Central Forest Reserve
Central Forest Reserve (Forest) – one of the 11 districts in Saint Lucia has an area of 78km ². The area is not inhabited because it is a protected nature reserve.
Tourism
Tourism is vital to St. Lucia’s economy and the economic importance of such is expected to continue to increase as the market for bananas becomes more competitive. Tourism tends to be more substantial during the dry season (January to April). St Lucia tends to be popular due to its tropical weather and scenery and its large number of beaches and resorts.
Other tourist attractions include the world’s only drive-in volcano, Sulfur Springs (at Soufriere), the Botanical Gardens, the rain forests and Pigeon Island National Park, which is home to Fort Rodney, an old British military base.
The majority of tourists visit St. Lucia as part of a cruise. Most of their time tends to be spent in Castries, although Soufriere, Marigot Bay and Gros Islet are popular locations to visit. Tourists should venture from the beaten path of shops and beaches and explore the beautiful nature of St. Lucia. Marigot Bay is where a second home to the boxer George Foreman is situated.
Population
On the island of nearly 167,640 inhabitants live, this is a population density of 270 per square kilometer. The population growth is 1.1%, infant mortality is 14.8 per 1000 live births. The urban population accounts for only a share of 8%. The inhabitants of St. Lucia have an average life expectancy of 72.8 years. The literacy rate is 67%.
Official language of the island is English, also will include a base on the French Creole spoken by the locals called Patois.
Geography
The volcanic island of Saint Lucia is more mountainous than many other Caribbean islands, with the highest point being Mount Gimie, at 950 metres (3,120 ft) above sea level. Two other mountains, the Pitons, form the island’s most famous landmark. They are located between Soufrière and Choiseul on the western side of the island. Saint Lucia is also one of the few islands in the world that boasts a drive-in volcano.
The capital city of Saint Lucia is Castries, where about one third of the population lives. Major towns include Gros Islet, Soufrière and Vieux Fort. The local climate is tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds, with a dry season from January to April and a rainy season from May to December.
Politics
As a Commonwealth realm, Saint Lucia recognizes Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State of Saint Lucia, represented on the island by a Governor-General. Executive power, however, is in the hands of the prime minister and his cabinet. The prime minister is normally the head of the party winning the elections for the House of Assembly, which has 17 seats. The other chamber of Parliament, the Senate, has 11 appointed members.
Saint Lucia is a full and participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
When to Go
The western shores of St Lucia are a mighty fine place to be from December to March when the rain eases off a bit. Predictably, these are also the busiest months on the island when both the numbers of tourists and the costs of food, airline tickets and accommodation are much higher. After mid-April many of the prices drop as much as 50%. Carnival in July has not yet been overrun by visitors and can be a good way to be thrown head long into St Lucia culture.
Castries
Castries (pronounced /ˈkæstriːz/), population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 (2001-05-12), is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the West Indies. Castries is located at . The district with the same name had a population of 61 341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of 30.5 square miles (79 km²).
Castries is located in a flood plain and is actually built on reclaimed land. It houses the seat of government and the head offices of many of the businesses both foreign and local. The city’s design is in a grid pattern similar to a metropolitan city like New York but on a much smaller scale. It has a sheltered harbour which receives cargo vessels and ferry boats as well as cruise ships. It contains duty free shopping facilities such as Point Seraphine and La Place Carinage; many restaurants which offer varied menus from local to Chinese; supermarkets and many other shopping facilities. The city is well serviced by a bus system and taxi service.
St Lucia’s main post office is located in Castries. Because most parts of the country do not use standard street addresses, mail is largely sent to P.O. boxes. Any mail sent without a town name ends up in the Castries post office.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia (pronounced /ˌseɪnt ˈluːʃɪə/) is an island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It is also known as the “Helen of the West Indies” because it switched between British and French control so often it was likened to the mythical Helen of Troy.
Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands, named for Saint Lucy of Syracuse. It was first visited by Europeans in about the year 1500 and first colonized successfully by France who signed a treaty with the native Carib peoples in 1660. Great Britain took control of the island from 1663 to 1667 then went to war with France over it fourteen times, and finally took complete control in 1814. Representative government came about in 1924 (with universal adult suffrage from 1953) and from 1958 to 1962 the island was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. Finally, on February 22, 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations. The island nation celebrates this every year with a public holiday.
