St. Lucia

Saint Lucia is located in the eastern Caribbean Sea section of the Lesser Antilles, lying northeast of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. Saint Lucia is a mountainous volcanic island, with a land area of 617 km² of which about two thirds is covered by forest. At 950 m, Mount Gimie is the highest point on the island. Two other mountains called the Pitons are famous landmarks in Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia also consists of many small islands such as the Maria Islands in the southeast. About one third of the population lives in the capital city, Castries. More generally, the population tends to be concentrated along the coastline.

Saint Lucia has a tropical rainforest climate moderated by northeast trade winds. There are two distinct seasons, with the dry season lasting from December to May, followed by a wet season for the rest of the year with November as the wettest month. Since Saint Lucia is close to the Equator, winter and summer temperatures do not fluctuate much. Monthly average temperatures range from 25 to 27 °C. The average annual rainfall on the island is below 2 500 mm, somewhat lower on the coast and higher in the mountain rainforests. -—
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Saint Lucia is attractive to foreign businesses and investments in banking and the tourism sector. The educated workforce and improvements in infrastructure, including roads, water supply, sewerage, communications and ports contribute to a positive investment environment. Manufacturing makes a relatively small contribution to GDP, but is diverse. St. Lucia is currently trying to revitalise its banana industry. In addition, Saint Lucia exports beer, jewellery, automobiles and petroleum products. The main export destinations are the United States of America, United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago. The service sector accounts for most of the country's GDP, with agriculture playing a smaller role compared with many other SIDS. Trade, restaurants and hotels contributing about 30 per cent of the country's GDP -—
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—-. Peak tourism seasons is the dry season when cruise ships visit the ports of Saint Lucia.

Traditional cultural festivals include La Rose and La Marguerite, with their origins in secret societies representing local fraternal societies, a Saint Lucian equivalent of Freemasonry. The biggest festival of the year is the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, which is held in early May. A popular folk dance, the Kwadril, can be seen during festivities.

Saint Lucia boasts a high number of Nobel laureates relative to its population: Sir Arthur Lewis won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1979 and the poet Derek Walcott in Literature in 1992.