Castries

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Castries is the capital of Saint Lucia, a small sovereign island state in the Caribbean area located in the Lesser Antilles, between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (to the south) and Martinique (to the north)..

It is the commercial center of the nation and its activity revolves around the port, one of the best in the eastern Caribbean. The city itself is very small, with just 11,377 inhabitants according to the 2001 census; however, it feeds on other populations that surround it on the periphery and are part of the administrative region of the same name. At the regional level, the population amounts to about 64,404 inhabitants, more than a third of the national population of Saint Lucia.

History

The history of Castries goes back to the year 1650 when it was founded by the French, but little remains of the first buildings, as the city has been consumed by fire on 4 occasions since 1785. The last great fire took place in 1948, but it is still possible to see some 19th century buildings that have survived the flames, mainly around Derek Walcott Square. The busiest part of the city is to the southeast of the port, between Jeremi and Peynier streets, where the market is located.

Climate

Average climate parameters of Castries
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	30	30	30	31	31	31	32	32	32	31	30	30	30.8
Temp. medium (°C)	23	23	24	25	25	25	25	24	24	23	23	23	23.9
Total precipitation (mm)	15	13	33	88	101	114	134	144	153	130	59	31	1015
Rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	3	3	4	5	9	11	11	13	12	10	7	5	93
Hours of sun	256	238	270	268	263	246	233	224	215	209	231	257	2910
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Infrastructures

George F. L. Charles Airport serves the city, but most international flights arrive at Hewanorra International Airport near Vieux Fort on the southern tip of the island. Castries is also connected by ferry to the town of Soufriere, located in the west of the island.

Tourism

Cruise port

Castries, one of St. Lucia's main tourist areas, is a port of call for cruise ships. They dock at Pointe Seraphine, north of the port.

Places of interest include the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Derek Walcott Square (renamed Columbus Square in honor of the island's Nobel Prize-winning poet Derek Walcott), the Municipal Library, Government House and Fort Charlotte, on top of Morne Fortune (a 258m hill). Among the beaches are those of Vigie, Malabar, Choc and La Toc.

Transportation

Fire department.

Castries is served by George F. L. Charles Airport, also known as Vigie Airport. Passengers on longer flights arrive at Hewanorra International Airport, near Vieux-Fort. The journey between Hewanorra and Castries can take an hour and a half. Helicopter service between airports shortens travel time.

There are ferries between Castries and Fort-de-France (Martinique). Yachts can dock at Castries, although they must first clear customs. When the customs area is full, the yachts must anchor at the quarantine pier to wait; those who don't are fined. Afterwards, yachts can anchor off Castries Town or Vigie Creek.

Standard bus routes run from Castries to all the outlying districts of the island. The buses are private (not government subsidized) and have green license plates with numbers beginning with M, eg M456. Buses line up in designated areas to pick up passengers. A route band appears on the front of the bus, a luminescent sign that indicates which part of the island the bus is heading to.

Political institutions

In addition to being the capital of Saint Lucia, Castries is home to the secretariat of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. Castries is also home to the seat of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

In October 2008, the American Chamber of Commerce of Saint Lucia was created. The establishment of a chamber was promoted by the US Embassy in Barbados. Hugh W. Jones was elected and installed as its first president.

The mayor of Castries is Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel, who took office in September 2021.

Several international embassies and consulates are based in Castries. These include the Organization of American States, the British High Commission, the Embassy of Mexico, the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) (in Rodney Bay), the Consulate of the Dominican Republic, the Embassy of France, the Vice Consulate of Italy, the Consulate of Jamaica, the Consulate of the Netherlands, the Consulate of Norway, the Embassy of Brazil and the Embassy of Venezuela.

Buildings

Basilica Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Castries

Currency

Along with other island chain states, Saint Lucia is part of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, whose Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is responsible for a currency union that manages the East Caribbean dollar (US$1 = 2.7 Eastern Caribbean dollars).