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WORLD FACTBOOK (US)
Introduction: 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); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in...
BACKGROUND NOTES (US)
History: St. Lucia's first known inhabitants were the Arawaks, believed to have come from northern South America in 200-400 A.D. Numerous archaeological sites on the island have produced specimens of the Arawaks' well-developed pottery. Caribs gradually replaced Arawaks during the period from 800-1000 A.D.
Europeans first landed on the island in either 1492 or 1502 during Spain's early ...
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COUNTRY PROFILE (UK)
History: The island was first settled by Arawak Indians around 200 AD but by 800 AD their culture had been superseded by an early Amerindian group known as the Caribs. The Caribs called the island 'Iouanalao' and 'Hewanorra', meaning 'Island of the Iguanas'. The first European to discover Saint Lucia was Juan de la Cosa, who had at one time served as Columbus's navigator (it is generally believed that Columbus did not set foot on Saint Lucia, but merely sailed close by). The first European settlement was in the 1550s by the buccaneer Francois le Clerc (aka Jambe de Bois, or Wooden Leg). Around 1600 the Dutch arrived, establishing a fortified base at
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COUNTRY STUDIES (US)
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