"The Land, the People, the Light" - Saint Lucia Quiz

Answer: Cuba

Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands--the ones reached first by European sailors during the age of exploration and colonization as they crossed the Atlantic. This is a group which also includes Martinique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago. Cuba is much further west and north.

Answer: Saint Lucy of Syracuse

Only Saint Lucy (283-304 CE) would have been known to the French settlers. The patroness of the blind, her feast, on December 13, is celebrated as Saint Lucia's national day, called the Festival of Lights. It is not clear why the English name for the country uses the Latin form of her name rather than the English one. In fact, there is quite a lot of mystery surrounding the exact origins of the name.

The French signed a treaty with the native Caribs in 1660, but Great Britain took control of the island between 1663 and 1667; the two countries struggled for control of the Caribbean over a number of years, and Saint Lucia changed hands over a dozen times before Britain finally took control in 1814. Because it switched between British and French control so many times, Saint Lucia has been nicknamed 'the Helen of the West Indies', a reference to the battle over Helen of Troy. The French influence is apparent in many Saint Lucian place names.

Answer: Scorpion Island

The other names are French for Boats, Mouth, and Mad. It is also probable that Lapins Island was named for its rabbits, and that Rat Island and Pigeon Island were named for local animals.

Answer: Mountainous, with fertile valleys

Saint Lucia is one of the most mountainous of the Caribbean islands. It has high peaks and rainforest in its interior, with many rivers running down from the central peaks to the shores. The valleys formed are very fertile, and were the site of sugar plantations during colonial times. Currently the major crop grown is bananas, but the government is encouraging diversification into other crops such as cocoa, mangoes and avocados to reduce economic vulnerability due to reliance on a single crop.

Answer: Mount Gimie

Mount Gimie has an elevation of 950 m (3120 ft) and is covered in lush tropical rainforest which the tourist can enjoy while walking along the Enbos Saut forestry hiking trail.

Gros Piton is the second-highest peak in Saint Lucia. Along with Petit Piton, to which it is connected by the Piton Mitan Ridge, it forms one of the island's best-known features. The two peaks are volcanic plugs overlooking the town and bay of Soufriere in the southwest of the island.

Answer: Sulphur Springs

Locals call it Sulphur Springs, but it is sometimes also referred to as Saint Lucia volcano, being the only semi-active volcano on the island. It is dormant, but has significant signs of volcanic activity - super-heated water pools, boiling mud and, of course, the smell of sulphur. The surface is covered with mineral deposits of many colors due to the presence of sulfur, iron, calcium oxide, copper oxide, magnesium and carbon, among others. The waters are said to be therapeutic, but walking in the crater is now prohibited for safety reasons after an incident in which a guide fell into one of the boiling water pools.

The volcano of Popocatepetl is found in Mexico; Mount Pelee can be found in Martinique, and the delightfully-named Kick-'em-Jenny is an active submarine volcano about eight km (five mi) north of Grenada, rising 1300 m (4,265 ft) above the sea floor. Its summit is roughly 180 m (590 ft) below the surface of the sea.

Answer: Tropical

Saint Lucia is in the tropics, but its climate is moderated by northeast trade winds, which keep the temperature comfortable all year round. At least, that is the official line - those of us who think the perfect summer temperature is between 20 and 25 °C (70 to 80 °F), would consider the average daytime temperature at sea level of 29 °C (84 °F) a bit on the warm side. The temperatures drop rapidly in the mountains, however, with an average of 13 °C (55 °F) on the mountain peaks.

Like many tropical countries, Saint Lucia has a dry season (December to May) and a wet season (June to November). Average annual rainfall on the coasts is approximately 130 cm (51 in), while in the mountain rainforests it is 380 cm (150 in).

Answer: Allen

Hurricane Allen was the first and strongest hurricane of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season, and was one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history, reaching Category 5 status on three separate occasions. Overall, Allen killed 249 people and caused about $US one billion in damage. Due to its catastrophic impact, the name Allen was retired from the six-year revolving list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names in 1981.

Camille devastated the Caribbean on 1969; Hugo in 1989, and Katrina in 2005.

Answer: 10

Don't tell me there should be four quarters! The term is derived from the French 'quartier', meaning neighbourhood, region or district (the term used during British control of the island). The capital of Saint Lucia, Castries, is located in the northern quarter of Castries, the most densely populated of the quarters.

The least densely populated quarter is Forest Reserve, a central district of 78 sq km which, according to the Saint Lucia Government Statistics Department, had a 2003 population of zero.

It is not included in lists of the populations of each district.

Answer: Rock pigeon (Columba livia)

The rock pigeon or rock dove is commonly simply referred to as the pigeon. Originally found wild in Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, feral rock pigeons have become established in cities around the world, including on Saint Lucia.

The numbers in the question do not add up to 177, as not all birds fit into one of the given categories, and some belong to more than one of them.

The three birds that are incorrect choices are natives. The Saint Lucia parrot is the national bird, appearing on the nation's coat of arms. They are standing on either side of a shield that contains two Tudor roses, in deference to the historical role of England, and two Fleurs de lis, acknowledging the part played by France. The birds are perched on a banner carrying the national motto: "The Land, the People, the Light".

2018 update: The number of species spotted in Saint Lucia was up to 186. Of these, five species (and two subspecies) are considered endemic, 112 are rare or accidental, and three have been introduced by humans: the rock pigeon, the house sparrow and the Eurasian collared-dove.