Sunny St. Lucia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kweyol

St. Lucia is a beautiful island nation located in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is known for its stunning natural beauty, with lush rainforests, volcanic peaks, and pristine beaches. Over the years, the island has been administered by both the English and the French, with possession changing over TEN times in total over the years it was a colony.

The official language of St. Lucia is English. English is used in government, education, and formal written communication. However, the majority of the population also speaks a French-based Creole language known as Saint Lucian Creole or Kwéyòl. It is derived from French and West African languages and is referred to by the locals as 'Patwa'. Due to the island's history, there was a constant need to know French and this helped develop the language. It is spoken by the large majority of the people, by some estimates, as high at 95%.

In the picture is the capital of St. Lucia, Castries.

Answer: The Pitons

The two nearby towns of Soufrière and Choiseul are so reliant on the popularity of the Pitons that the towns have been transformed. Their purpose is now nearly entirely to support the tourism that goes to see these iconic landmarks of St. Lucia. There is also a local beer named for the Pitons, and it's not bad.

The twin peaks of the Pitons, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, were formed by volcanic activity and jut out of the water majestically. The smaller one seems steeper and looks like a tougher climb and both are covered in vegetation, mostly moist and wet forest. The site was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2004. These small spires are actually home to a surprisingly large amount of diverse species.

Answer: Bananas

The banana industry in St. Lucia has always been booming, including its plantain crops. For years, bananas were the country's number one agricultural export. Though, in 2020, agriculture itself accounted for a mere 2.2% of the country's GDP, it is a major employer on the island for the local population, second only to the tourism industry.

St. Lucia's economy has long been driven, however, by tourism. In 2023 there were just fewer than a million tourists that came to this tiny island. Though both the tourism and the agriculture can be affected by hurricanes, the island always seems to bounce back and these two industries keep growing year-over-year.

Answer: black

While the majority of St. Lucia, as well as the Eastern Caribbean, boast white sun-bleached beaches, there are a few sites, Anse Chastanet most famously, where the sands are black. This is caused by the volcanic activity in the region, part of the reason the island was formed. Other beaches boasting the black sands include Anse Cochon, Jalousie Beach, Malgretoute Beach, most of these in the vicinity of the town of Soufrière.

While these beaches are not as common as the golden-to-white sands the region is known for, it is fascinating to walk through sands ranging from grey to black.

Answer: Economics

Officially called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, this is often shortened to the Nobel Prize in Economics. St. Lucia's Sir William Arthur Lewis won this award in 1979 by showing how developing countries can achieve economic progress. St. Lucia's second Nobel laureate was Sir Derek Walcott who won it in Literature in 1992. His poetry explores the complexities of identity, culture, and post-colonial Caribbean life, as in the collection "Oremos".

St. Lucia, with its tiny population, under 170 thousand in the 2010 census, boasts that it has the most Nobel laureates per capita. By my quick estimates, they're right up there (though I think Switzerland is beating them).

Answer: Drive-in volcano

While all of these options sound very interesting (and if one could figure out how to cruise on lava without toasting the people inside the boat, I'd be all over that), the site at Sulphur Springs, just ten minutes southeast of the town of Soufrière, boasts the worlds first (and, as St. Lucia claims, only) drive-in volcano.

Sulphur Springs is known for its geothermal activity, including bubbling mud pools and hot springs. Visitors can witness the earth's activity up close, and the area has a distinct sulfuric odor due to the presence of various minerals. These visitors to this site can take mud baths, covering themselves in the warm, mineral-rich mud, said to be beneficial for one's skin. This drive is unique and otherworldly, steam rising from cracks in the ground making it feel as though you're on a movie set.

Answer: Arts and crafts

When it was founded in 1765, the village of Anse Citron consisted of 100 free and 512 enslaved people living on 69 estates. It was quickly renamed after Duke Étienne-François de Choiseul, France's minister of war at the time. The first church was built many years later in 1846 and the first school shortly after that in 1848. Over the years, the community grew.

Today, the vibrant community boasts that many people living in St. Lucia have some roots in the village. It also claims to be the craft capital of the island. With vendors crowding the narrow streets with their wares, this is not difficult to believe. Many of the crafts are examples of indigenous art: baskets, floor mats, pottery, canoes, and much more. All of them can be had for a price, which, if you're savvy, you can negotiate.

Answer: Parrot

The Saint Lucia amazon, scientifically known as Amazona versicolor, is a species of parrot native to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. This parrot is also known by its local name, the "Jacquot", which is derived from the French word for parrot which is 'perroquet'.

The Saint Lucia amazon is a small to medium-sized parrot, measuring about 30 centimeters in length. It has primarily green plumage, with a distinctive blue crown and cheeks, a red forehead, and a maroon patch on the abdomen. It can be found in the wooded areas of St. Lucia where it can feed on fruits, including mangoes, papayas, and guava, as well as nuts and seeds. It is a social bird which lives in small flocks, but its habitat is dwindling making it a vulnerable species. Efforts are being made to help preserve this iridescent and intelligent bird.

In the stamp picture, the St. Lucia amazon is the one on the 5¢ stamp.

Answer: Waterfall

The St. Lucia Botanical Gardens, officially known as the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens, is a beautiful and well-preserved garden located in the town of Soufrière on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. These gardens are one of the top tourist attractions in St. Lucia, offering a delightful combination of natural beauty, colorful flora, and an amazing 17-meter waterfall.

The gardens themselves are home to an impressive array of tropical plants and flowers. You can walk through the green areas filled with vibrant blooms of local and exotic flora. Many of the plants are labelled which allows visitors to gain an educational experience about the botanical diversity of the area.

The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens have a rich history dating back to the late 18th century. The gardens were originally created as a plantation by French colonists, and today, you can explore remnants of that history, including the old estate house. The foundations for the gardens date back to 1785 when Baron de Laborie, Governor of St. Lucia, used money set aside by the French Crown, Louis XVI, to create a mineral bath spa for French soldiers. These waters were compared to those at Aix-la Chapelle (now Aachen, Germany).

Answer: It's not an island!

Pigeon Island is a national park and a popular tourist destination in St. Lucia. It offers visitors a chance to explore its historical sites, enjoy scenic views, and learn about the island's military and colonial past. Pigeon Island got its name from the once-abundant rock pigeons that inhabited the island. On the other hand, it was originally a separate island, but it was artificially joined to the mainland of St. Lucia by a man-made causeway in 1972.

The island has had a rich history; it was used by the British and the French, who vied for control of St. Lucia during the 18th century. Pigeon Island was fortified with military installations and used as a lookout point for monitoring naval activities and protecting the coast. The island played a strategic role during battles for control of St. Lucia, particularly between the two colonial powers. In the past, it was also used as a base of operations for the French pirate François le Clerc.