St. Lucia

Location

13 53 N, 60 68 W, nestled between Martinique and St. Vincent in the heart of the Caribbean (see map).

Area

620 sq km with 158 km of coastline. St. Lucia is volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys, and although characterised by the famous twin Piton mountains on the west coast, the highest point (Mt. Gimie at 950m) is further inland (see map).

Climate

Tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August.

History

Once upon a time, we were but a little speck in a vast ocean, inhabited and loved by the Carib Indians, who called their home "Hewanorra". From the towering Pitons through the tangled forests, the cascading waterfalls and teeming rivers, to the bountiful sea, these people lived amidst Nature.

Then, in 1502, Columbus happened upon this little Paradise, but, being in search of treasure rather than beauty, he moved on. However, his brief sighting of the island was enough to seal its destiny - no longer a secret St. Lucia took its place on the Cartographer's board, soon to become a landfall for the European Adventurers.

They appeared in 1605 in the person of sixty-seven stranded sailors from the "Olive Branch" who lived in uneasy hostility with the Carib Indians, until the arrival of the French in 1651 triggered a series of conflicts lasting for more than 150 years and resulting in St. Lucia changing hands fourteen times.

Despite finally being ceded to the English in 1814, St. Lucia has retained much of the French influence, which predominantly remains in our creole language, local cuisine and national dress. St. Lucia has been independent since 1979.