St. Lucia Country & Tourist Information

Location
Eastern Caribbean, Windward Islands.

Area
616.3 sq km (238 sq miles).

Population
152,000 (UN, 2005).

Population Density
246.63 km.

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

Government
Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1979. 
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor General Calliopa Pearlette Louisy since 1997.
Head of Government: Sir John Compton since 2006.
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.

Language
English and local French patois.

Religion
78 per cent Roman Catholic; also Anglican, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist and Baptist.

Time
GMT - 4.

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz.

Telephone
IDD is available. 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. Internet cafes are also run by Cable & Wireless.

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 (website: www.stluciamirroronline.com), The Star (website: www.stluciastar.com) and The Voice of St Lucia. Visions Magazine is published by the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association.

Radio
Helen Television Systems (HTS), Daher Broadcasting Service and Catholic Broadcasting TV Network.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1-2 Jan New Year.
3 Jan Post-election public holiday (only occurs after general elections).
22 Feb Independence Day.
6 Apr Good Friday.
9 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day.
28 May Whit Monday.
7 Jun Corpus Christi.
1 Aug Emancipation Day.
2 Oct Thanksgiving Day.
13 Dec National Day. 
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2008
1-2 Jan New Year.
22 Feb Independence Day. 
21 Mar Good Friday. 
24 Mar Easter Monday.
1 May Labor Day. 
12 May Whit Monday.
22 May 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.doitcaribbean.com

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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