`shə, –sēə), island nation (2005 est. pop. 166,000), 238 sq mi (616 sq km), West Indies, one of the Windward Islands. The capital is Castries Castries , town (1991 pop. 11,147; 1991 metropolitan area pop. 51,994), capital and commercial center of Saint Lucia. Its excellent landlocked harbor is one of the best in the West Indies. Castries was founded by the French in 1650...... Click the link for more information. . Morne Gimie (3,145 ft/959 m high) and the twin pyramidal cones known as the Pitons are the most imposing landmarks. The country is often damaged by hurricanes. The population is largely of African descent and Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion. English is the official language, but a French patois is also widely spoken. The economy is largely based on agriculture (bananas, cocoa beans, and other tropical products are exported) and tourism. Saint Lucia has diversified its industrial base and possesses an oil refinery and transshipment facilities.
History
Columbus may have sighted the island on his 1502 voyage. The British failed in their first attempts at colonization in the early 17th cent. The island was later settled by the French, who signed a treaty with the local Caribs in 1660. Thereafter Saint Lucia was much contested by the two European powers until the British secured it in 1814. It was part of the British Windward Islands colony, and joined the West Indies Federation West Indies Federation, former federation of 10 British West Indian territories formed in 1958. Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados were the principal members, but the federation included most of the Leeward and Windward islands, then under British control.
..... Click the link for more information. (1958–62) when the colony was dissolved. In 1967, Saint Lucia became one of the six members of the West Indies Associated States, with internal self-government, and in 1979 it gained full independence. Sir John Compton of the conservative United Workers party (UWP) was prime minister from 1982 to 1996, when he was succeeded by Vaughn Lewis. Kenny Anthony of the Labor party was prime minister from 1997 to 2006, when the UWP, again led by Compton, won control of parliament.
Saint Lucia
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Saint Lucia
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