The Caribbean long referred to as the West Indies till after the end of the world war 2 is made up of 7,000 islands 13 being independent island countries. Geographically, Caribbean area also includes the Caribbean Sea and all the islands located to the east of Central America and Mexico. Saint Lucia is one of the sovereign island countries in the eastern Caribbean Sea n the boundary with Atlantic Ocean. It covers an area estimate of 617 km square and has a population of 174,000 as in the year 2010.
History of St Lucia
The first known inhabitants of this interesting island were the Arawaks. It is believed that they came from Northern South America around 200-400 CE. Several specimens found in archaeological sites prove that the Arawaks practiced pottery. There is also evidence proving that the earliest inhabitants of this land called it Lounalao meaning the land of Iguanas. This is because of the large number of Iguanas found in the area. Caribs later on inherited the island from the Arawaks during the period 800 to 100 CE. They initially called the Island Hewanarau but later on changed the name to Hewanorra.
The first European exploration of the land was during Spain’s earlier exploration in 1492. The English, the French and the Dutch all tried to build trading outposts on the island but they were always met with resistant from the Carib. During this period until 1803 there were several collusion between the British and French both declaring interest on Saint Lucia but in 1803, the British triumphed over the French. In 1807, they even abolished slave trade and acquired Saint Lucia permanently in 1814. The slaves achieved full freedom in 1838. This is the same year that Saint Lucia was integrated into the British Windward Islands administration having their headquarters in Barbados. It was until 1885 that the capital was moved to Grenada.
Population
As at the year 2010, the population of Saint Lucia was 174,000. The population has been distributed evenly between the urban and the rural areas with the exception of the Castries, which is the capital. It contains more than one third of the entire population. The population is made up of Africans, mixed African-European descent and a small portion of Hindu Caribbean minority. Other unspecified group makes up the minority, which is around 2 percent of the entire population (image by bernhard.koradi).
The official language is English. However, Patwah, which is Saint Lucian Creole French, is spoken by 95 percent of the population. Creole is chiefly derived from French and West Africa languages with several vocabularies from Carib. Their culture has greatly been influenced by French, East Indian, African, and English heritage. Some of their cultural festivals include La Rose and La Marguerite. La Rose represents a native Saint Lucian society known as the order of the Rose fashioned in the mound of Rosicrucianism while La Marguerite represents its traditional rival equivalent to Freemasonry known as the order of Marguerite. Saint Lucia Jazz festival is the biggest festival of the year held in early May.
Climate and seasons
Saint Lucia experiences tropical climate, which are moderated by northeast trade winds. They have two weather seasons. These are dry and wet season. Dry season begins in 1st of December and goes through to the 31st of May while the wet season runs from 1st June to 30th November,
Tourist attractions
Tourism in Saint Lucia is popular due to the tropical climate experienced and the beautiful natural scenery found in the island. Other popular tourist attractions are the numerous beaches and resorts, drive-in volcano, sulfur springs, botanical gardens, Majestic twin Peaks ”Pitons”, a rain forest and an island National park.
If you are planning for a family St Lucia holidays gateway, choosing this island as your tour destination is a safe bet. Ensure you book your flight on time, plan for your accommodations in time and ensure that you have your driving license to help you rent a car to explore this beautiful island.
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Feature image by Grijze Doffer