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Climate:
St. Lucia´s tropical climate guarantees pleasant temperatures throughout the year. Cool North-Eastern breezes that come from the ocean see to a regular and natural refreshment.
The winter season has temperatures between 18° C en 31° C and is also the driest season with an occasional refreshing shower.
The summer season has temperatures between 23° C en 35° C and is also the rain season which starts in June and ends in November. There are short and usually heavy showers (often no longer than 5 minutes) with a very minor chance of a tropical storm.



Type of state:
Parliamentary democracy. The head of the state is Queen Elizabeth of England. She is represented by a governor-general. The House of Assembly has 17 seats, the Senate has 11 seats.


History:
The first visitors who set foot on shore on the quiet beaches of the island were the peaceful Arawaks-Indians. In the 9th century they were driven away by the ´wild´ Caribs-Indians until the Europeans discovered this paradise island at the time of Columbus.

French officers study the
map of the Caribbean area

The French were the first who colonized St. Lucia. The French government signed an agreement with the local population in 1660. In the period of 1663-1669 the English seized power on the island. Eventually, after 14 wars with France, the English got definitive possession of the island in 1814. St. Lucia became independent on 22 February 1979 and became one of the countries of the British Commonwealth.

Production and trade:
St. Lucia is a member of the following organizations that are involved with production, agriculture and international trade:

• Caricom
• CARIFORUM
• Food and Agriculture Organisation (United Nations)
• International Monetary Fund
• UNCTAD
• World Trade Organisation WTO

The country primarily exports products to the United Kingdom and the United States. The most important exported products are bananas, mangoes, avocados and pineapples.

The country import goods from the entire world (St. Lucia imports much more than it exports), particularly from the European Union, Japan and the United States. Consumer goods (such as electronics) make up more than 55% of the import.

Economy:
St. Lucia´s economy is traditionally based on agriculture. The former sugar cane farming has been primarily replaced by the banana industry. The ´green gold´ still has an important position with an annual export of about 110.000 tonnes.



Bananas are cleaned on a banana plantation in St. Lucia

Tourism with its very solidly built infrastructure, with respect for the maintenance of its natural beauty, is now the most important pillar of the economy. With almost 3.500 rooms and about 250.000 nights spent by tourists a year this branch annually increases with about 10%.