Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is a small island nation washed by the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, a tropical paradise with beautiful beaches and exotic groves, mineral springs and SPA centers using the island’s natural volcanic resources, a unique underwater world and, finally, the world wide the famous jazz festival is what turned St. Lucia into a center of elite tourism.
Saint Lucia will offer you a variety of tropical fruits grown in wide fertile valleys: mangoes, bananas, coconuts, cocoa, oranges and grapes fill the island with sweet smells. And not a single travel guide will forget to compare the shape of the island itself with the mango fruit.
St. Lucia is loved by divers and fans of wind-related water sports: surfers catch a good wave here, and Atlantic winds blow the sails of snow-white yachts.
Hummingbird in Saint Lucia
Geographical position of Saint Lucia
The island of Saint Lucia is part of the Caribbean region, or rather, is located in the chain of the Lesser Antilles (among the Windward Islands). In the north, the St Lucia Strait is separated from Martinique, in the south by the St Vincent Strait – from the island of the same name (within the state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines). In the east it is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, in the west – by the Caribbean Sea.
Saint Lucia location on the map of the Caribbean
The island of volcanic origin has a drop-shaped form. The length from north to south is 44 and from west to east is 23 km. Area over 600 km2. Almost the entire coastline is one continuous strip of beaches.
Map of Saint Lucia
A significant part of the territory is occupied by mountains. The highest of them is Jimi (950 m), but the “visiting card” of Saint Lucia is a pair of twin mountains Big and Small Python (Gros-Python and Petit-Python). The Python area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Climate Saint Lucia
The climate of Saint Lucia is tropical trade wind. The average annual temperature is +26 in the afternoon and + 20..24 ° C at night, sea winds soften the heat. Water + 22..25 ° C. The temperature is even throughout the year, the seasons are humid. The season considered “dry” lasts from January to April; “Wet” – from May to August. However, powerful, but intermittent heavy rains, usually at the end of the day, are possible at any time of the year. Precipitation from 1500 to 3000 mm per year. In late summer – early autumn, hurricanes are possible.
Features of Saint Lucia
History of Saint Lucia
The first population of Saint Lucia, apparently, were the relatively peaceful Arawak Indians, whom the warlike Caribbean had supplanted before the discovery of the islands by the Europeans. They had to deal with them after the discovery of the island by Columbus on December 13, 1502 (on the day of St. Lucia, in whose honor the island was named).
The first to settle on the island, the British tried, but did not get along with the Caribbean. This was possible for the French, who massively imported black slaves to work on plantations.
Saint Lucia was the subject of ongoing conflict between England and France and passed from hand to hand 14 times, until in 1814 it became finally English.
Since 1979, the island received complete independence, although the Queen of Great Britain is the formal head of state. The island is governed by its representative, the Governor General.
Saint Lucia population
The population of Saint Lucia is more than 160 thousand people. The vast majority are blacks (83%) and mulattos (12%). By religion, Christians, for the most part (68%) are Catholics. The official language is English, but the local Creole language based on French is widely spread among the population – Patois.
Money in saint lucia
The national currency is the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD), which is tightly tied to the rate of the American dollar 2.7: 1. In tourist areas, US dollars are universally accepted. In hotels, most restaurants and large stores accept credit cards of major payment systems.
Tipping accepted. In restaurants and taxis expect 10-15% of the amount.
Saint Lucia Visa
Starting November 17, 2011 a visa is not required for citizens of Russia entering the territory of Saint Lucia for a period of more than 6 weeks. When passing through passport control, a passport valid for the duration of the trip, return tickets (or tickets to a third country) and confirmation of the availability of funds for the entire stay are required.
How to get to Saint Lucia
You can get to the Caribbean island by air or by sea.
The main international airport – Heawanorra (near Vieux Fort in the south of St. Lucia) connects the island with Europe and the USA, and the second airport – George FL Charles (near the capital – Castries) receives flights from neighboring Caribbean countries.
