Saint Lucia Map

Saint Lucia is an island nation located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean Sea, near the Atlantic Ocean. Neighboring islands include Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, and Martinique. Saint Lucia is part of an island chain in the West Indies called the Lesser Antilles, which is an arc created by volcanic activity. The southern group of islands in the Lesser Antilles is called the Windward Islands, which include, from north to south, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenadines, and Grenada.

Saint Lucia has an area of 617 square kilometers (238 square miles), and a population of about 173,765. The capital and largest city of Saint Lucia is called Castries, which is home to about 32 percent of the island's population. The island is divided eleven into quarters or parishes for administrative purposes, each headquartered in a city by the same name. The other major towns in Saint Lucia are Gros Islet, Soufriere, and Vieux Fort. The people of Saint Lucia are primarily Afro-Caribbean (about 68 percent), with a minority of Europeans, people of mixed descent, and people of native descent. The official language is English, but the vernacular language is Saint Lucian French Creole.

Saint Lucia was discovered by Europeans around 1500, and was settled by 1550, though its history before this time is unclear. The French used the island as a base, later establishing a permanent settlement in 1643, cultivating sugar cane on plantations. The British took control of the islands after the 1763 Treaty of Paris, becoming part of the British Windward Islands colony in 1814. In 1958, Saint Lucia became part of the West Indies Federation, and then the West Indies Associated States, gaining full independence in 1979.

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Last Updated On : March 13, 2013