Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "The Land, The People, The Light" | |
| Anthem: "Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia" | |
Location of Saint Lucia (circled in red) in the Caribbean | |
| Capital and largest city | Castries 13°53′00″N 60°58′00″W / 13.88333°N 60.96667°W |
| Official languages | English |
| Vernacular languages | Saint Lucian French Creole |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | |
| Religion (2022) |
|
| Demonym | Saint Lucian |
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
| Errol Charles | |
| Philip J. Pierre | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Assembly | |
| Independence | |
| 1 March 1967 | |
• Independence from the United Kingdom | 22 February 1979 |
| Area | |
• Total | 617 km2 (238 sq mi) (178th) |
• Water (%) | 1.6 |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 184,100 (177th) |
• 2010 census | 165,595 |
• Density | 298/km2 (771.8/sq mi) (29th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $3.769 billion (177nd) |
• Per capita | $29,258 (73th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2025 estimate |
• Total | $2.715 billion (168th) |
• Per capita | $14,647 (72th) |
| Gini (2016) | 51.2 high inequality |
| HDI (2023) | 0.748 high (103rd) |
| Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
| Time zone | UTC−4 (AST) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Calling code | +1 |
| ISO 3166 code | LC |
| Internet TLD | .lc |
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km2 (238 square miles) with an officially estimated population of over 184,100 people as of mid 2023. The nation's capital and largest city is Castries.
The first proven inhabitants of the island, the Arawaks, are believed to have been the first to settle on the island in 200–400 CE. In 800 CE, the island was taken over by the Kalinago. The French were the first European colonists to settle on the island, and they signed a treaty with the native Caribs in 1660. The English took control of the island in 1663. In ensuing years, England and France fought 14 times for control of the island; consequently control over this immensely valuable geopolitical position changed frequently. Eventually, the British took complete control in 1814, shortly after the victory over French Emperor Napoleon I. Because the island switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the "Helen of the West" after the Greek mythological character, Helen of Troy.
Representative government was introduced in 1924 with universal suffrage being established in 1951. From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation. On 22 February 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state, while remaining as a Commonwealth realm.
Saint Lucia is a member of the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the World Trade Organization, CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). It is also a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.