Animals and Plants

St. Lucia’s nature

In the mountainous interior of the island there is a tropical rainforest with a diverse flora and fauna. Tall trees, orchids, ferns and bromeliads can be found here. Many species are endemic, they only occur here. Unfortunately, in the past, a lot of rainforest was cut down towards the coast. But even here it is green and blooming, for example in the form of palms and flamboyant trees or as oleander, hibiscus, jasmine and bougainvillea.

Blue masked amazons and white-bellied boobies

Many birds are native to St. Lucia, there are around 170 species in total. They also include the blue-masked parrot, a parrot that can only be found here. Its plumage is green, but the head is mostly blue. The blue masked amazon is critically endangered. Below is a picture of her.

Also endemic is the St. Lucia Gimpelfink. Hummingbirds and frigate birds live here as well as the black-faced, red-billed tropical bird, the rusty night swallow or the tropical mocking thrush. You can see them all in the slideshow below!

Blind snake and St. Lucia anolis

Also reptiles are found in some species. Lizards, iguanas and snakes in particular live on St. Lucia. The latter include the boa constrictor and the venomous lance snake. Like the St. Lucia blind snake and the St. Lucia anolis, it is endemic to the island. Leatherback turtles lay their eggs on Grand Anse Beach between March and July.

Economy

Tourists and bananas

The main source of income for St. Lucia is tourism. Around 340,000 visitors come to St. Lucia every year, plus the day tourists on the cruise ships. Tourism is also the biggest employer. Overall, all services generate 83 percent of total economic output.

Agriculture, on the other hand, only produces 2.9 percent. Still, 21 percent of the people work here. Bananas in particular are grown and exported. Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, which can destroy entire crops. In addition, the competition is particularly fierce when it comes to growing bananas. Coconuts, cocoa, mangoes and vegetables are also grown, mainly for the domestic market.

Typical St. Lucia

British heritage

The influence of England on St. Lucia is great, because the island belonged to Great Britain for a long time. The cars drive on the left and English is spoken as the official language. They also like to play cricket here. It’s a sport that comes from England and is also popular there. There is a cricket stadium near Gros Islet. St. Lucia is also involved in the West Indies cricket team, in which ten countries form a common team. In addition to cricket, soccer is a popular sport.

Music and dance

Lucians love music and dance. Typical styles are popular all over the Caribbean. They are called calypso, reggae, soca or salsa. A jazz festival is held every year in May. A popular dance is kwadril. Typical instruments are the banjo, the cutro, a small four-string guitar, and the chak chak, a rattle. By the way, Carnival is celebrated in July. The Calypso King is then crowned.

Everyday Life

What is life like in St. Lucia?

Imagine living in St. Lucia, a country located in Caribbean and Central America listed on ezinereligion. It would be warm all year round. You wouldn’t have thick sweaters and winter shoes, and you rarely need a jacket.

You start school when you are 5 years old. There you wear a school uniform: as a girl a dress, as a boy a shirt and trousers. You have to speak English at school. Before that, you may have only learned Antilles Creole. This is not easy.

Your parents may work in a hotel, restaurant, or market. Or maybe you work on a banana plantation. You have the East Caribbean dollar in your pocket for shopping.

Eating in St. Lucia

What to eat in St. Lucia

British, French, Indians, Africans and Arawak – many have left their mark on St. Lucia. And these tracks are delicious! Ingredients that are widely used are rice, plantains, coconut milk, peppers and tropical fruits such as mangoes, oranges or breadfruit. Chicken and fish can often be found on the plate.

And what else is there?

The typical Sunday meal is rice and peas, rice with beans (not peas, even if the name implies). Usually kidney beans or pigeon peas are used for this. Curry dishes come from India (meat or fish in a thick sauce). Roti is Indian thin bread. Macaroni casserole is also popular.

Bouyon is a stew made with fish, meat, plantains, yams, taro and dumplings. Bakes (batter baked in a pan) and cocoa peel tea are great for breakfast. Dried and salted fish (saltfish) are also popular, for example with figs or plantains. This is considered the national dish of St. Lucia. A peanut punch is also refreshing.