New Zealand (2006) | Saint Lucia (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | 16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast | 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 21.1% (male 439,752/female 419,174)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,374,850/female 1,361,570) 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 210,365/female 270,429) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years: 29.8% (male 25,941/female 24,319)
15-64 years: 65% (male 53,916/female 55,582) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 3,186/female 5,514) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, lamb and mutton, dairy products; fish | bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa |
Airports | 118 (2006) | 2 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 45
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 4 (2006) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 73
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 40 (2006) |
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Area | total: 268,680 sq km
land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands |
total: 616 sq km
land: 606 sq km water: 10 sq km |
Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. | The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979. |
Birth rate | 13.76 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 19.68 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $43.1 billion
expenditures: $37.57 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
revenues: $141.2 million
expenditures: $146.7 million; including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: Wellington
geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island |
name: Castries
geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate with sharp regional contrasts | tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August |
Coastline | 15,134 km | 158 km |
Constitution | consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 | 22 February 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Lucia |
Death rate | 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.08 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $42.84 billion (2005 est.) | $257 million (2004) |
Dependent areas | Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland |
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York |
Disputes - international | asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) [see Antarctica] | joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $99.7 million | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $-21.5 million (2004) |
Economy - overview | Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has risen for six consecutive years and was more than $24,000 in 2005 in purchasing power parity terms. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth. Exports are equal to about 22% of GDP. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. | Changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be cut. |
Electricity - consumption | 37.03 billion kWh (2003) | 261.4 million kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 39.82 billion kWh (2003) | 281 million kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species | deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census) | black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1% |
Exchange rates | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001) | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Sir John COMPTON (since 15 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
Exports | 30,220 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery | bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil |
Exports - partners | Australia 21.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 10.6%, China 5.1%, UK 4.7% (2005) | France 29.3%, US 17.4%, China 17%, UK 13.1%, Brazil 6.2% (2005) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation | blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4.3%
industry: 27.3% services: 68.4% (2005 est.) |
agriculture: 7%
industry: 20% services: 73% (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.3% (2005 est.) | 5.1% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 41 00 S, 174 00 E | 13 53 N, 60 58 W |
Geography - note | about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world | the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA (1991 est.) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | 119,700 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics | food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels |
Imports - partners | Australia 20.9%, US 11%, Japan 11%, China 10.9%, Germany 4.9% (2005) | US 24.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Netherlands 14.5%, Venezuela 5.6%, UK 5.6%, France 4.7% (2005) |
Independence | 26 September 1907 (from UK) | 22 February 1979 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | -2.5% (2005 est.) | -8.9% (1997 est.) |
Industries | food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining | clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
total: 13.17 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3% (2005 est.) | 2.9% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 2,850 sq km (2003) | 30 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - Judges appointed by the Governor-General | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) |
Labor force | 2.13 million (2005 est.) | 43,800 (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 10%
industry: 25% services: 65% (1995) |
agriculture: 21.7%
industry: 24.7% services: 53.6% (2002 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005) |
arable land: 6.45%
permanent crops: 22.58% other: 70.97% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), Maori (official) | English (official), French patois |
Legal system | based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on English common law |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including seven Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 17 September 2005 (next to be held not later than 15 November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NZLP 41.1%, NP 39.1%, NZFP 5.72%, Green Party 5.3%, Maori 2.12%, UF 2.67%, ACT New Zealand 1.51%, Progressive 1.16%; seats by party - NZLP 50, NP 48, NZFP 7, Green Party 6, Maori 4, UF 3, ACT New Zealand 2, Progressive 1 note: results of 2005 election saw the total number of seats increase to 121 because the Maori Party won one more electorate seat than its entitlement under the party vote |
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; 6 members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 2 after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.81 years
male: 75.82 years female: 81.93 years (2006 est.) |
total population: 73.84 years
male: 70.29 years female: 77.65 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 90.1% male: 89.5% female: 90.6% (2001 est.) |
Location | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
Map references | Oceania | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
Merchant marine | total: 13 ships (1000 GRT or over) 136,361 GRT/124,972 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 2, Germany 1, Isle of Man 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Cook Islands 1, Dominica 4, France 1, UK 1) (2006) |
- |
Military branches | New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006) | no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.147 billion (FY03/04) | NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (FY02) | NA |
National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) | Independence Day, 22 February (1979) |
Nationality | noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand |
noun: Saint Lucian(s)
adjective: Saint Lucian |
Natural hazards | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity | hurricanes and volcanic activity |
Natural resources | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone | forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential |
Net migration rate | 3.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | -1.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Pipelines | condensate 224 km; gas 1,693 km; liquid petroleum gas 45 km; oil 280 km; refined products 288 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] | National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Sir John COMPTON] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 4,076,140 (July 2006 est.) | 168,458 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.99% (2006 est.) | 1.29% (2006 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Railways | total: 4,128 km
narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2005) |
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Religions | Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census) | Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, Rastafarian 2.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; 8 satellite earth stations - 1 InMarSat (Pacific Ocean), 7 other |
general assessment: adequate system
domestic: system is automatically switched international: country code - 1-758; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,800,500 (2004) | 51,100 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3.53 million (2005) | 93,000 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations | 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997) | 2 (of which one is a commercial broadcast station and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (2004) |
Terrain | predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains | volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys |
Total fertility rate | 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.18 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3.7% (2005 est.) | 20% (2003 est.) |