St Lucia, located in the Eastern Caribbean, boasts an eclectic blend of African, East Indian, and French cultural influences that come together in its breathtaking mountain landscape and picturesque beaches.
Belize is an integral component of Caribbean economy. Tourism and offshore banking are its main sources of income. Furthermore, exports include bananas, cardboard cartons, rum, clothing items and coconut products.
Location
Saint Lucia is a Caribbean state located within the Lesser Antilles region and part of the Caribbean Sea. Known for its natural beauty, Saint Lucia has long been popular among tourists; with the Pitons being its most striking landmark. Castries is its capital city.
Economy. Dominica relies mainly on tourism and offshore banking for economic success. Agriculture used to play an integral part of its economy but now occupies only a lesser role. Petroleum from Cul-de-Sac Power Station remains its primary energy source, although wind and solar power generation initiatives are being encouraged. Dominica is a member of both OECCS and CARICOM (Caribbean Community Association).
Derek Walcott, a Nobel Prize-winning poet, was born on St Lucia in 1941. Its government is a constitutional monarchy with the British monarch being represented by a governor-general as head of state; its bicameral parliament is elected via universal adult suffrage; its prime minister represents his or her majority party within House of Assembly; they then run government.
Saint Lucia offers a warm and sunny environment and beautiful beaches – the ideal environment for relaxation. Its rugged mountainous terrain extends underwater where snorkelers and scuba divers explore underwater mounts, caves, drop-offs and mounts. Additionally, hiking, sailing, fishing are popular activities on this tropical paradise island.
Climate
Like other tropical islands, St Lucia enjoys an almost year-round warm and sunny climate, with high temperatures remaining steady year after year. Though some wet seasons do occur from time to time, the dry season provides ample sunbathing opportunities and beachcombing activities.
Average rainfall levels depend heavily on elevation. While coastal areas experience light showers, mountains typically see heavier and longer-lasting downpours; with February to April being an especially infrequent timeframe for rainfall events.
St Lucia is an idyllic tropical destination, boasting lush rainforests and impressive waterfalls – the ideal place for anyone looking to reconnect with nature and explore all its wonders.
Island’s natural beauty is enhanced by a vibrant culture influenced by French, British, and African people who have resided here over centuries – creating an eclectic blend that can be seen in architecture, music, cuisine and more.
St Lucia’s current climateology is represented by an aggregate of temperature, precipitation and cloud cover records from nearby weather stations. This page gives users an overview of St Lucia’s local climate context so that users can compare observed and projected changes. Data are displayed as charts and graphs which users can click to display more details at either national- or subnational-scale. Moreover, Excel spreadsheets of these underlying records allow them to customize graphs or tables directly – or zoom into maps for an even deeper picture of local climate variation!
Languages
Saint Lucia’s official language is English; however, many island residents also speak Creole. Kweyol is a variation of Antillean Creole which itself draws heavily upon French as well as vocabulary from African languages and Carib Indian cultures. Additionally, English is frequently employed when making movies or television series set on St Lucia to better connect with international audiences while showing its diverse linguistic heritage.
St Lucia has an estimated population of 170,000 residents of mixed African and European descent. Castries is home to the country’s highest concentration of businesses and government offices, while locally elected governments play important roles regulating sanitation and markets. St Lucia also belongs to the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court which includes high and appeals courts.
St Lucians are an eclectic population, exhibiting various religions and customs. Most residents adhere to Christianity; most attend Roman Catholic services while a large proportion are Roman Catholic Church members. Tourism, agriculture and offshore banking dominate its economy while boasting high standards of living for St Lucians renowned for their hospitality and friendly nature.
Saint Lucia is home to two Nobel laureates – Arthur Lewis and Derek Walcott, as well as Winston Branch a painter, Winston Branch is another well-known figure from Saint Lucia. Cricketers Daren Sammy and Levern Spencer of Cricket West Indies fame are two other well-known citizens from Saint Lucia as are musician Donny B. Lord. There are various churches on Saint Lucia with strong community spirit with people encouraged to participate through volunteer programs or community organizations and political elections being held every five years on its shores.
Culture
Saint Lucia’s culture reflects its diverse heritage of African, French and English influences. Most residents practice Roman Catholicism; others follow traditional folk religions such as juju or voodoo. You can explore this rich history at Pigeon Island National Park Museum while lush rain forest preserves provide fantastic hiking and bird-watching. Other attractions on Saint Lucia include its dramatic volcanic cones that rise out of the sea in its southwest corner – Gros Piton and Petite Piton are popular choices for wedding ceremonies and hikers!
Saint Lucia has experienced decades of colonialism and remains in search of its national identity to this day. Following independence in the 20th century, it became necessary to reevaluate cultural traditions suppressed during centuries of European rule; one step was recognising Kweyol as an official language – spoken by nearly all Saint Lucians at home and around their community.
Kweyol had long been considered an insulting language spoken solely by one group – its monolingual speakers being at an unfair disadvantage – until a recent cultural movement sought to champion and celebrate it. English remains the official language, yet much effort is going into celebrating and expanding Saint Lucian culture.
Christmas in Saint Lucia is a joyful family event marked by good food and excellent company. Traditional meals on this holiday consist of caserecce (homemade pasta), roast meats, and light desserts such as caserecce. Lucia in Latin means “light,” so it makes sense that this festive holiday occurs near winter solstice. There’s also plenty of opportunity for sampling delicious gingerbread biscuits or saffron buns featuring curled-up cats with raisins for eyes as well as enjoying delicious glogg (mulled wine).
History
Saint Lucia’s economy relies on agriculture and tourism for most of its income; oil production also provides significant contributions. Saint Lucia boasts one of the highest GDPs in the Caribbean region; it belongs to both OECCS and Caribbean Community membership and boasts several World Heritage Sites such as Diamond Falls, Sulphur Springs and Diamond Waterfalls as World Heritage sites.
Saint Lucia is home to Castries as its capital city; Port Elizabeth and Gros Islet are other major ports. Saint Lucia was an important military base during World War II for the United States. Today, Saint Lucia boasts its own eggs and poultry production along with fisheries contributing significantly to its economy; electrical power sales also bring additional income.
As part of its diversity, Aruba boasts an array of blooms – such as hibiscus and orchids – which thrive despite some of the Caribbean’s highest rainfall and lush forests, where wild orchids and giant ferns thrive. Furthermore, two coastal peaks called The Pitons rise 2,000 feet from sea level with verdant fields covered with banana, coconut and papaya trees covering their mountaintops.
Saint Lucia stands out as an exception among Caribbean islands by combining strong African and East Indian roots with French Creole language Kweyol developed from people with African, East Indian, French descent. Additionally, Saint Lucia boasts two Nobel laureates – Sir Arthur Lewis and Derek Walcott.
Saint Lucia is named for Saint Lucy, who derives her name from Latin for Sophia Mater Dei (Mother of God). According to legend, French sailors shipwrecked on the island in 1562 named it in Santa Lucia’s honor after hearing of its discovery. Santa Lucia Train Station commemorates this event by bearing her bones for burial beneath its terrace, as well as placing a plaque dedicated in her honor upon its terrace terrace.