Countries
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Disputes - international: joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs: transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
Military branches: no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit and Coast Guard)
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 41,414
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 32,688
females age 16-49: 36,289
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,574
female: 1,502
Airports: 2
country comparison to the world: 203
Roadways: total: 1,210 km
country comparison to the world: 180
Ports and terminals: Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort
Telephones - main lines in use: 41,100
country comparison to the world: 169
Telephones - mobile cellular: 179,300
country comparison to the world: 178
Telephone system: general assessment: an adequate system that is automatically switched
domestic: fixed-line teledensity is 25 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 110 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables, along with Intelsat from Martinique, carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados
Broadcast media: 3 privately-owned TV stations; 1 public TV station operating on a cable network; multi-channel cable TV service available; a mix of state-owned and privately-owned broadcasters operate nearly 25 radio stations including repeater transmission stations
Internet country code: .lc
Internet hosts: 90
country comparison to the world: 209
Internet users: 142,900
country comparison to the world: 149
The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Although crops such as bananas, mangos, and avocados continue to be grown for export, tourism provides Saint Lucia's main source of income and the industry is the island's biggest employer. Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, although tourism sector revenues declined with the global economic downturn as US and European travel dropped in 2009. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry, although recent hurricanes have caused exports to contract. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. High public debt and high debt servicing obligations constrain the ANTHONY administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be reduced.
Government type: parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Administrative divisions: 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
Legal system: English common law
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Ethnic groups: black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or unspecified 3.1%
Languages: English (official), French patois
Religions: Roman Catholic 67.5%, Protestant 18.2% (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%
Population: 162,178
country comparison to the world: 186
Median age: total: 31.6 years
male: 30.5 years
female: 32.7 years
Population growth rate: 0.378%
country comparison to the world: 158
Net migration rate: -3.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 183
Urbanization: urban population: 28% of total population
rate of urbanization: 1.6% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: CASTRIES (capital) 15,000
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.04 years
country comparison to the world: 69
male: 74.34 years
female: 79.88 years
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 152
Health expenditures: 8.1% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 54
Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 83
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 90.1%
male: 89.5%
female: 90.6%
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total: 40.8%
country comparison to the world: 8
male: 37.1%
female: 45.5%
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 158 km
Maritime claims: 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
Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season 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: 6.45%
permanent crops: 22.58%
other: 70.97%
Natural hazards: hurricanes; volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
Environment - international agreements: 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, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 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
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.
Saint Lucia
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