St. Lucia is an island in between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean; it is located between Martinique and Saint Vincent and Grenadines.  .  The French established a permanent settlement in Saint Lucia in 1660.  Between 1660 and 1815 Saint Lucia changed hands between the British and French at least 14 times.  Each power fighting for the countries sugar revenue and natural deep water harbors.  In 1815 France gave up all rights to Saint Lucia to Great Britain.  It was ruled by Great Britain until February 22 1979, when it was given independence.  170,650 people live in Saint Lucia.  83% of the people are black, 12% where mixed, and 2% are East Indian.  The islands is about 3.5 times the size of Washington.  Today the government of Saint Lucia is a parliamentary democracy.  The Chief of State is Queen Elizabeth the 2^nd, represented by a Governor General.  The Head of Government is Prime Minister John Compton.  They have a senate and house of assembly.  The house of assembly is elected by Saint Lucian’s, and is comprised of 17 seats.  The senate has 11 seats.  Tourism is the dominant industry.  Over 700,000 tourists visited the island in 2005.  Offshore banking is the second largest industry.  41 percent of all exports are bananas.  Their main export partners are France, the US, China and the UK.  Saint Lucia imports 410 million dollars worth of goods.  Mainly, food, manufactured goods, machinery, and chemical fuels. This leaves a vast budget deficit.  Their main import partners are the US, Trinidad and Tobago, The Netherlands, Argentina, Venezuela, like many other less Antilles islands Saint Lucia is a young volcanic island.  It is a mountainous island with some broad fertile valleys.  One striking geological feature is the peaks of the twin Pitons.  The Pitons are volcanic plugs, created when lava hardens within a vent on an active volcano.