Saint Lucia

This article is about the country. For the Roman Christian martyr who is sometimes called Saint Lucia, see Saint Lucy. For other uses, see Saint Lucia (disambiguation).

Saint Lucia
Sent Lisi (Saint Lucian Creole French)
Motto: "The Land, The People, The Light"
Anthem: "Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia"
Location of Saint Lucia (circled in red) in the Caribbean
Location of Saint Lucia (circled in red)

in the Caribbean

Location of Saint Lucia
Capital
and largest city
Castries
13°53′00″N 60°58′00″W / 13.88333°N 60.96667°W / 13.88333; -60.96667[1]
Official languagesEnglish
Vernacular
languages		Saint Lucian Creole French[2]
Ethnic groups
(2020[3])
Religion
(2020)[4]
Demonym(s)Saint Lucian
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Charles III
Errol Charles (acting)
Philip J. Pierre
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
House of Assembly
Independence
1 March 1967
• Independence from the United Kingdom
22 February 1979
Area
• Total
617 km2 (238 sq mi) (178th)
• Water (%)
1.6
Population
• 2018 estimate
Neutral increase 178,696[5] (177th)
• 2010 census
165,595
• Density
299.4/km2 (775.4/sq mi) (29th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $3.452 billion[6] (182nd)
• Per capita
Increase $18,972[6] (90th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $2.469 billion[6] (186th)
• Per capita
Increase $13,572[6] (70th)
Gini (2016)51.2[7]
high inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.725[8]
high (108th)
CurrencyE.C Dollar (XCD)
Time zoneUTC−4 (AST)
Drives onleft
Calling code+1 758
ISO 3166 codeLC
Internet TLD.lc

Saint Lucia[9] is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean.[10] Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km2 (238 square miles) with an estimated population of over 180,000 people as of 2018. The nation's capital and largest city is Castries.

The first proven inhabitants of the island, the Arawaks, are believed to have first to settle on the island in 200–400 AD. In 800 AD, the island would be taken over by the Kalinago. The French were the first European colonists to settle on the island, and they signed a treaty with the native Caribs in 1660. The English took control of the island in 1663. In ensuing years, England and France fought 14 times for control of the island; consequently control over this immensely valuable geopolitical position changed frequently. Eventually, the British took complete control in 1814, shortly after the victory over French Emperor Napoleon I.[11] Because the island switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the "Helen of the West" after the Greek mythological character, Helen of Troy.[12]

Representative government was introduced in 1924 with universal suffrage being established in 1951.[13] From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation. On 22 February 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state, while remaining as a Commonwealth realm.[10]

Saint Lucia is a member of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the World Trade Organization, CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). It is also a member of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.[14]

  1. ^ Saint Lucia in Geonames.org (cc-by)
  2. ^ "About St. Lucia". Castries, St. Lucia: St. Lucia Tourist Board. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. The official language spoken in Saint Lucia is English although many Saint Lucians also speak a French dialect, Creole (Kwéyòl).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CIAStLucia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Religions in St Lucia | PEW-GRF". Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Home". The Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Saint Lucia)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/2024" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  9. ^ (/ˈluːʃə/ LOO-shə) Saint Lucian Creole French: Sent Lisi)
  10. ^ a b "The Saint Lucia Constitution" Archived 25 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine (1978-December-20 effective 1979-February-22), Government of St. Lucia, December 2008.
  11. ^ "Saint Lucia". CARICOM. Archived from the original on 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  12. ^ "History of Saint Lucia". embassyofsaintlucia. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Election Timeline of Saint Lucia". 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Human development indices" (PDF). Undp.org. 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)