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Background:
|
 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
water: 10 sq km
land: 606 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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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:
4.9%
permanent crops: 23%
other: 72.1% (1998 est.) |
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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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164,213 (July
2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years:
30.7% (male 25,913; female 24,467)
15-64 years: 64.1% (male 51,750; female 53,530)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,159; female 5,394)
(2004 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
24.5 years
male: 23.7 years
female: 25.3 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.27% (2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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20.5 births/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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5.18 deaths/1,000
population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-2.67 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2004 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: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
13.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 15.09 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 73.34 years
male: 69.78 years
female: 77.16 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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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
90%, Anglican 3%, other Protestant 7% |
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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: 67%
male: 65%
female: 69% (1980 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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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Dr. Perlette LOUISY (since
September 1997)
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
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on
the advice of the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth Davis
ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario
MICHEL (since 24 May 1997) |
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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)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote
by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by party - SLP 14,
UWP 3
elections: House of Assembly - last held 3 December
2001 (next to be held in December 2006) |
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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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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,
Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, is accredited to Saint Lucia |
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $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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Population below poverty line:
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NA% (2000 est.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3% (2001 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%, services 53.6%, industry, commerce, and manufacturing
24.7% (2002 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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16.5% (1997 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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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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120.2 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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111.8 million kWh
(2001) |
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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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Agriculture - products:
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bananas,
coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa |
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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 48.5%, US
27.3%, Barbados 7.6% (2002) |
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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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Brazil 46.1%, US
18.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 10.3% (2002) |
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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:
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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 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001),
2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999) |
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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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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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Internet country code:
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.lc |
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Internet hosts:
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29
(2002) |
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Internet users:
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13,000
(2002) |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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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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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Castries, Vieux
Fort |
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Merchant marine:
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none |
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Airports:
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2 (2003 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 (2003 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Royal Saint Lucia
Police Force (including 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 |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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