Saint Lucia, one of the Windward Islands, is named for Saint
Lucy of Syracuse. It is an island nation in the eastern Caribbean
Sea and part of the Lesser Antilles. The island switched
between British and French control
14 times until, in February of 1979, it became an independent
state of the Commonwealth of Nations.
This small lush tropical island about 3.5 times the size of Washington D.C. is relatively unknown. It is 27 miles long and 14 miles wide. It is a volcanic island and is more mountainous than most other islands in the Caribbean. Twin coastal peaks called the Pitons, rise 2,000 feet.
The capital and largest city of Saint Lucia is Castries. Approximately one third of the population of 170,679 lives in the capital. Some 90 percent of the population is of African descent. English is the official language, but Kwéyòl, a Creole language which evolved from French, Carib and African languages is spoken by 90 percent of the population.
The majority of the population is Roman Catholic.
The parliamentary government of Saint Lucia has been headed by Prime Minister Stephenson King since September 2007. Offshore banking and tourism are the island’s main source of revenue. The primary product is bananas.
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