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St Lucia - Geography

St Lucia is part of the Windward Islands group, which form an arc jutting out from the Eastern Caribbean into the Atlantic. It lies south of Dominica and north of Barbados.

Area: 616 sq km

Main towns: Castries (capital, pop. 65,000 in 2006), Vieux Fort (4,600), Micoud (3,400), Soufričre (2,900), Dennery (2,900), Gros Islet (2,400).

Topography: St Lucia is a pear-shaped mountainous island of volcanic origin, 43km long. In the centre of the island, Mt Gimie rises to 950m, while Gros Piton (798m) and Petit Piton (750m) lie to the west, rising sheer out of the sea. Sulphurous springs, steam and gases bubble out of a volcanic crater a few kilometres from Petit Piton. The mountains are intersected by short rivers, debouching in places into broad fertile valleys.

Climate: The hot tropical climate is moderated all year round by the north-east trade winds. The dry season is January to April, the rainy season May to November.

Environment: The most significant environmental issues are deforestation and soil erosion, particularly in the north of the island.

Vegetation: With its economy traditionally based on agriculture, about 30% of the land area is under cultivation. Elsewhere there is rainforest with exotic and varied plant-life, many with brilliant flowers. Forest covers about 15% of the land area.

Wildlife: This small island has rich birdlife including several unique species, for example the St Lucia oriole and the St Lucia black finch. The St Lucia parrot was the subject of a successful conservation programme established in 1978 which raised the population from some 150 birds to over 400. Native reptiles include the St Lucia tree lizard and the pygmy lizard.

Transport: There are 1,210km of roads, mainly unpaved. The main cross-island route runs from Castries in the north to Vieux Fort in the south.

The main ports are Castries and Vieux Fort. A fast catamaran service operates between St Lucia, Martinique and Dominica. Several cruise lines call at the island.

Hewanorra International Airport lies 67km south of Castries and George F L Charles, 3km to the north-east.