Explore Fascinating Facts About St. Lucia

We’ve been lucky enough to visit the beautiful island of St. Lucia and realized that we didn’t know a lot about it before visiting. Therefore, we thought we would share a few interesting St. Lucia facts to help you feel smarter. Start taking notes, people. It’s time to start learning about this little-known island in the West Indies.

The West Indies is located between the Eastern Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Oceans. Saint Lucia is one of 13 independent island countries in the region that make up the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles.

Fun Facts about Saint Lucia

Both the Eastern Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean border St. Lucia. It is also known as Saint Lucia. Like Canada, while the monarch is the head of state, the governor-general represents her.

1. Saint Lucia is a Member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Saint Lucia is a member of the Commonwealth, just like Canada. It is a democratic nation, but King Charles is the head of State. Moreover, similar to Canada, King Charles is merely a figurehead and is represented by the Governor General.

St. Lucia has a parliamentary system, therefore it is run by a Prime Minister. The current prime minister of St. Lucia is Philip J. Pierre.

2. Saint Lucia is Small

St. Lucia is a small island at only 617 square km (238 square miles). It runs only 43 km (27 miles) long and 22 km (14 miles) wide. However, driving through St. Lucia takes time because the roads are winding and it is very mountainous. We drove that 27 miles, and it took 90 minutes!

The capital city of Saint Lucia is Castries. This is the most popular city for tourism and where all the cruise ships come into port.

The nearest islands to St. Lucia are Martinique, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines, and a little farther to the East is Barbados. You can easily see Martinique Island from the North, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines can be seen in the South on a clear day.

Interesting St. Lucia Facts

Some of the more interesting facts about Saint Lucia have a woman connection. One involves the wars of men, and another involves death.

3. St. Lucia is the Only Country in the World Named After a Woman

Saint Lucia is the only country in the world to be named after a woman. How cool is that? Saint Lucy of Syracuse was killed in 304 AD during something known as the Diocletianic Persecution. She was a Christian martyr who became Saint Lucia. French sailors apparently named it after her as they were shipwrecked upon its shores on December 13, known as Saint Feast Day.

4. Helen of the West Indies

The nickname of St. Lucia is the Helen of the West Indies. It was named after Helen of Troy because St. Lucia was constantly in the midst of a war between the French and British for two centuries. Saint Lucia was like the Trojan Horse; armies were continuously mobilizing to conquer the island but kept failing.

After all the fighting between France and England, Saint Lucia became a British territory in 1814, and the island is now a part of the Commonwealth.

More Interesting Facts and Stats

5. Official Language of Saint Lucia

English is the official language of Saint Lucia; however, we noticed many people speaking French Creole. Therefore, while English is the official language, you will notice most people converse in their own Saint Lucian French Creole.

6. Facts about St Lucia’s Flag

St Lucia’s flag is very pretty – The colors of Saint Lucia’s flag represent the blue of the sea and sky. It is an island surrounded by water, and the blue symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The yellow represents sunshine, while the white and black represent the harmony between races.

7. Saint Lucia and Slavery

Sadly, like many other Caribbean islands, slavery was a part of Saint Lucia’s past. However, slavery was abolished in 1834 on the island.

8. Saint Lucia Currency

St Lucia’s currency is the East Caribbean Dollar. An interesting fact about the East Caribbean Dollar is that it has a fixed rate of $1 USD.

9. The population of Saint Lucia

• The population of St. Lucia is 181,899.
• The population of the Capital City of Castries is 4,173.

10. St. Lucia’s Economy

Saint Lucia’s main economy is tourism. Not surprisingly, it constitutes the bulk of its GDP, as a popular Caribbean island attracting visitors from around the world. Furthermore, agriculture is also a large part of the economy, featuring products such as bananas, avocados, and mangos.

Facts about Saint Lucia Nature

11. Home to the Pitons – A UNESCO World Heritage Site

The symbol of St. Lucia is the Pitons. The Gros Piton and Petit Piton are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are not to be missed. These impressive volcanic spires or volcanic plugs jut out of the Caribbean Sea. Both of them can be hiked.

Gros Piton is 798.25 m (2618 feet) high, while Petit Piton is 743 m (2437 feet) high. It is the Pitons that make St. Lucia a contender for the most beautiful Caribbean island.

The highest point of Saint Lucia is not Gros Piton, contrary to popular belief. The highest point on the island is Mount Gimie, which rises to 959 meters (3,145 feet).

12. World’s Only Drive-In Volcano

St. Lucia houses the world’s only drive-in volcano. Yes, you heard correctly: you can drive into a volcano! The sulfur springs are located in a collapsed volcanic crater, and you can drive right up to it. Below the surface, things are still boiling, and tourists can bask in the hot springs below.

La Soufrière is the name of the volcano, which last erupted in 1776. Volcanologists are monitoring it closely, so people can continue to visit the world’s only drive-in volcano for years to come. In fact, the boiling sulfur springs help supply hot water to the town of Soufrière.

13. Saint Lucia Parrot

The Saint Lucia Parrot is the national bird of St. Lucia and is unique to the island. It is also known as the Jacquot. Unfortunately, we did not see one Saint Lucia Parrot during our stay on the island.

Famous Saint Lucians

14. Not One but Two Nobel Prize Winners

Saint Lucia has the second highest number of Nobel laureates per capita, trailing only the Faroe Islands. However, the Faroe Islands only has one laureate, while St. Lucia has two, which makes St. Lucia number one in my book.

For a small island, it is impressive to share that Saint Lucia is home to two Nobel prize winners. In 1979, Sir William Arthur Lewis won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, and in 1992, Sir Derek Walcott won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

15. Pirate History

Saint Lucia was home to pirates, with legends claiming that Blackbeard himself stashed his treasures at Vieux Fort in Southern Saint Lucia.

Pigeon Island to the south was also a hideout for pirates.

16. History of French and English

Both Pigeon Island and Vieux Fort were strategic military points on Saint Lucia. The British and the French fought over Saint Lucia for more than two centuries, with control alternating back and forth. Between the seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries, Saint Lucia changed hands 14 times. Eventually, England prevailed, and Saint Lucia became a part of the Commonwealth in 1814.

Saint Lucian Facts Food

17. Beer of Saint Lucia

The national beer of Saint Lucia is Piton Beer. Named after the island’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, Piton Beer is brewed and bottled on the island of St. Lucia, and it is delicious!

18. Saint Lucian Rum

Saint Lucia’s national spirit is rum. Like all Caribbean islands, Saint Lucia is passionate about rum. The St. Lucia Distillers is the island’s main rum distillery and produces more than 25 different varieties of rum.

19. Saint Lucia in the Movies

Saint Lucia has been prominently featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. With its stunning landscapes, it is easy to see why. Additionally, Diamond Falls was featured in “Romancing the Stone”. Other movies include Superman II, White Squall, and Dr. Doolittle.

Now you’ve encountered a wealth of fun facts about St. Lucia. Have you visited this beautiful West Indies island? If not, you might want to consider planning your trip!