Saint Lucia Facts, Saint Lucia Flag -- National Geographic

Fast Facts

Population:: 163,000
Capital:: Castries; 14,000
Area:: 616 square kilometers (238 square miles)
Language:: English, French patois
Religion:: Roman Catholic, Protestant
Currency:: East Caribbean dollar
Life Expectancy:: 72
GDP per Capita:: U.S. $5,400
Literacy Percent:: 67

Saint Lucia, a tropical island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, gained independence from Britain in 1979. Tropical forests cloak a mountainous interior flanked by twin volcanic peaks, known as pitons. Oil transshipment via a U.S.-built terminal and the export of manufactured goods supplement agriculture and tourism. The government is challenged by unemployment and drug-related crime.

ECONOMY

Industry: Clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes
Agriculture: Bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus
Exports: Bananas, clothing, cacao, vegetables

—Text From National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition

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