LOCATION:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

AREA:

total: 616 sq km
land: 606 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative:
  
3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

POPULATION:

166,312

(July 2005 est.)

AGE STRUCTURE:

0-14 years: 30.3%
 (male 25,937/female 24,391
)
15-64 years: 64.6%
(male 52,813/female 54,544)
 
65 years and over: 5.2%
(male 3,172/female 5,455)

(2005 est.)

MEDIAN AGE:

total: 24.81 years
male: 24.03 years
female: 25.66 years

(2005 est.)

POPULATION GROWTH:

1.28%

 (2005 est.)

INFANT MORTALITY RATE:

total: 13.53 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.66 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.32 deaths/1,000 live births

(2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS-ADULT PREVALENCE RATE:

0.3 %

HIV/AIDS- PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS :

No information available

HIV/AIDS-DEATH

No information available

ETHNIC GROUPS:

black 90%,
 mixed 6%,
East Indian 3%,
white 1%

RELIGIONS:

Roman Catholic 90%,
 Anglican 3%,
other Protestant 7%

LANGUAGES:

English (official), French patois

LITERACY:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 67%
 
male: 65%
female: 69%

(1980 est.)

GOVERNMENT TYPE:

Westminster-style 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)

ECONOMY:

Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be cut.

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $866 million

 (2002 est.)

POPULATION BELOW POVERT LINE:

NA

INFLATION RATE:

3%

(2001 est.)

UNEMPLOYMENT:

20%

(2003 est.)

EXCHANGE RATES:

East Caribbean dollars per US dollar -
2.7 (2004),
2.7 (2003),
2.7 (2002),
2.7 (2001),
2.7 (2000)

ILLICIT DRUGS:

transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe