Caribbean · North AmericaSaint Lucia
Discover Saint Lucia - a volcanic Caribbean island famous for its twin Piton peaks, two Nobel Prize winners, and the most dramatic scenery in the Lesser Antilles.
Where Is Saint Lucia?
Saint Lucia is a country in the Caribbean, North America. Its capital is Castries.
- Capital Castries
- Population 180K
- Area 616 km²
Saint Lucia is the Caribbean island that two empires could not stop fighting over. The British and French traded control of this small volcanic island fourteen times between 1660 and 1814, and the result is a place where people speak English officially but Saint Lucian Creole at home, where villages have French names and cricket is the national passion, and where the culture is an intoxicating blend of both colonial legacies with deep African and Caribbean roots.
The island's most famous landmarks are the Pitons - twin volcanic spires rising dramatically from the sea near Soufriere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most photographed landscapes in the Caribbean. But Saint Lucia's most remarkable statistic has nothing to do with scenery: this island of fewer than 200,000 people has produced two Nobel Prize winners, giving it the highest ratio of Nobel laureates to population of any country on Earth. Sir Arthur Lewis won for Economics and Derek Walcott for Literature. For a tiny island in the eastern Caribbean, that is an extraordinary intellectual achievement.
At a glance
Largest cities in Saint Lucia
Castries
Soufriere
Vieux Fort
Famous people from Saint Lucia
Derek Walcott
LiteratureNobel Prize in Literature winner (1992) whose epic poem Omeros reimagined Homer through a Caribbean lens
Sir Arthur Lewis
ScienceNobel Prize in Economics winner (1979) for his work on economic development in developing countries
Levern Spencer
SportRecord-breaking high jumper who represented Saint Lucia at four consecutive Olympic Games
Traditional cuisine of Saint Lucia
- Green Fig and Saltfish
- National dish of boiled green bananas (called figs locally) with salted cod sauteed in onions, peppers, and herbs
- Bouyon
- Hearty creole soup of dasheen, yam, plantain, dumplings, and meat or fish in a rich seasoned broth
- Accra
- Spiced saltfish fritters, a popular street snack with roots in West African cooking traditions
- Cocoa Tea
- Rich hot chocolate drink made from locally grown cocoa sticks grated into spiced milk, a beloved breakfast staple
Nature and landmarks in Saint Lucia
- The PitonsMountain
- UNESCO World Heritage twin volcanic spires - Gros Piton (770m) and Petit Piton (743m) - the iconic symbols of Saint Lucia
- Sulphur SpringsLandmark
- The world's only drive-in volcano near Soufriere, with bubbling mud pools, hot springs, and sulphurous steam
- Pigeon IslandIsland
- National landmark and historical park connected to the mainland by a causeway, site of the annual Jazz Festival
- Diamond FallsRiver
- Waterfall in a botanical garden near Soufriere, where mineral-rich water creates rainbow-colored cascades
- Anse Chastanet ReefCoast
- One of the best shore-diving sites in the Caribbean, with coral gardens accessible directly from the beach beneath the Pitons
Sports in Saint Lucia
- Cricket
- Part of the West Indies cricket team, with passionate local cricket culture and the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground
- Athletics
- Levern Spencer represented Saint Lucia at five Olympics in high jump, the island's most decorated track and field athlete
Did you know?
Saint Lucia has the highest number of Nobel Prize winners per capita of any country - two laureates from fewer than 200,000 people
The island changed hands between Britain and France fourteen times, more than any other Caribbean island
The Pitons are the remains of volcanic activity that occurred around 200,000 to 300,000 years ago
Saint Lucia's Sulphur Springs near Soufriere is marketed as the world's only drive-in volcano
The annual Saint Lucia Jazz Festival is one of the premier music events in the Caribbean
Read more about Saint Lucia
Can you find Saint Lucia on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Saint Lucia and its neighbours without a second thought.
