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<\/a>The French were the first Europeans to settle on the island. They signed a treaty with the native Island Caribs<\/a> in 1660. England took control of the island from 1663 to 1667. In ensuing years, it was at war with France fourteen times, and the rule of the island changed frequently (it was ruled seven times each by the French and British). In 1814, the British took definitive control of the island. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the “Helen of the West” after the Greek mythological character, Helen of Troy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Representative government came about in 1840 (universal suffrage was established in 1953). From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation<\/a>. On 22 February 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first proven inhabitants were the Arawaks, though there may have been other native peoples prior to this. The Arawak are believed to have come from northern South America sometime around AD 200\u2013400, as there are numerous archaeological sites on the island where specimens of their well-developed pottery have been found.<\/p>\n The more aggressive Caribs arrived around AD 800, and seized control from the Arawaks by killing their men and assimilating the women into their own society. They called the island Hewanarau, and later Hewanorra (Io\u00fcanalao, or “there where iguanas<\/a> are found”).<\/p>\n Christopher Columbus<\/a> may have sighted the island during his fourth voyage in 1502, since he made landfall on Martinique, yet he does not mention the island in his log. Juan de la Cosa<\/a> noted the island on his map of 1500, calling it El Falcon, and another island to the south Las Agujas. A Spanish c\u00e9dula<\/a> from 1511 mentions the island within the Spanish domain, and a globe in the Vatican made in 1520, shows the island as Sancta Lucia.<\/p>\n In the late 1550s, the French pirate Fran\u00e7ois le Clerc<\/a> (known as Jambe de Bois, due to his wooden leg) set up a camp on Pigeon Island<\/a>, from where he attacked passing Spanish ships. In 1605, an English vessel called the Oliphe Blossome was blown off-course on its way to Guyana, and the 67 colonists started a settlement on Saint Lucia, after initially being welcomed by the Carib chief Anthonie. By 26 September 1605 only 19 survived following continued attacks by the Carib chief Augraumart, so the settlers fled the island.<\/p>\n In 1664, Thomas Warner (son of Sir Thomas Warner<\/a>, the governor of St Kitts<\/a>) claimed Saint Lucia for England. He brought 1,000 men to defend it from the French, but after only two years, only 89 survived with the rest dying mostly due to disease. In 1666, the French West India Company<\/a> resumed control of the island, which in 1674 was made an official French crown colony as a dependency of Martinique.<\/p>\n Both the British and the French found the island attractive after the slave-based sugar industry developed, and during the 18th century the island changed ownership or was declared neutral territory a dozen times, although the French settlements remained and the island was a de facto French colony well into the eighteenth century.<\/p>\n In 1722, George I of Great Britain<\/a> granted both Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent to The 2nd Duke of Montagu<\/a>. He in turn appointed Nathaniel Uring<\/a>, a merchant sea captain and adventurer, as deputy-governor. Uring went to the islands with a group of seven ships, and established settlement at Petit Carenage. Unable to get enough support from British warships, he and the new colonists were quickly run off by the French.<\/p>\n During the Seven Years’ War<\/a>, Britain occupied Saint Lucia for a year. Britain handed the island back to the French at the Treaty of Paris in 1763<\/a>. Like the English and Dutch on other islands, the French began to develop the land for the cultivation of sugar cane as a commodity crop on large plantations in 1765.<\/p>\n The British occupied the island again between 1778 and 1784.<\/p>\n In 1803, the British regained control of the island.<\/p>\n France and Great Britain continued to contest Saint Lucia until the British secured it in 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris<\/a> ending the Napoleonic Wars. Thereafter, Saint Lucia was considered part of the British Windward Islands colony<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Second World War<\/a> visited the island directly during the Battle of the Caribbean<\/a>, when a German U-boat attacked and sank two British ships in Castries harbor on 9 March 1942.<\/p>\n In the mid-twentieth century, Saint Lucia joined the West Indies Federation (1958\u20131962) 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. In 1979, it gained full independence under Sir John Compton<\/a> of the conservative United Workers party (UWP)<\/a>. The new country chose to remain within the British Commonwealth and to retain Queen Elizabeth as Monarch, represented locally by a Governor-General<\/a>.<\/p>\n The volcanic island of Saint Lucia is more mountainous than most Caribbean islands, with the highest point being Mount Gimie<\/a>, at 950 meters (3,120 feet) above sea level. Two other mountains, the Pitons, form the island’s most famous landmark. They are located between Soufri\u00e8re and Choiseul<\/a> on the western side of the island. Saint Lucia is the only island in the world that contains a drive-in volcano. Forests cover about 77% of the land area.<\/p>\n There are a number of small islands off the coast, the largest of which are the Maria Islands in the south-east.<\/p>\n The capital city of Saint Lucia is Castries (population 60,263) where 32.4% of the population lives. Other major towns include Gros Islet, Soufri\u00e8re, and Vieux Fort. The population tends to be concentrated around the coast, with the interior more sparsely populated, due to the presence of dense forests.<\/p>\n The United Nations categorizes Saint Lucia as a Small Island Developing State<\/a>, a designation similar to a developing country with a few substantial differences due to Saint Lucia’s island nature. The services sector accounted for 82.8% of GDP, followed by industry and agriculture at 14.2% and 2.9%, respectively.<\/p>\n An educated workforce and improvements in roads, communications, water supply, sewerage, and port facilities have attracted foreign investment in tourism and in petroleum storage and transshipment. However, with the US, Canada, and Europe in recession, tourism declined by double digits in early 2009. The recent change in the European Union import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia.<\/p>\n Saint Lucia has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, which is Saint Lucia’s main source of revenue. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Despite negative growth in 2011, economic fundamentals remain solid, and GDP growth should recover in the future.<\/p>\n Inflation has been relatively low, averaging 5.5 percent between 2006 and 2008. Saint Lucia’s currency is the East Caribbean Dollar (EC$)<\/a>, a regional currency shared among members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECU). The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCL)<\/a> issues the EC$, manages monetary policy, and regulates and supervises commercial banking activities in member countries. In 2003, the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy, including elimination of price controls and privatization of the state banana company.<\/p>\n Tourism is vital to Saint Lucia’s economy. Its economic importance is expected to continue to increase as the market for bananas have become more competitive. Tourism tends to be more substantial during the dry season (January to April), often referred to as the tourist season. Saint Lucia tends to be popular due to its tropical weather and scenery and its beaches and resorts.<\/p>\n Other tourist attractions include a drive-in volcano, Sulphur Springs<\/a> (in Soufri\u00e8re), zip lining in at Sault Falls, Dennery, the Botanical Gardens<\/a>, the Majestic twin Peaks “The Pitons”, a world heritage site, the rain forests, several options of boat trips, Frigate Island Nature Reserve (Operated by the St. Lucia National Trust), Dennery, and Pigeon Island National Park, which is home to Fort Rodney, an old British military base.<\/p>\n The majority of tourists visit Saint Lucia as part of a cruise. Most of their time tends to be spent in Castries, although Soufriere<\/a>, Marigot Bay, Rodney Bay and Gros Islet are also tourist destinations.<\/p>\n Saint Lucia is served by two airports. Larger jets arrive at Hewanorra International Airport<\/a> located in Vieux Fort<\/a>, 40 miles South of Castries<\/a> (which is the island’s capital and largest city). Smaller inter-island planes land at George F.L. Charles Airport<\/a>, just outside of Castries. Many major airlines serve Saint Lucia. Several smaller airlines fly to George F.L. Charles via neighboring islands.<\/p>\n Cruise ships enter the main seaport at Castries, and dock at one of the facilities there. Fast and modern catamaran can be booked for travel to and from the islands of Martinique<\/a>, Guadeloupe<\/a>, and Dominica<\/a>. Yachts dock at various facilities in Castries, Marigot Bay<\/a>, or Rodney Bay.<\/a><\/p>\n Saint Lucia’s mini buses offer inexpensive transportation and run until approximately 10 pm (longer on Friday nights when the weekly “jump up” takes place at Gros Islet<\/a>). All buses are registered with a green ‘M’ license plate and labelled with a yellow sticker on the front of the vehicle, signifying their route.<\/p>\n Taxis are widely available at the airports and city centers. Fares are not metered, but rather fixed for each destination. Taxi drivers can confirm the cost and currency (EC$ or US$) of the fare before each trip is made. Taxi license plates are red or blue, and begin with the letters TX.<\/p>\n The flag of Saint Lucia consists of a cerulean blue field charged with a yellow triangle in front of a white-edged black isosceles triangle. Adopted in 1967 to replace the British Blue Ensign defaced with the arms of the colony, it has been the flag of Saint Lucia since the country became an associated state of the United Kingdom that year. Although the overall design of the flag has remained unchanged, specific aspects of it have been altered over the years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Castries-300x150.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
Pre-Colonial Period:<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Early European Period:<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>French Colony:<\/h3>\n
18th and 19th Centuries:<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>20th Century:<\/h3>\n
Geography:<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/Gros-Islet-and-Rodney-Bay-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Flag of Saint Lucia:<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>