Visit St lucia

Saint Lucia is an island nation in the Caribbean named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse. At alternate times it has been a French and British colony, with control of the island switching back and forth between both countries at different times until Britain finally succeeded in wresting control from the French.
People who live in Saint Lucia are mostly of African descent, other ethnic groups include East Indians, Europeans as well as people from the Middle East and Asia.

Due to it's British leanings, the official language spoken in Saint Lucia is English but other language variations exist as well. One popular language which is spoken by a majority of the population but which is not an official language is a creole language mix known as Kwéyòlaka.

Unlike most other countries colonized by the British however, the predominant religion is Saint Lucia is of the Roman Catholic variation. An excess of 70% of the citizens of Saint Lucia are Roman Catholics and this is often reflected in a number of festivals which are held all round the country and which tourists are witness to.

Most cities and towns in Saint Lucia owe their origins to the French part of the country's history. The capital of the country is Castries, named after the Marquis de Castries in 1756. Before then the city was known as Carenage. Other than being the capital of Saint Lucia, Castries is one of the main tourist locations in the country featuring an assortment of hotels, restaurants and resorts. Castries is also a major port for cruise ships navigating the Caribbean seas. The main airport providing access to the city is the George F. L. Charles Airport.

Rodney Bay is another popular town in Saint Lucia, in recent times it has been associated with the blockbuster movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" which was shot on location there. One could easily mistake the bay for pictures of Monte Carlo with the amount of yachts and boats berthed there. Rodney Bay is also home to Saint Lucia's largest shopping mall as well.

Gros Islet is one of the newer towns in Saint Lucia and it is easily becoming one of the most popular. It was only recently upgraded from a village to a town and a number of important cricket tournaments are played out there at the Beausejour Cricket Grounds which hosts an average of 15,000 visitors.

So many exciting events take place in Saint Lucia and the fun isn't simple restricted to diving, boating and sightseeing events. If you're in the Gros Islet area and you're not opportune to watch the finest of West Indian cricket, you can opt for the Friday Night Jump Up event instead, it offers some of the best and most replete examples of the excitement in Saint Lucian nightlife.

If you're in Saint Lucia in May, you wouldn't want to miss the all-important Jazz festival. Artists come to the country from all over the world for this event and despite its name, it isn't restricted to Jazz music only. The event is so huge it's ranked #2 in the Carribean, not even Jamaica comes close, Trinidad takes the top spot.

Saint Lucia enjoys typical tropical weather, not something you should be particularly bothered about, just make sure you arm yourself with the necessary bare necessities before visiting. As with other Caribbean and coastal regions, hurricane season usually comes with torrential rain and other such conditions, not that any of this should stop you from enjoying the beauty of the Island and what it has to offer.

by Trevor Fordyce -

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