BUSINESS & MEDIA EDUCATION GUEST BOOK SEARCH THE SITE EDUCATION LINKS FEATURED COUNTRIES Eye on Bangladesh Eye on Brazil Eye on China Eye on India Eye on Mexico Eye on Namibia Eye on South Africa St. Lucia GLOBAL EYE RESOURCE CENTRE

St. Lucia Background Information Located in the Caribbean, north of Trinidad and Tobago, St Lucia is one of the Windward Islands which are part of the West Indies. The island is 44 kilometres long and 22 kilometres wide, covering an area of approximately 616 square kilometres. St. Lucia’s climate is tropical, although moderated by north east trade winds. The dry season extends from January to April, with a rainy season from May to August. The island is mainly volcanic and mountainous, however there are broad, fertile valleys in places. The island has a population of 157,862, approximately one third of whom live in the capital city of Castries. Other towns include Gros Islet, Soufrière and Vieux Fort. St. Lucia gained independence from Britain in 1979. The official language in St. Lucia is English although a French-based patois is commonly spoken. The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar ($4EC=£1UK). Teaching Materials We have prepared a number of materials for use in the classroom. The Fast Facts, Lesson Plans and Maps pages have been carefully designed for you to print out worksheets to use straightaway in your lessons. So you don’t have to spend time modifying these pages we haven’t placed any buttons on them – just print them out directly from your browser. (You can use the back button in your browser, or select back in the Go menu, to return to the main page for each section.) Fast Facts A page of selected demographic and economic data. Lesson Plans Ideas and materials for use when teaching about this popular locality. Includes: A Rainforest Journey, with suggestions for student questions and activities. Castries, St Lucia update. Reasons for choosing Castries, St Lucia. Links A list of web sites where you can find more information about St Lucia. Maps Two maps are available – a blank outline map and a more detailed map illustrating the main physical and human features of St Lucia. Resources A list of materials available for purchase from the Worldaware Resource Centre.