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Background:
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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. Self-government
was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North
Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates:
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13 53 N,
60 68 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
616 sq km
land: 606 sq km
water: 10 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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3.5 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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158 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical,
moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from
January to April, rainy season from May to August |
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Terrain:
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volcanic
and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m |
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Natural resources:
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forests,
sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs,
geothermal potential |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 6.56%
permanent crops: 22.95%
other: 70.49% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes and volcanic activity |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the
northern region |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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the twin
Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking
cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the
scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean |
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Population:
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166,312
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
24.81 years
male: 24.03 years
female: 25.66 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.28%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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20.05
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.12
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-2.19
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 73.61 years
male: 70.05 years
female: 77.42 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.21
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Saint Lucian(s)
adjective: Saint Lucian |
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Ethnic groups:
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black
90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal
5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%,
Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none
4.5% (2001 census) |
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Languages:
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English
(official), French patois |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 90.1%
male: 89.5%
female: 90.6% (2001 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Lucia |
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Government type:
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Westminster-style parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Castries
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Administrative divisions:
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11
quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin,
Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin,
Soufriere, Vieux-Fort |
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Independence:
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22
February 1979 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 22 February (1979) |
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Constitution:
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22
February 1979 |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette
LOUISY (since September 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth Davis
ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister
Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the
governor general is appointed by the monarch; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party
or the leader of a majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy
prime minister appointed by the governor general |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral
Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members
appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on
the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two
after consultation with religious, economic, and social
groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are
elected by popular vote from single-member
constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 3
December 2001 (next to be held in December 2006)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of
vote by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by
party - SLP 14, UWP 3 |
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern
Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin
Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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National
Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party
or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or
SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF
[Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr.
Morella JOSEPH] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACCT,
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795
FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US
Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia |
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Flag description:
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blue,
with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead;
the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
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Economy - overview:
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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.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$866
million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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3.3%
(2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $5,400 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 7%
industry: 20%
services: 73% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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43,800
(2001 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 21.7%, industry, commerce, and manufacturing
24.7%, services 53.6% (2002 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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20% (2003
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3% (2001
est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $141.2 million
expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital
expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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bananas,
coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa |
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Industries:
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clothing,
assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated
cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut
processing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-8.9%
(1997 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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270.3
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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251.3
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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2,400
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$66
million (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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bananas
41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
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Exports - partners:
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UK 41.4%,
US 16.5%, Brazil 11.6%, Barbados 5.8%, Antigua and
Barbuda 4.6%, Dominica 4.5% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$267
million (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food 23%,
manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation
equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels |
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Imports - partners:
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US 27.8%,
Trinidad and Tobago 20.4%, UK 8%, Venezuela 7.6%,
Finland 7% (2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$214
million (2000) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$51.8
million (1995) |
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Currency (code):
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East
Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Currency code:
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XCD |
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Exchange rates:
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East
Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April -
31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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51,100
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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14,300
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: adequate system
domestic: system is automatically switched
international: country code - 1-758; direct
microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to
Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are
carried by Intelsat from Martinique |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM
7, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Radios:
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111,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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2 (of
which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a
community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004)
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Televisions:
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32,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.lc |
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Internet hosts:
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41 (2003)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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15 (2000)
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Internet users:
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13,000
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
1,210 km
paved: 63 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1999 est.) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Castries,
Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort |
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Airports:
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2 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Royal
Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit,
Coast Guard) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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joins
other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that
Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under
UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its
EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the
Caribbean Sea |
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Illicit drugs:
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transit
point for South American drugs destined for the US and
Europe |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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