On 22 February 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent country and so, today – 22 February 2023, the inhabitants of this small country celebrate the 44^th year of their independence

In the last census, held in 2010, Saint Lucia reported a population of 165,595 people in 58,920 households

Now an independent country, St Lucia, was at once a part of the British Empire

Representative government was introduced into Saint Lucia in 1924 with universal suffrage being established in 1951. From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation and in the years following a movement toward independence developed.

Resulting in St Lucia becoming an independent state on 22 February 1979

As a result of that independence St Lucia is a member of the United Nations, the Organisation of American States, the World Trade Organisation, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean Single Market & Economy, more commonly referred to as CARICOM, whose three key features are to:

1. Deepen the economic integration of its member states by advancing beyond a common market towards a Single Market and Economy.
2. Progressive insertion of the region into the global trading and economic system by strengthening trading links with non-traditional partners.
3. Widen the membership and thereby expand the economic mass of the Caribbean Community (it is worth noting that Suriname and Haiti, although not strictly speaking Caribbean countries, were admitted as full members in 1995 and 2002 respectively).

In the next paragraph below there is a question for you from the author of this piece.

Do the three key features above remind you of an organisation that Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain within, but were taken out of against their expressed democratic will?

Saint Lucia is a lively country and a popular holiday destination. It is also a developing state where the service sector is the largest sector of the economy, accounting for 86.9% of GDP in 2020, followed by the industrial sector 10.9% and agriculture 2.2%

Also worth noting is that Saint Lucia has been able to attract foreign business and investment due to its educated workforce and improvements in roads, communications, water supply, sewerage, and port facilities.

• The median age of Saint Lucians in 2021 was 33.1 years so it’s a young and developing country in every sense
• Fittingly “Sons and Daughters of Saint Lucia” is this country’s national anthem. The lyrics were written by Charles Jesse and the music by Leton Felix Thomas. It was adopted by the citizens of St Lucia and confirmed as the official national anthem upon Saint Lucia’s independence in 1979.
• December 13^th is the celebration dedicated to St Lucia and is much awaited by children in St Lucia because on board her cart, pulled by her faithful donkey, the Saint brings gifts and sweets to children on the night between the 12^th and 13^th of December.