in February 2004 to participate in celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of independence. Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland visited St Lucia in May 2006 for talks with then Prime Minister  Kenny Anthony and the Attorney General of St Lucia. The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (UK Branch) visited in February 2006. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall visited St Lucia in March 2008 as part of a regionial Caribbean tour promoting sustainable development, environmental protection, youth opportunity and education.

GEOGRAPHY

St Lucia is one of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, 21 miles south of Martinique and 26 miles north of St Vincent. The island is volcanic and famous for its twin 'pitons'(now a world heritage site) and the sulphur Springs at Soufrière. There is 158km of coastline. The interior is mountainous with heavy vegetation, including some rainforest. Daytime temperatures vary little throughout the year, ranging from 26-30C. The tropical climate is moderated by the north-east Trade Winds, particularly during the drier winter months. The island lies in the hurricane belt and tropical storms and hurricanes can occur during May to November. Geographic Co-ordinates: 13 53 N, 60 68 W.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Trade and Investment with the UK

Total UK exports to St Lucia for 2007 were £14.7 million and imports from St Lucia were £13.5 million. The accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers is well established. The main telecommunications services provider is Cable and Wireless (West Indies) Ltd (recently renamed LIME (Landline, Internet, Mobile, Entertainment), though with liberalisation of the telecommunications sector others have entered the market. Halcrow have been heavily involved in road constructions and flood mitigation works for many years, while the Vieux Fort to Soufriere road project, completed in 2005, was undertaken by Lagan Holdings of Belfast. There is British involvement in the tourism sector through Rex Hotels, Discovery at Marigot Bay residential and marina development and the Mount Pimard Resort development

UK Development Assistance

The Department for International Development works closely with large organisations such as the Caribbean Development Bank and the European Commission.

St Lucia benefits from a number of DFID sub-regional and regional initiatives. These include technical assistance to the Caribbean Development Bank; technical assistance to the CARICOM Regional Negotiating Machinery; support to CARICOM with implementation of the regional strategic framework on HIV/AIDS; support to the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) and to the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD). DFID has also provided technical assistance to the education sector in the OECS, and is supporting OECS work on HIV/AIDS.

St Lucia benefited by £2.8m from the Commonwealth Debt Initiative in recognition of efforts being made to reduce poverty.

Department for International Development (DFID)

POLITICS

The United Workers Party (UWP) won the December 2006 general elections, ending nine years of government by the St Lucia Labour Party (SLP). Sir John Compton, who had emerged from retirement in March 2005 to successfully challenge for the leadership of the party, was appointed Prime Minister for the third time. He had previously led the country from 1964 to 1979, and 1982 to 1996.

The UWP under Sir John Compton had dominated post-independence politics, but suffered a heavy defeat to a St Lucia Labour Party (SLP)-led coalition in the May 1997 general election. The SLP retained power in 2001, and seemed set for a third term in December 2006 following a period of steady economic growth and development. But a late surge in support for the UWP gave them an 11-6 victory in the House of Assembly, albeit with barely 50% of the votes cast.

Sir John Compton suffered a series of strokes at the end of April 2007, and died in hospital in Castries on 7 September 2007. Stephenson King, who had been Acting Prime Minister during Compton’s illness, was sworn in as Prime Minister on 9 September 2007.

In recent years, St Lucia has seen escalating violent crime, much of it linked to a growing gang-culture driven by the illicit drugs trade. A nationwide survey published in February 2003 revealed that a vast majority of the population believed that crime was a serious or very serious problem in Saint Lucia. Tackling crime is a high priority for the UWP Government. In November 2006, St Lucia recruited nine former British police officers to the Royal St Lucia Police Force in an effort to improve the performance of the police. This saw a mainly positive public response particularly as the murder rate reduced from 39 in 2006 to 27 in 2007 however their contracts have now come to an end and the murder rate for 2008 reached 37 in the first week in December. There have also been calls for the return of the death penalty for convicted murderers.

Country information

Pick Another Country :

Share this with:

Travel Advice

Travel Advice: St Lucia

Useful Links



Contacts

St Lucia, Castries, British High Commission

Address:

Please address all enquiries to the British High Commission in Barbados.

Address:
British High Commission
Lower Collymore Rock
PO Box 676
Bridgetown
Barbados

Telephone:

(1) (246) 430 7800

Fax:

(1) (246) 430 7851 (Chancery)
(1) (246) 430 7860 (Management and Consular)
(1) (246) 430 7826 (Trade and Investment, and Information)

Email: britishhcb@sunbeach.net

Office hours:

Mon-Thurs: 1200-2000 (GMT)
Fri: 1200-1700 (GMT)
Mon-Thurs: 0800-1600 (Local Time)
Fri: 0800-1300 (Local Time)

Website: http://ukinbarbados.fco.gov.uk/en/

Saint Lucia