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Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia (fr)
Saint Lucia (fr)
Flag of Saint Lucia
( Flag of Saint Lucia )
Motto : "The Land, the People, the Light" (The Land, the People, the Light)
map
Official language English
Capital Castries
14 00'N 61 00'W / 14, -61
Largest city Castries
Form of State Commonwealth
- Queen
- Governor General
- Prime Minister
- Elizabeth II
- Pearlette Louisy
- Stephenson King
Area
- Total
- Water (%)
Ranked 175th
620 km 2
1.6% / Negligible
Population
- Total ( 2008 )
- Density
Ranked 176th
172 884 inhabitants.
279 inhabitants / km 2
Independence
- Date
The United Kingdom
22 February 1979
Demonym Saint-Lucien
HDI ( 2004 ) Increase 0.790 (medium) ( 71 )
Currency Eastern Caribbean Dollar ( XCD )
Time Zone UTC -4
National anthem Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia
Internet domain . Lc
Indicative
Telephone
+1-758
Map of Saint Lucia

St. Lucia, in English is an island state of West Indies. Located on the eastern edge of the Caribbean , St. Lucia is one of the Windward Islands and is situated between the south, the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , south-east of Barbados and north, the Martinique. Its area is 620 square kilometers with a population estimated at 160,000 inhabitants. Its capital is Castries.

Summary

/ / History
Main article: History of Saint Lucia.

Named in honor of Lucy of Syracuse , the island is visited for the first time by Europeans in 1500 and settled first by France , which signed a treaty with the Caribbean in 1660. The island was then disputed between France and the United Kingdom , which obtains complete control in 1814. A local representative government is established in 1924. The country became independent on 22 February 1979 , as a member of the Commonwealth. He joined the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in 1981. St. Lucia is on the blacklist of uncooperative tax havens by France in February 2010.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Saint Lucia.

As a Commonwealth realm , Saint Lucia recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and is represented on the island by a Governor General. The executive, however, is in the hands of Prime Minister and his cabinet , and the Governor General acts on the advice of the latter. After the elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the Assembly is usually appointed prime minister by the Governor General, which shall also appoint the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Parliament of Saint Lucia is bicameral. The lower house , the Assembly (House of Assembly), has 17 seats designated universal suffrage live for five years. The upper house , the Senate (Senate) has 11 members appointed by the Governor General.

St. Lucia is a member of the Caribbean Community , the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States and the International Organisation of Francophonie.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Saint Lucia.
Map of St. Lucie.png.

The island of St. Lucia is part of the arc of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles. It is bordered on the west by the Caribbean Sea and east by the Atlantic Ocean itself.

St. Lucia is a volcanic island and rises 950 m above sea level at Mount Gimie. Two other volcanoes, the Gros Piton and Petit Piton are located between Soufrire and Choiseul on the western part of the island.

The capital of Saint Lucia is Castries , where live a third of the population. Other major cities are Gros Islet , Soufriere and Vieux Fort. The climate is tropical , moderated by trade winds from the northeast, and has a dry season from January to April and a rainy season from May to December.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Districts of Saint Lucia.
Districts of Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia is divided into 11 districts (quarters in English):

  1. Anse la Raye
  2. Castries
  3. Choiseul
  4. Dauphin
  5. Dennery
  6. Gros Islet
  7. Laborie
  8. Micoud
  9. Praslin
  10. Soufriere
  11. Old Fort

Saint Lucia is divided into 17 electoral districts for parliamentary elections.

Demographics

Demographic changes between 1961 and 2003 (figure in FAO , 2005). Population in thousands.

In 2008, Saint Lucia has 172 884 inhabitants. 81% of the population is of African origin, 11.9% of mixed origin, 2.4% of Indo-Caribbean or Indian and a small minority of European origin.

The English is the official language of the country, but the Antillean Creole is spoken by 80% of the population and its official use is increasing Culture

Throughout its history the island was French on three occasions, where the rich Creole culture of his own shade of French and Creole influences spoken as a second language by most islanders.

A Nobel Prize is a native of St. Lucia:

A winner of the Bank of Sweden in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Public Holidays
Date , French name Local Name Notes
January 1 New year
January 2
February 22
March 21
March 24
May 1 Labor Day
May 12
June 2
June 12
July 14 French National Day
July 15
August 1
October 1
December 13 National Day
December 25 Christmas
December 26

Codes

Saint Lucia for codes:

Miscellaneous

St. Lucia, which was the object of a fierce struggle between the English and French (in particular for its fresh water sources scarce in the Caribbean), is officially called the "Helen of the West" (the Helen Of The West) by analogy with Helen of Troy (Helen of the east), which in antiquity was the issue of a struggle between Greek and Trojan princes. This nickname is recognized officially, is present in the second verse of the national anthem of Saint Lucia: Sons and Daughters of St. Lucia.

Two winners of the Nobel Prize (born on January 23 ) for a population of only 160,000 inhabitants, St. Lucia are the countries of the world, relative to its population, has the highest proportion of successful candidates for this award.

References

See also

External Links


Countries and dependencies of America
North America

Bermuda (United Kingdom) Canada USA Greenland (Denmark) Mexico Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France)

Americas (orthographic projection). Svg
Central America
Caribbean
South America


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