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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. 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.
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Common Name: Saint Lucia
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Local Official Name: Saint Lucia
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Abbreviated Name: Saint Lucia
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Official Name: Saint Lucia
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Official Script Name: Saint Lucia
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Local Common Name: Saint Lucia
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Former Name: Saint Lucia
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
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Government Type: parliamentary democracy
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Independence: 1979 February 22 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1979 February 22
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 22 February
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International Organization Participation: ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on English common law
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
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 leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)
Legislative Branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 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)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 3 December 2001 (next to be held in December 2006)
election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - SLP 55%, UWP 37%, NA 3.5%; seats by party - SLP 14, UWP 3
Judicial Branch:
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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Party Leaders: 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 [Sir John COMPTON]
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International Disputes: 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: transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
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Location of Saint Lucia: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
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Continent: North America
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Land Area Total: 616 sq km
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Region: Caribbean |
Land Area Land: 606 sq km
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Capitol City: Castries
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Land Area Water: 10 sq km
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Current: -4
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Latitude: 013 53 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 060 68 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 158 km
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Arable Land: 6.45 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 22.58 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 950 m
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Location: Mount Gimie
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Caribbean Sea
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Largest City in Saint Lucia: Castries
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Castries Largest City Population: 57,000
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Threatened Species: 0
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Environmental Issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
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Environmental Agreements: 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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Irrigated Land: 30
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Bordering Countries: NA
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Natural Resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
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Geographical Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
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Comparative Area of Saint Lucia: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
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Saint Lucia's Geography: 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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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Saint Lucia.
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General Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August
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Natural Hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity
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Economic Overview: 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, even though unemployment needs to be cut.
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GDP: $866,000,000 USD
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Currency: East Caribbean dollar
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GDP per Capita: $4,800 USD
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Currency Code: XCD
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.10 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% XCD
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Currency Exchange Rate History: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 7.00 %
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GDP of Industry: 20.00 %
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GDP of Services: 73.00 % |
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Inflation Rate: 2.90 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 20.00 %
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Tourism: 261,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $141,200,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $146,700,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 281,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 2,614,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 2,520 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $257,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $-21,500,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa
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Primary Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing
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Industrial Growth Rate: -8.90 %
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Import Amount in USD: $410,000,000 USD - food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels
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Import Partners: US 24.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Netherlands 14.5%, Venezuela 5.6%, UK 5.6%, France 4.7%
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Export Amount in USD: $82,000,000 USD - bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
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Export Partners: France 29.3%, US 17.4%, China 17%, UK 13.1%, Brazil 6.2%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 43,800
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture: 21.7%, industry: 24.7%, services: 53.6%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 9 |
Number of People with Radios: 111,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 2 |
Number of People with Televisions: 32,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 51,100 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 93,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 21 |
Internet Users: 55,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .lc |
Newspapers: 0 |
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Two Letter Country Code: ST |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 1-758 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: 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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Highways: 48 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 2 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 166 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 0 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.00 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: NA
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Ports and Harbors: Castries, Vieux Fort
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Population: 168,458 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 19.68 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 282.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 5.08 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 1.29% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.18 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 25,941 |
Population Female 0-14: 24,319 |
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Population Male 15-64: 53,916 |
Population Female 15-64: 55,582 |
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Population Male 65+: 3,186 |
Population Female 65+: 5,514 |
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Population 0-14: 29.80% |
Literacy Rate: 90.10% |
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Population 15-64: 65.00% |
Literacy rate of Males: 89.50% |
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Population 65+: 5.20% |
Literacy rate of Females: 90.60% |
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Population that is Male: 53.50
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Population that is Female: 46.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 73.84 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 13.17 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 70.29 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 77.65 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.00%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 0
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -1.73
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Nationality: SAINT LUCIAN
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Ethnic Groups: black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%
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Primary Language: English
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Other Languages: English (official), French patois
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5%
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Branches: no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: NA years
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Manpower Available: 42,742 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 33,539 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 1,651 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 0.00
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Saint Lucia Spa and Resort Directory
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Saint Lucia Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Saint Lucia Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Saint Lucia City Information Game Earn Real Money
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