Saint Lucia

England and France contested Saint Lucia -- with its fine natural harbor at Castries and burgeoning sugar industry -- throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries, with possession changing 14 times; it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814 and became part of the British Windward Islands colony. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. In the mid-20th century, Saint Lucia joined the West Indies Federation (1958–1962) and in 1967 became one of the six members of the West Indies Associated States, with internal self-government. In 1979, Saint Lucia gained full independence.

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

13 53 N, 60 58 W

Central America and the Caribbean

3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.

158 km

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August

volcanic and mountainous with broad, fertile valleys

forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential

30 sq km (2012)

most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries

hurricanes <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> Mount Gimie (948 m), also known as Qualibou, is a caldera on the west of the island; the iconic twin pyramidal peaks of Gros Piton (771 m) and Petit Piton (743 m) are lava-dome remnants associated with the Soufrière volcano; there have been no historical magmatic eruptions, but a minor steam eruption in 1766 spread a thin layer of ash over a wide area; Saint Lucia is part of the volcanic-island arc of the Lesser Antilles that extends from Saba in the north to Grenada in the south

the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufri&egrave;re, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean

Black/African descent 85.3%, mixed 10.9%, East Indian 2.2%, other 1.6%, unspecified 0.1% (2010 est.)

English (official), Saint Lucian Creole

Roman Catholic 61.5%, Protestant 25.5% (includes Seventh Day Adventist 10.4%, Pentecostal 8.9%, Baptist 2.2%, Anglican 1.6%, Church of God 1.5%, other Protestant 0.9%), other Christian 3.4% (includes Evangelical 2.3% and Jehovah's Witness 1.1%), Rastafarian 1.9%, other 0.4%, none 5.9%, unspecified 1.4% (2010 est.)

0.25% (2025 est.)

11.17 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

8.41 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most of the population is found on the periphery of the island, with a larger concentration in the north around the capital of Castries

22,000 CASTRIES (capital) (2018)

44 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.71 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.83 (2025 est.)

4.23 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

2 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

19.7% (2016)

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August

8.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

300 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

10 districts; Anse-la-Raye, Canaries, Castries, Choiseul, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Soufri&egrave;re, Vieux-Fort

English common law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP<br>United Workers Party or UWP

ACP, ACS, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CD, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

22 February 1979 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

<strong>description:</strong> cerulean blue with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> blue stands for the sky and sea, gold for sunshine and prosperity, and white and black for the ethnic composition of the island; the triangles represent Gros Piton and Petit Piton, the cone-shaped volcanic plugs that are a symbol of the island

twin pitons (volcanic peaks), Saint Lucia parrot

cerulean blue, gold, black, white

upper middle-income, tourism-based Caribbean island economy; environmentally fragile; energy import-dependent; major banana producer; well-educated labor force; key infrastructure, IT, and communications investments

$2.549 billion (2024 est.)

coconuts, bananas, tropical fruits, fruits, root vegetables, plantains, vegetables, cassava, chicken, milk (2023)

tourism; clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, lime processing, coconut processing

5.6% (2024 est.)

102,400 (2024 est.)

25% (2015 est.)

18.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Guyana 20%, Suriname 15%, USA 11%, Barbados 8%, Dominica 7% (2023)

refined petroleum, gravel and crushed stone, beer, liquor, paper containers (2023)

USA 59%, Guyana 8%, Brazil 7%, China 5%, UK 3% (2023)

refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, poultry, plastic products (2023)

3 privately owned TV stations; 1 public TV station on a cable network; multi-channel cable TV service available; mix of state-owned and privately owned radio broadcasters with about 25 stations, including repeater transmission stations (2019)

.lc

J6

2 (2025)

no regular military forces; Ministry of Home Affairs, Justice, and National Security: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) (2025)

Saint Lucia has been a member of the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) since its creation in 1982; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Kitts, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2025)