St.Lucia is part of the Lesser Antilles and is located north northeast of the islands of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique.  With a population of 160,765 the local language is a French-based patois but the official language is English.

St. Lucia's economy has been forced into diversification with the increased competition from Latin American bananas. The island has been able to attract foreign investment especially in its off-shore banking and Tourism industries - which are the main sources of revenue.  The manufacturing sector is becoming more diverse and the government is doing everything to revitalise its banana industry. The island's major trading partners are the United Kingdom, USA, Europe and CARICOM.

St. Lucia is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECD) and as such its currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$), which trades at US $1.00 for EC$2.70.