St. Lucia is an Eastern Caribbean Island about 400 kilometers (210 miles) north of the island of Trinidad. St. Lucia gained its independence from Britain in 1979 but remains a member of the Commonwealth.
The island is approximately 44 kilometers (27 miles) wide and 24 kilometers (14 miles) long. Its population is circa 180,000. Castries, the capital city, is located on the northwestern coast. With a population of approximately 40,000, it serves as a cruise port.
A lush rain-forested island, St. Lucia is more mountainous than other Caribbean islands. St. Lucia is famous for the Gros and Petit Pitons, now-dormant volcanoes that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The twin peaks are on the island’s southwestern coast.
The photographs in this two-part blog are from a past adventure.
The island is abundant with tropical flowers such as the Lobster Claw. Others include: Jasmine, Bougainvillea, Bird of Paradise, Hibiscus and Oleander.
Sugar cane cultivation thrived from the mid-1700s. These plantation ruins are on the southwestern part of the island. This fresh water reservoir was constructed out of volcanic rock by African slaves in the 1800s. The cast iron boiler from the 1800s was used during the French occupancy of the island.
