Caribbean Community Information

St Lucia:

The island is almost entirely volcanic but the only remaining sign of volcanic activity is the sulphur springs near Soufriere, the highest peak is Mount Gimie at 950m (3117ft.). This site known as the Pitons Management Area has been designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site. The area contains the greater part of a collapsed strato-volcano known to geologists as the Soufriere Volcanic Centre. Prominent within the volcanic landscape are two spectacular eroded remnants of ancient volcanic lava forest-covered domes – the Gros Piton and Petit Piton - which rise out of the sea almost half a mile high on the west coast.

The earliest known inhabitants in Saint Lucia were the Tainos or the Arawaks a very peaceful tribe, believed to have come from northern South America (Guyana region) during 200-400 A.D. However, sometime between 800-1000 A.D. the Caribs who were cannibals came to the island and ‘devoured’ the Arawaks. Over 12 archaeological sites with remains of domestic and ceremonial artifacts, ceramic objects and cave drawings were found on the island that bore witness to their civilization.

The Dutch, English, and French tried to establish trading posts in Saint Lucia in the 16th and 17th century but were faced with fierce hostilities and opposition from man-eating Caribs. While much of Saint Lucia’s early history is vague and shrouded in mystery and myth, some historians believe that Columbus landed on December 13, 1502, while others are of the view that the island was actually discovered by Juan de la Cosa, Columbus' navigator, in 1499. Evidence shows that Columbus never set foot in Saint Lucia during any of his voyages to the West Indies, although he has been given credit for its discovery during his fourth voyage in 1502. It is claimed that a group of French seamen who were shipwrecked on the island on 13th December 1502, named the island after the Virgin-Martyr of Syracuse, “Sainte Alousie or Saint Alouzie”. This name was used by two French chroniclers, du Tertre and Pare Labat, who were in the West Indies during the 17th and 18th centuries, respectively. The Vatican globe of 1502, however, showed “Santa Lucia” as the island name, a Spanish map of 1529 has “Saint Luzia”, while the Spanish Cedula of 1511 had it as “Sancta Lucia” a possession of the Spanish Crown. Despite the controversy on the ‘discovery’ of the island, St. Lucians celebrate Discovery Day as December 13, 1502.

Over a 150-year period the island changed hands 14 times - seven times British and seven times French; which resulted in the island being dubbed "The Helen of the West". In 1814 under the Treaty of Paris it became a British colony. From then onwards until 1833, Saint Lucia was administered as a separate territorial unit, when it was annexed to the British Windward Islands Group which was comprised of Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines and Tobago, with the seat of Government at Barbados. Saint Lucia was also a member of the short lived West Indies Federation which lasted from 1958 until 1962. Saint Lucia was granted independence in 1979 and became a member of the British Commonwealth. The island continues to cooperate with its neighbors through the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the East Caribbean Common Market (ECCM), the host country of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the Regional Security System (RSS).

Saint Lucians share a French Creole and British heritage which stems from its colonial domination, as well as the influence of the Roman Catholic Church (during the period of the French colonization). The French influence is evident from the island cuisine, names of places, music, and the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church, while the British have left their mark on legal, political and professional affairs. Although the island is not bilingual (French/English) the people observe and celebrate all Catholic feast days, as well as African based festivals and English national holidays. The official and dominant language is English, however, French Creole or Patios is a native language which is widely used by the islanders. Saint Lucia’s ethnic makeup is comprised of approximately 90 per cent African, 6 per cent mixed, 3 per cent East Indian and 1 per cent European. The overall population of Saint Lucia is approximately 160,000 with at least one-third of the people living in the capital city of Castries and it's immediate suburbs.

Saint Lucia's economy depends primarily on revenue from the tourist and banana industries, with a small percentage from small-scale manufacturing. All sectors of the economy have benefited from infrastructure improvements in roads, communications, water supply, sewerage, and port facilities. These improvements, combined with a stable political environment and educated work force, have attracted foreign investors in several different sectors. Although Saint Lucia enjoys a steady flow of investment in tourism, the single most significant foreign investment is Hess Oil's large petroleum storage and transshipment terminal. In addition, the Caribbean Development Bank has funded an extensive airport expansion project.

Although banana revenues have helped fund the country's development since the 1960s, the industry is now in a terminal decline due to competition from lower-cost Latin American banana producers and soon-to-be reduced European Union trade preferences. The country is encouraging farmers to plant crops such as cocoa, mangos, and avocados to diversify its agricultural production and provide jobs for displaced banana workers.

Tourism recovered in 2004 and continued to grow in 2005, making up more than 48% of St. Lucia's GDP. The hotel and restaurant industry also grew by 6.3% during 2005. Stay-over arrivals increased by 6.5%, and the United States remained the most important market, accounting for 35.4% of the tourists.

Transparency International, the global coalition against corruption, in its 2007 Corruption Perception Index ranked Saint Lucia at the number two spot, among the 13 CARICOM member states surveyed, as having less corruption, and an overall ranking at number 24 (behind Barbados in both instances) among 179 countries, with Somalia at number 179 as the most corrupt country on the list.

TOURISM: The most popular tourist destination spot in Saint Lucia is the sulphur springs which is dormant and is the world’s only “drive-in volcano” with a collection of boiling springs, naturally heated bathing pool and fumeroles. The Sulphur Springs park is unique in that the therapeutic value of its waters is comparable to the hot springs of Onzendaki in Japan and Prezzuoli in Italy. photo gallery: http://www.soufrierefoundation.org/gallery.htm