St. Lucia Country & Tourist Information

Location
Eastern Caribbean, Windward Islands.

Area
616.3 sq km (238 sq miles).

Population
165,000 (UN estimate 2007).

Population Density
267.7 per sq km.

Capital
Castries.
Population: 67,000 (official estimate 2004).

Government
Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1979.

Language
English and local French patois.

Religion
Majority Roman Catholic (78%) with some Anglican, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist and Baptist.

Time
GMT - 4.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Head of Government
Stephenson King has been Prime Minister since September 2007.

Head of State
Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor General Calliopa Pearlette Louisy since 1997.

Recent History
Sir John Compton’s United Worker Party ousted Kenny Anthony’s St Lucia Labor Party in the December 2006 elections. The main campaign issues were high unemployment and rising levels of crime. John Compton previously led St Lucia from 1964-1979 and again from 1982-1996. He came out of retirement in 2005 and was 81 at the time of his most recent victory. In May 2007, Compton became ill and appointed Minister for Health Stephenson King as acting Prime Minister. After Compton passed away on September 7, 2007, King was sworn in as the island’s new Prime Minister.

Telephone
Country code: 1 758.

Mobile Telephone
Coverage is good. Mobile phones are available to hire. Operators on St Lucia have not yet declared roaming agreements with international mobile phone companies.

Internet
Public access is available at the Internet kiosk at Pointe Seraphine. Other Internet cafes are also available across the island.

Media
St Lucia’s newspapers and broadcasters are mainly privately owned. There are no daily newspapers. The government operates a radio network.

Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes up to one week.

Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1630, Sat 0900-1330.

Press
• The main newspapers are The Crusader, The Mirror, The Star and The Voice of St Lucia.
• Visions Magazine is published by the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association.

Radio
•Radio Saint Lucia (RSL) is a state-owned network.
•Other stations are Radio Caribbean International, Radio 100 and Hot FM.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2009-December 2010 period.

2009
1-2 Jan New Year.
22 Feb Independence Day. 
10 Apr Good Friday. 
13 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day. 
1 Jun Whit Monday.
11 Jun Corpus Christi.
1 Aug Emancipation Day.
2 Oct Thanksgiving Day.
13 Dec National Day. 
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2010
1-2 Jan New Year.
22 Feb Independence Day. 
2 Apr Good Friday. 
5 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day. 
24 May Whit Monday.
3 Jun Corpus Christi.
1 Aug Emancipation Day.
2 Oct Thanksgiving Day.
13 Dec National Day. 
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Contact Information:

St Lucia High Commission in the UK
1 Collingham Gardens, London SW5 0HW, UK
Tel: (020) 7370 7123.
Website: www.stlucia.gov.lc
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0930-1730, Fri 0930-1700.

St Lucia Tourist Board in the UK
1 Collingham Gardens, London SW5 0HW, UK
Tel: (020) 7341 7000.
Website: www.stlucia.org

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.caribbean.co.uk 

Embassy of St Lucia in the USA
3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Tel: (202) 364 6792.
Website: www.sluonestop.com

St Lucia Tourist Board in the USA
9th Floor, 800 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 867 2950 or 1 800 456 3984.
Website: www.stlucia.org


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