General

Country name: Saint Lucia.

Data code: LC.

Nationality: Saint Lucian(s).

Languages: English (official), French patois.

Capital: Castries (population: 56,000).

Population: 154,020 (1999 est.).

Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August. 
 

Geography

Coastline: 158 km. 

Geographic coordinates: 13 53 N, 60 68 W. 

Highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m. 

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Size: 620 sq km (240 sq miles). 

Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys. 
 

Tourist Information

Accommodations: St. Lucia has everything, top resorts, all-inclusive resorts (problematic), mid range hotels and low budget accommodations.

Activities: horseback riding, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, windsurfing, golf, tennis, squash, fishing, hiking.

Average tourist arrivals: 278,491 (2009).

Business Hours: Banks: 8am - 3 pm Monday-Thursday, 8 am - 5 pm Friday; Government Offices: 8 am - 12:30 pm & 1:30pm - 4:30 pm Monday - Friday; Businesses and Shops: 8 am - 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm Monday - Friday; 8 am - 12:30 pm Saturday. Most shops remain open during lunch time. 

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 cycles, with a square tree-pin plug.. 

Highlights: Soufriere: The Pitons, Drive-in Vulcano; Castries: La Toc Battery, Bagshaws Batik Studios, Derek Walcott Square; Morne Fortune; Marigot Bay; Anse-le-Ray & Canaries; Choiseul Scenic Drive; Gros Islet: street party every Friday; Rodney Bay; Pigeon Island; Errard Plantation; La Sikwe Historical Sugar Mill & Plantation; Marquis Estate; Morne Coubaril Estate.

Post: Airmail to Western Europe takes up to a week. Poste Restante mail will only be released on presentation of suitable identification. Post office hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday and  9 am - 1:30 pm, Saturday. 

Public holidays: January 01 & 02 New Year's Day Celebrations; February 22 Independence Day; late March early April Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday; May 01 Labour Day, eights Monday after Easter Whit Monday; ninth Thursday after Easter Corpus Christi; July Carnival; August 03 Emancipation Day; October 05 Thanksgiving Day; December 13 National Day, 25 Christmas Day, 26 Boxing Day.

Telephone: international direct dial service is widely available throughout the island; country code is 1 758, outgoing international code is 011; Credit card calls can be made through local operators or through AT&T; phone cards can be purchased through Cable & Wireless offices throughout the islands.

Time: 1 hour ahead of Standard US Time and 5 hours ahead of Standard European Time (GMT - 4). 
 

Money

Costs: still resonable; budget accommodations are available. 

Credit cards: major international credit cards are widely accepted at all large shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, etc.

Currency: 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents. The East Caribbean dollar is converted at the fixed rate of $2.70 EC to $1.00 US. 

Tipping: A tip is not automatically added and is usually about 10% to 12% of the bill. Tips are generally accepted by bellhops in hotels, taxi drivers and other persons providing service
 

Transport

Airports: Hewanorra International Airport (UVF), near Vieux Fort, Tel. 758-4528686. The airport is situated near Vieux-Fort, towards the southern tip of the island, about 64km (40 miles) from Castries. The airport can be easily reached using the East Coast road, the main link between the north and south of the island. Public mini busses run frequently to Castries. There is a helicopter service to Vigie Airport, near Castries, Tel. 758-4521156. 

Departure Tax: $27.00 EC. 

Entry Requirements:  Valid passports are required for all visitors, except US and Canadian citizens who possess valid return tickets and I.D. and stay for less than six months. Visas are not required for citizens of the US or Commonwealth countries, or where there is agreement for exemption between the home country and St. Lucia.

Flight Times: Airlines: Air Canada, Tel. 452-6408; Ari Jamaica, Tel. 452-6263; Air Martinique, Tel. 452-2463; American Airlines, Tel. 454-6777; British Airways, Tel. 452-7444; BWIA Tel. 452-3778; LIAT, Tel. 452-3051, Tel. 452-2348 (after hours).

Public Transport: Taxis and mini buses are common in St. Lucia.

Ports and harbors: Castries (Cruise Ships, Ferries, Yachts); Rodney Bay, Marigot Bay, Vieux Fort (Yachts).
 

Politics

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the Ambassador to Saint Lucia resides in Bridgetown (Barbados). 

Ethnic groups: black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%. 

Government type: constitutional monarchy. 

Legal system: based on English common law. 

Literacy: 67% (male: 65%, female: 69%). 

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3%. 
 

Economy

Agriculture products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa. 

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity $4,100 (1997 est.). 

Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing. 

Natural resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential. 

Partners: US, Caricom countries, UK, Japan, Canada. 

Unemployment rate: 15% (1996 est.). 
 

Radio frequencies
 

BBC World Service MHz 17.72 15.22 6.195 5.975

Voice of America: MHz 13.74 11.70 6.130 5.995