About St.Lucia

Geography and Climate

St. Lucia is North West of Barbados at latitude 13°55'N and longitude 60°59'W. It is 1,300 miles (2,800 km) southeast of Florida in the Caribbean. The island is 238 sq miles (617 sq km) and is of volcanic origin. The landscape is lush and mountainous with the northern and southern tips of the island having beautiful sandy beaches.

The climate is tropical tempered by constant sea breezes. The temperatures are normally in the range between 18°C and 34°C. The coolest period is between December and May.

Political and Economic Environment

St. Lucia attained independence in 1979. The country has a stable parliamentary government fashioned under the British system. There are two houses of Parliament being the Assembly and the Senate .

Parliamentary members are voted for a five-year term by the electorate and form the House of Assembly. The Senate comprises 11 senators of whom the Prime Minister appoints 6, 3 on the advice of the Opposition and 2 by the Governor General.

The Executive, called the Cabinet is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and may be selected from either House.

St. Lucia is a monarchy under Queen Elizabeth, who is represented in St. Lucia by the Governor General, Dame Pearlette Louisy.

The major industries are agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. Bananas are the major exports. Tourism has gained increased significance in the economy with the island boasting some 3,000 rooms. These include resorts such as Hilton, Hyatt, Sandals and Wyndham Morgan Bay to name a few.

The Eastern Caribbean Dollar has been pegged to the US Dollar for the last 20 plus years at US$1 = EC$2.70

Population

The population has been relatively constant for a number of years at approximately 150,000 people. The demographics show that there is a young reasonably well-educated work force. A number of primary and secondary schools exist across the country. The tertiary education includes an A' level college, a Teacher's Training College, a Technical College, a Technical Teacher's Training Unit and a branch of the University of the West Indies.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Airports International Airport in Vieux Fort
George F.L. Charles Airport in Vigie
 
Seaports Castries and Vieux Fort Harbours
 
Electricity

220/240 volts, single phase and 416 volts three phase, at a frequency of 50 hertz.
 

Telecommunications

Cable & Wireless is the main service provider. The system is an all-digital system with International Direct Dialling and ISDN service. All services such as Internet, fax, telegram and leased data lines to T1 capacity and beyond are available.
 

Air Carriers

Air Carriers American Eagle, Air Canada, British Airways, BWIA, Air Jamaica, Virgin Atlantic, Air LibertE, Air Martinique, Liat, EC Express.
 

Banks

Banks Barclays Bank PLC, CIBC (Caribbean) Ltd, The Bank of Nova Scotia, The Royal Bank of Canada, The Caribbean Banking Corporation, The National Commercial Bank, St. Lucia Cooperative Bank.