Saint Lucia - True Or False Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries, changing possession 14 times! France was the first to claim the island initially; although both England and France attempted to settle on the island during the early 17th century, neither settlement survived attacks from the island's inhabitants, the Caribs. It was only in 1650 that France managed to claim the island, and then sign a treaty with the Caribs 10 years later.

Called "the Helen of the West", after Helen of Troy, because of how much Saint Lucia was fought over, it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Self government was granted in 1967, and Saint Lucia became independent on 22 February 1979.

Answer: False

The island is located north of Trinidad and Tobago, although south of Martinique, and it is in the West Indies. It is also in the eastern Caribbean. It is a part of the Lesser Antilles.

Since Saint Lucia is so close to the equator, it also has basically the same weather during both summer and winter: a warm 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)!

Answer: False

No, Saint Lucia is not the largest of these islands. Other islands, such as Martinique and Dominica, are larger. As for its coastline, cut that distance in half: it's 158 kilometers, or 98 miles. Saint Lucia also covers 617 square kilometers (238 square miles).

Answer: True

There is a tropical climate on Saint Lucia, moderated by northeast winds. Rain is likely throughout the year, but there is more in the hurricane season, which runs from July to November. The dry season on Saint Lucia is from January to April.

Saint Lucia's wettest month is actually October, when it has a mean rainfall amount of 260 millimeters, or 10.2 inches. The island has an average temperature of 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit) during the hurricane season, and an average of 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) during the dry season.

Answer: False

Mount Gimie, which has no translation into English--its name is just Mount Gimie--is indeed Saint Lucia's highest peak. It measures at 950 meters (3,120 feet) high. It is located on the west side of the island, and formed as the result of volcanoes 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. In fact, Mount Gimie is still actively volcanic itself!

Mount Gimie is one of the Pitons, a name given to several mountains on Saint Lucia. These mountains are all volcanic plugs!

Answer: False

Saint Lucia does actually have a capital, since it is a country. Called Castries, it was named after Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, Marquis de Castries (1727-1801), the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies, in 1785.

Covering 80 square kilometers (31 square miles), Castries has had a fiery history. Its harbor is an immersed volcanic crater! Fire also impacted the city in 1948 when a tailor's coal iron in a shop caught the wooden building on fire. The flames quickly spread, and soon 80% of the city was burnt to the ground. Known as "The Great Fire of Castries", the fire left 809 residents homeless.

The photo is actually of Saint Lucia's Government House, the home of its Governor General.

Answer: True

Like many other countries where a dollar of some sort or another is used, such as Canada and the United States, the East Caribbean Dollar contains one hundred cents. Roughly 2.72 East Caribbean Dollars equals 1 United States Dollar. The East Caribbean Dollar is often abbreviated as XCD.

The XCD was adopted in 1965 and replaced the British West Indies dollar. The XCD is used by 6 independent countries and 2 territories of the United Kingdom; these are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, and Montserrat.

Answer: False

No, there is no railway on Saint Lucia. Probably your best option for transportation is to take advantage of the island's bus system. While the buses are privately owned and operated, the system is public, and the government arranges routes.

There is a large road network on Saint Lucia, as well as two airports.

Answer: True

Green Fig and Saltfish originated in diets given to slaves on Saint Lucia in the 18th century. Green Figs is actually a name given to green bananas, which are grown on the island. Saltfish was cheaply imported from Canada.

The local population added spices and local flair to make the dish special. Sweet and hot peppers, onion, and garlic are other ingredients that are usually added to the dish.

Answer: False

No, there are two airports: the George F. Charles Airport (SLU) and the Hewanorra International Airport (UVF).

George F. Charles Airport first opened in 1941, and was named after the Saint Lucia politician of the same name in 1997. Hewanorra International Airport opened in 1941 as well, and was actually used by the United States as an air force base during World War II, under the name Beane Air Force Base! They are located near Castries and Vieux Fort Quarter respectively.