Saint Lucia, << LOO shuh or loo SEE uh, >> is a small island country in the Caribbean region. It is part of the Windward Islands group. St. Lucia lies about 240 miles (385 kilometers) north of Venezuela in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It has an area of 238 square miles (616 square kilometers) and a population of about 182,000.
The United Kingdom ruled St. Lucia from 1814 to 1979, when St. Lucia became independent. Castries, on the northwest coast, is the capital and largest city (see Castries). The East Caribbean dollar is the basic unit of currency.
Government.
St. Lucia is a constitutional monarchy. The monarch of the United Kingdom serves as St. Lucia’s chief of state. A prime minister serves as the actual head of government. The prime minister governs with the aid of a Cabinet. A House of Assembly and a Senate pass the nation’s laws. The people elect the members of the House. Government leaders appoint Senate members.
People.
A majority of the people of St. Lucia are descendants of enslaved Africans. Early British and French settlers kidnapped these Africans and brought them to the island to work on plantations. White people make up most of the rest of the population. They include descendants of the British and French settlers. About 90 percent of the islanders are Christians.
About 80 percent of the islanders live in rural areas. About 20 percent live in urban areas, which lie near the coast. English is the nation’s official language. But islanders commonly speak a French dialect. Children must attend school from the ages of 5 to 15.
Land and climate.
St. Lucia is mountainous and has little flatland. Tropical vegetation covers most of the country. Mount Gimie, St. Lucia’s highest peak, rises 3,117 feet (950 meters) near the center of the island. Gros Piton and Petit Piton, twin peaks in the southwest area, are ancient volcanic cones. St. Lucia averages about 100 inches (254 centimeters) of rain annually. Temperatures range from about 85 to 68 °F (29 to 20 °C). Mountain temperatures may fall lower.
Economy
of St. Lucia is largely based on tourism. About one million cruise ship passengers and other tourists visit the island each year. The country grows bananas, coconuts, and other fruits. Farmers raise beef and dairy cattle, chickens, pigs, and sheep. Manufacturing plays a minor role in the country’s economy. St. Lucia imports more than it exports. The country’s leading trade partners include Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
History.
Indigenous (native) peoples lived on St. Lucia before Europeans settled there. Arawak people were the original inhabitants of the island. Carib people conquered the Arawak in the 1300’s. During the early 1600’s, the Carib fought the French and British and prevented them from settling on the island. The Carib and the French signed a peace treaty in 1660. French settlers then established a permanent colony on St. Lucia. The French and the British later began other settlements there.
Control of St. Lucia alternated between the British and French 14 times until the United Kingdom took over the island in 1814. Both the British and French brought Africans to St. Lucia and enslaved them on plantations. In 1833, the United Kingdom banned slavery throughout its empire. The British gradually gave St. Lucia more control over its affairs, and the country became independent on Feb. 22, 1979.
In 1983, St. Lucia and several other Caribbean nations joined the United States in an invasion of Grenada to overthrow a Marxist government there. See Grenada (History and government) for details.
