Saint Lucia is a sovereign island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean.Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km2 (238.23 sq mi) and reported a population of 165,595 in the 2010 census. Its capital is Castries.
The French were the island’s first European settlers. They signed a treaty with the native Carib Indians in 1660. England took control of the island from 1663 to 1667. In ensuing years, it was at war with France 14 times, and rule of the island changed frequently (it was ruled seven times each by the French and British). In 1814, the British took definitive control of the island. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the “Helen of the West Indies”.
Representative government came about in 1840 (with universal suffrage from 1953). From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. On 22 February 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations associated with the United Kingdom. Saint Lucia is a mixed jurisdiction, meaning that it has a legal system based in part on both the civil law and English common law. The Civil Code of St. Lucia of 1867 was based on the Quebec Civil Code of 1866, as supplemented by English common law-style legislation. It is also a member of La Francophonie.
Access : Coordinates:13.883333, -60.966667 / By Air : From North America, direct service to Saint Lucia is available on American Airlines from Miami , Charlotte and Philadelphia on JetBlue from New York and Boston on Delta from Atlanta and on United Airlines from New Jersey and Chicago. Air Canada and WestJet also fly direct from Toronto year round, whilst direct service from Montreal is available at peak times of the year on Air Canada . Virgin Atlantic offers five weekly flights from Gatwick and British Airways provides seven weekly flights, also direct from Gatwick.
A weekly service is however available direct from Manchester on Fly Thomas Cook and from Germany on Condor, at peak times of the year. Inter-island travel is well serviced by several airlines including LIAT, Air Caraibes, Air Antilles and Caribbean Airlines. by Ferrie : If you prefer to do much of their traveling on the water will find that Saint Lucia is well serviced by ferries, making it easy to include Saint Lucia in any island hopping tour. get around : Minibuses and Taxis Minibuses serve as the main ground transportation for the island. These buses run on varied times depending on the route. Fares range from EC$2.50
Highlights :
- Sugar Beach
- Anse Mamin
- Pigeon Island National Landmark
- Mamiku Gardens
- Sulphur Springs
- Sandy Beach
- Cas en Bas Beach is one of the island’s best kitesurfing spots.
- Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens & Mineral Baths
Go next : Martinique , a Caribbean island that is an overseas department of France in the Caribbean Sea, north of St. Lucia and south of Dominica / Barbados
