Region: Caribbean

Capital: Castries

Population: 172,884 (July 2008 est.)

Surface area: 616 sq km

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $10,700 (2007 est.)

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. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Economy – Overview
The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with almost 900,000 arrivals in 2007. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including declines in European Union banana preferences, volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. High debt servicing obligations constrain the King administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be reduced.

Major Export Commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

Remittances: US $1 million (2006)

Human Development Index 2007/2008 ranking: 72 out of 177

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Net ODA in 2006 was US $2.43 million. Major development partners include IDA, France, the Caribbean Development Bank, and Japan.

Total External Debt: US $257 million (2004)

United Nations membership date: 18 September 1979

New York Mission:
Permanent Mission of the Saint Lucia to the United Nations
800 Second Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10017 USA
Telephone: 212-697-9360, 9361
Fax: 212-697-4993

Website: http://www.un.int/stlucia