Saint Lucia – country information

Country name	Saint Lucia
Official name	Saint Lucia
Capital	Castries
Continent	North America
Area	539 km2
Population	180,000 (2013)
Foundation of a state	2/22/1979
The highest mountains	Gimia 958 m
State system	constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Castries (Capital) 72,000
Official language	English
Ethnicity/National Composition	blacks 88%, mixed race 9%, Indians 2.5%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholics 79%, Protestants 15.5%, others 5.5%
Currency	1 East Caribbean dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$13,000 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	73.84 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 13%, mining and industry 13%, construction 6%, services 68%

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Saint Lucia is a small island nation in the chain of Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which stretches from Puerto Rico to Venezuela.

Saint Lucia is an island state (the island has dimensions of 44×23 km.), Located in the east of the Caribbean Sea (between the islands of Saint Vincent and Martinique).

The capital is Castries. The official language is English. Currency – East Caribbean dollar.

The climate is tropical trade wind. The temperature is around 23*C all year round. January-April is dry, May-August is rainy. Devastating tropical hurricanes are frequent in late summer.

There are many nature reserves on the island. The relief is mountainous with fertile valleys, tropical forests, volcanic peaks. The drop-shaped island has dimensions of 44×23 km. Saint Lucia is of volcanic origin and therefore more mountainous than most other islands in the Caribbean. It represents the peak of an ancient volcanic group, whose cones form the main mountain peaks of the country. The coast of the island is formed by a narrow strip of coastal lowland and is heavily indented. The southeastern and northwestern shores form an area with numerous bays and coves, framed by many tiny reefs.

The climate is tropical trade winds, sea winds soften the heat. At any time during the year, powerful, but short-term showers are possible, usually falling at the end of the day. Destructive tropical hurricanes are not uncommon, especially frequent in late summer.

About 400 species of plants grow on the island, and in many places palm trees, various shrubs, orchids and other exotic flowers – for example, anthurium, form a dense carpet covering the slopes of mountains, valleys, riverbeds and even roadsides. The southern and southeastern slopes of the mountains are covered with dry forests with a predominance of shrubby subtropical vegetation. The local fauna includes the endemic ground lizard, the Amazonian iridescent parrot and two rodents, the agouti and the Manica, distributed throughout the island.

Interesting Facts

Saint Lucia was discovered by Columbus on December 13, 1502. The first attempts to establish a permanent settlement were made by the British in the period from 1605 to 1638, but were unsuccessful due to the resistance of the local residents – the warlike Carib Indians. Having concluded an agreement with the natives, the French founded a settlement in 1650.
From the middle of the 17th century, the mass importation of African slaves to work on sugar plantations began. Subsequently, Africans and mulattos began to dominate in the population. By 1814, when the island finally came under British jurisdiction.
St. Lucia was the scene of continuous conflict between England and France, it changed hands 14 times, attracting with its convenient bay of Castries. In 1803, the British once again captured Saint Lucia, and in 1814, according to the Treaty of Paris, it went to Great Britain, becoming its colony.
In 1834 the British authorities abolished slavery on the island. From 1838 to 1958, Saint Lucia was part of the British colony of the Windward Islands, from 1958 to 1962 – in the West Indies Federation. In 1967, Saint Lucia received the status of an associated state with Great Britain and received the right to self-government in internal affairs. Full independence was granted to Saint Lucia on February 22, 1979.

The annual transatlantic regatta finishes on the island.

Country data

Location: Caribbean

Time zone: CET – 5 (during summer time: CET – 6)

Total area: 616 km²

Land area: 606 km²

Water area: 10 km²

Length of the state border: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

Capital: Castries

Districts: 10
Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 1758 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

Population

Population: approx. 163,000 residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.3% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 265

Life expectancy: 75 (male), 80 (female)

Official language: English, patois

Religions:

• 61% Roman Catholic
• 25% Protestants
• 14% other

Climate

The climate is hot and tropical. Due to the prevailing trade winds, it is also well tolerated by Europeans.

Most of the rain falls in autumn (August-October). There are short rain showers almost every day at this time.

The daytime temperature has only slight fluctuations over the year and averages 30 ° C.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Division: 1 dollar = 100 cents

ATMs: There are very few machines.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many larger hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Many stores also allow you to pay directly in US dollars.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Travel advice

In some regions of the Eastern Caribbean, there are occasional robberies on ships near the coast. Do not take unknown guests on board and pay attention to your own safety, especially at night.

The months June to November are cyclone season. In addition to high winds, the tropical storms often bring with them heavy rains. Occasionally there are landslides through the softened soil.

Economy

Many foreign currencies are generated in the field of agriculture. Their main exports include bananas, flour and rice.

In recent years, the area of ​​tourism, which still has great potential, has grown and is now one of the most important branches of the economy.

Industries: food production, textiles, tourism

Natural resources: geothermal springs, wood

Land use:

• Usable land: 8%
• Grain cultivation: 21%
• Pasture area: 5%
• Forests: 13%
• other: 53%

Plants

Part of the tropical rainforests was cut down for agricultural use.

Plantations on which bananas are grown often determine the landscape.

The remaining forests are mainly on mountains and mountain slopes.

Animals

Many different species of birds can be seen here. Different species of parrots can be found here as well as hummingbirds and blackbirds.

The wildlife in the waters is largely intact thanks to nature conservation and the low level of industrialization.