St Lucia looks as if it belongs in the South Pacific!
The Caribbean Sea is Royal Blue, and the most famous landmark in the Caribbean - the majestic Pitons greet you at every turn. You'll find exotic, black sand beaches, numerous tropical birds, plants and exotic flowers. St Lucia is "Simply Beautiful!
Location:
St. Lucia is located in the Southeastern Caribbean, and part of the Windward Islands. The island is spread out over 238 square miles, 27 miles long, and 14 miles wide. St Lucia is North of Trinidad and Tobago.
Beaches:
St Lucia offers exotic, black sand beaches as well as beautiful, powered white sand beaches and every beach color in between from golden to beige to brown.
The island's steep coastlines and lovely reefs also offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving.
Geography:
St Lucia is volcanic in origin, and the famous Pitons are the Caribbean's most famous landmark.Soufriere means "sulfur" - and is where the jungle meets the royal blue sea.
The lush mountainous region is home to the rain forest which offers lush and colorful foliage. As you venture into the northern part of the island, moutains turn into lush hills.
The Western, or Leeward island side, is located on the Caribbean Sea, and the waves and waters are quite calm, and most of the beachfront resorts on located on this side of the island.
The Pitons -
St Lucia's Landmark
Many East Indians worked as indentured servants, and there is still a large community in Vieux Fort today. The Indians definitely influenced the islands cuisine.
The Pitons provide shelter for the most magnificent rain forests where whild orchids, huge ferns, and tropical birds flourish.
Dramatic twin peaks, the Pitons, rise 2,000 feet up from the sea, and 1,000 feet below
The forest is also home to banana, coconut, papaya and mango trees.,
The Creole Language
The French dominiated the island of St Lucia during the period of slavery. The slaves used their African language, along with French words to create what is now known as Creole.
St Lucia offers French Creole customs and English traditions
English in the official language, but the informal language of Creole is spoken by most of the resident St Lucians.
British influence can be found in the education, legal and political structures, while a French culture abounds in the arts, music, dance, and the Creole language.
One cannot talk about the culture of St Lucia without mentioning the African heritage that is also still retained on the island, and is alive in the character of present day St Lucians. .
Creole is spoken in Haiti, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and even in France. There is a special day on the island to celebrate the Creole culture, and it is called Jounen Kweyol. On this day everyone is encouraged to speak Creole, and traditional Creole foods are prepared.
The island even has a Creole version of the New Testament, and some radio announcers speak only Creole. The popularity of Creole has not been lost on Politicians, who use the language in their campaign speeches.
Be sure to visit our links at left (St Lucia Hotels) to find out more about the popular island properties that we - along with travel clients highly recommend.
The island of St Lucia has constant cooling easterly trandwind breezes coming off the coast of Africa.
The Eastern, or Windward side is on the Atlantic coast, and has big waves and surf, and swimming is not recommended, however the views of the ocean are quite breathtaking, and no island in the Caribbean quite equals the magnificient lushness, royal blue waters and colorful flowers and plants. .
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