SAINT LUCIA
SAINT LUCIA
Saint Lucia is undoubtedly one of the most exotic islands in the world, and equally one of the fastest developing. The Caribbean island is just 14 miles wide and 20 miles long, and while one of the smallest islands, Saint Lucia hauls over half a million of visitors each year. Saint Lucia is famous for its most photographed feature, the Pitons, but tourism really needs to thank the sunny tropical climate and the warm welcome of the Saint Lucians.
Of course, the island possesses the stereotypical highlights of a paradisiacal holiday in any of the Caribbean chain of islands. And knowing what makes Saint Lucia uniquely attracting is more than a desired ordeal. Its story creates character. For 150 years, the English and French fought over the island, and not too long after, Saint Lucia became a pirate hideout. Witness as Saint Lucia steps out into the world as a quiet and charming Caribbean island paradise.
GEOGRAPHY
Saint Lucia (13 53 N, 60 58 W) is one of the smallest islands of the Caribbean chain only 616 km2 in area – 193rd in world area. The island paradise lies north of the Trinidad and Tobago, between the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Saint Lucia is volcanic in nature, and thus, very mountainous (more mountainous than many other Caribbean islands) with a handful of broad, fertile valleys, sandy beaches, and forests. The twin peaks of the Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton) are famous internationally, but the highest elevation, the Mount Gimie towers 950 m above sea level.
CLIMATE
The local climate in Saint Lucia is tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds. From December to April, the island experiences the dry season, and onwards May to August, the rainy season. The islands is stricken with hurricanes and volcanic activity, but remains a delightful tropical destination anyway.
PEOPLE
Saint Lucia has a population of 161,557, making it 10th in the world for the smallest population, although population continues to grow rapidly. Saint Lucians are predominantly of African and mixed African-European descent, with small community of Indo-Caribbeans, East Indians, and unspecified ethnic groups. Migration from Saint Lucia to Anglophone countries attributes to an additional 10,000 Saint Lucian-born citizens and around 30,000 of Saint Lucian heritage. Despite its petite population, Saint Lucia boasts the world’s highest ratio of Nobel laureates produced with regard to total population, which is 2 – Sir Arthur Lewis in Economics (1979) and Derek Walcott in Literature (1992).
LANGUAGE
As a result of the French-British dispute that led to exchange of hands no less than 14 times, ENGLISH is the official language and SAINT LUCIAN CREOLE FRENCH (French patois) is widely used. These are the only 2 individual languages spoken around the island, excluding sign language that is used by the 800-8,000 deaf population of Saint Lucia.
RELIGION
Virtually all of the Saint Lucians are Christians by faith. Influenced by the French Catholic rule, Saint Lucia’s population is predominantly Roman Catholic, currently adhered to by around 114,000. The rest are Protestants (Seventh-Day Adventists, Pentecostal, Anglican, Evangelical) while others practice Rastafarian and some unspecified religons.
ATTRACTIONS
Saint Lucia, just 14 miles wide and 20 miles long, is a beach paradise no less with sandy beaches, lush forest cover, warm tropical climate, and phenomenal landscape features like the Sulphur Springs, the location of a volcano that last erupted 40,000 years ago and collapsed in on itself, and two majestic mountains, the Pitons. The striking cones south of Soufriere are one of the scenic highlights of the entire Caribbean – and the most photographed too, but the beauty of the cascading waters of the La Toraille waterfall is refreshing and stunning.
Castries is the nation’s capital that’s full of history and exotic energy of the Old and New World. You can also find the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and directly opposite it, Derek Walcott’s Square. Soufriere is the old French capital, and St. Lucia’s oldest town. Quite unlike Castries, Soufriere’s allure is in its antiquated charm, apparent in the architecture of French colonial-style houses with intricate facades. Living up to its paradisiacal stereotype, beachside is superbly relaxing and simply beautiful with beaches and resorts that travellers dream about. Saint Lucia may be unknown, but the absence of hoards of tourists will ensure your great time at the fantastic beaches or the stylish marina with the waterside bistros and cafes.
FOOD
In Saint Lucia, a traveller eats local and international food at the same time as s the scene in the stylish Rodney Bay. The Saint Lucian cuisine is perhaps as unknown as the island itself, but what you’ll discover are familiar flavours with fresh ingredients and a curious twist. St. Lucian food combines Creole, French, and West Indian flavours. You won’t second guess the Saint Lucians love for great food with festivals centred on food like Seafood Friday or Castries Coal Pot (every 2nd Saturday) that crowd the annual calendar of events. Let your feet drag you to crazy reggae nights by the beach where most likely sizzling marinated and spiced meats, like chicken, beef, and pork await. Langouste (a local lobster), callaloo soup made of spinach-like dasheen plant leaves, and lambi or conch reveal Saint Lucians’ gastronomy but is not exclusive or limited to. Saint Lucian cuisine is really about the unpredictable flavours, vibe, and community.
Josh Boorman
Editor-in-chief
Backpacking Addictz
Twitter: @backpackaddictz
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