Castries - The Capital of Saint Lucia

Population
22,000
Language
English
Continent
North America
Since
1650
Eco Ranking
56/195

Source: Environmental Performance Index 2024.

About Castries

Castries has served as the administrative center of Saint Lucia since the island was formally colonized by the French in 1650. Control of the island, and its capital, changed hands fourteen times between France and Britain before Saint Lucia was finally ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Paris in 1814. This repeated transfer of sovereignty explains the island's dual French-Creole and British cultural and administrative heritage. The city was named after the Marquis de Castries, a French Minister of the Navy, during the French colonial period. Castries was largely destroyed by fire four times in the 19th and early 20th centuries, most severely in 1948, which accounts for its largely modern built form. Saint Lucia gained independence from Britain in 1979, and Castries became the capital of the new parliamentary state. It is the seat of the Governor-General (representing the Crown), the House of Assembly, and the Senate. Saint Lucia has produced two Nobel laureates per capita than any other country, economists Sir W. Arthur Lewis and poet Derek Walcott.

About Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth, with the British monarch as head of state represented by a Governor-General. The bicameral parliament consists of the House of Assembly and the Senate. Saint Lucia is a member of CARICOM and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The country gained independence on 22 February 1979. Its economy depends primarily on tourism and banana exports, with the latter having been heavily disrupted by changes to EU trade preferences in the 1990s.

View Castries on the map

View Castries - The Capital of Saint Lucia on the map

Flight time from Castries to other capitals

CityDistance (km)Flight Time
Washington, D.C.32003h 46m
Buenos Aires54006h 21m
London68008h 0m
Paris69008h 7m
Rome76008h 56m
Cape Town990011h 39m
Abu Dhabi1180013h 53m
Tokyo1410016h 35m
Canberra1620019h 4m
Singapore1760020h 42m

Capitals with similar population to Castries

CityPopulation
Majuro28,000
Victoria26,450
Nuku'alofa23,658
Andorra la Vella22,886
St. John's22,219
Castries22,000
Belmopan16,451

Capitals with similar eco ranking to Castries

CityEco Rank
Muscat52
Quito52
Tirana52
Castries56
Seoul57
Skopje59
Taipei60

Source: Environmental Performance Index 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why was Castries named after a French official if Saint Lucia is an English-speaking country?

    Castries was named during the French colonial period after the Marquis de Castries, a French Minister of the Navy. Although Britain ultimately took control of Saint Lucia in 1814, French place names, including the capital, were largely retained, reflecting the island's extended period of French colonial administration.

  • When did Castries become the capital of an independent state?

    Castries became the capital of independent Saint Lucia on 22 February 1979, when the island gained independence from Britain. Before independence, it had served as the administrative center of the British colony of Saint Lucia.

  • How many times did Saint Lucia change between French and British control?

    Saint Lucia changed hands between France and Britain fourteen times before being definitively ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Paris in 1814. This makes it one of the most frequently contested colonial territories in the Caribbean.

  • Is Castries the largest city in Saint Lucia?

    Yes, Castries is by far the largest city in Saint Lucia, with approximately 22,000 residents in the city proper. The broader Castries quarter, the administrative district, contains a significantly larger share of the island's total population of around 180,000.

  • What is the structure of Saint Lucia's government?

    Saint Lucia is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The British monarch is head of state, represented locally by a Governor-General. Executive authority is exercised by a Cabinet led by a Prime Minister. The parliament is bicameral, consisting of the elected House of Assembly and the appointed Senate.

Sights and landmarks

The central Derek Walcott Square, named after the 1992 Nobel Laureate, houses a more than 400-year-old samaan tree and the neo-Romanesque Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception from 1894, with vivid ceiling paintings by Sir Dunstan St. Omer. The Castries Central Market, housed in a red metal building from 1894, bustles with handmade goods, herbs and local dishes. The island's highlight is the Pitons, two volcanic peaks (Gros Piton 798 m, Petit Piton 743 m) near Soufrière, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. On Morne Fortune hill above Castries, Fort Charlotte from 1784 preserves colonial military architecture and panoramic views. The dry Sulphur Springs, often described as the world's only drive-in volcano, and the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens are within easy driving distance.

Climate and best time to visit

Castries has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with year-round warmth between 26 and 31 degrees Celsius and high humidity. Persistent northeast trade winds ease the heat on the east coast and in the city. Annual rainfall totals around 1,500 millimetres on the coast, rising to over 3,500 millimetres in the mountainous interior. The rainy season runs from June to November, coinciding with the hurricane season; tropical cyclones such as Hurricane Tomas in 2010 have caused significant damage. The dry season, December to May, is the preferred time to visit with comfortable humidity and clear seas for diving near the Pitons.

Culture and customs

Saint Lucia has a unique dual French-British cultural heritage. Kwéyòl (Saint Lucian Creole), based on French, remains the first language of many, while official English is used in education and government. Religiously, Roman Catholicism is dominant (90 percent), a French legacy. The annual Jounen Kwéyòl on the last Sunday of October celebrates Creole culture in villages across the island. Saint Lucia Jazz in May attracts international artists. Typical dishes are green fig and saltfish (national dish of green bananas and salted cod), callaloo soup and bouyon. Sport revolves around cricket; pitcher Darren Sammy led West Indies to two T20 World Championship titles.

Economy

Tourism is the dominant sector and contributes around 65 percent of GDP and 40 percent of employment. The port of Castries and the revamped cruise terminal Pointe Seraphine, completed in 2015, receive over 600,000 cruise passengers annually; resorts near Rodney Bay and Soufrière attract stay-over tourists. Bananas were the main export until 1990, accounting for over 50 percent of agricultural production, but have declined sharply following the loss of EU preferential arrangements; banana exports remain an employer for small-scale farmers. Offshore financial services and the Citizenship by Investment programme, launched in 2015, contribute substantially. Hewanorra International Airport in the south is undergoing a major expansion (expected completion 2025) to accommodate growing tourist numbers.
Castries, capital of Saint Lucia
Castries, capital of Saint Lucia

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