What is Castries?

Castries (IPA: [ˈkɑstriz]), population 10 634, aggl. 37 963 (2001-05-12), is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the West Indies. Castries is located at . The district with the same name had a population of 61 341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of 79 km2.

Castries is located in a flood plain and is actually built on reclaimed land. It houses the seat of government and the head offices of many of the businesses both foreign and local. The city's design is in a grid pattern similar to a metropolitan city like New York but on a much smaller scale. It has a sheltered harbour which receives cargo vessels, ferry boats as well as cruise ships. It contains duty free shopping facilities such as Point Seraphine and La Place Carinage, many restaurants which offer varied menus from local to Chinese, supermarkets and many other shopping facilities. The city is well serviced by a bus system and taxi service.

St Lucia's main post office is located in Castries. Because most parts of the country do not use standard street addresses, mail is largely sent to P.O. boxes. Any mail sent without a town name ends up in the Castries post office.

History

Castries was founded by the French in 1650, named after Charles Eugène Gabriel de la Croix, Marquis de Castries. Previously, it was called "Carenage" (meaning safe anchorage).

Castries has been rebuilt, having been destroyed by fire several times, notably on June 19, 1948.

Tourism

One of the major tourist areas in St. Lucia, Castries is a port of call for cruise ships. The greatest concentration of hotels, resorts, and restaurants are near Castries and the island's other main towns, Gros Islet, Soufrière, and Rodney Bay. The city maintains three tourist offices, including one in the airport.

Castries has a few landmarks such as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Derek Walcott Square (named after the island's Nobel Prize-winning poet, Derek Walcott), the Government House, and Fort Charlotte, at the top of Morne Fortune (an 845-foot hill).

One of the major draws for tourists to St. Lucia is its beaches, and there are several in or very near Castries. Vigie Beach, Malabar Beach, Choc Beach, and La Toc Beach are all within easy reach.

Transport

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. However, the drive between Hewanorra and Castries can take an hour and a half. Helicopter service between the two airports shortens travel time. Ferry service between Soufrière and Castries is another way travelers shorten their transportation time from Hewanorra Airport.

In addition to the Castries - Soufrière ferry route, ferries run regularly throughout the day between Castries and Fort-de-France, Martinique. Yachts may also dock in Castries, though they must clear customs first. When the customs area is full, yachts must anchor at the quarantine dock to wait. Those who don't comply are fined. Afterward, yachts may anchor in front of Castries Town or Vigie Creek.

Standard bus routes run between Castries and Gros Islet, as well as Castries and Rodney Bay. To get to other areas of the island, private minivan buses offer transportation from bus stops, or simply by being flagged down on the roadside. These private buses run from Castries to Soufrière and Vieux Fort.

Political institutions

As well as being the capital city of Saint Lucia, Castries hosts the secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Castries also hosts the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

A number of international embassies and consulates keep their headquarters in Castries. They include the Organization of American States, British High Commission, Chinese Embassy, Dominican Republic Consulate, French Embassy, Italian Vice Consulate, Jamaican Consulate, Netherlands Consulate, Norwegian Consulate, and Venezuelan Embassy.

Gallery

In the town itself

Some houses on the hill, taken from a patio

See also

• Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
• Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

External links

• Interactive tour of St. Lucia's History and Culture- Official site for St. Lucia Tourist Board
• Worldaware Lesson plan on Castries - site owned by SOS Charity UK

•  • [ e] Capitals of North America

Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe – Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis – Belmopan, Belize – Bridgetown, Barbados – Castries, Saint Lucia – Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands – Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos – Fort-de-France, Martinique – George Town, Cayman Islands – Guatemala City, Guatemala – Gustavia, Saint-Barthlemy – Hamilton, Bermuda – Havana, Cuba – Kingston, Jamaica – Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – Managua, Nicaragua – Marigot, Saint-Martin – Mexico City, D.F., Mexico – Nassau, Bahamas – Nuuk, Greenland – Oranjestad, Aruba – Ottawa, Canada – Panama City, Panama – Philipsburg, Sint Maarten – Plymouth, Montserrat – Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Road Town, British Virgin Islands – Roseau, Dominica – Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon – San Jos, Costa Rica – San Juan, Puerto Rico – San Salvador, El Salvador – Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – St. George's, Grenada – St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda – Tegucigalpa, Honduras – The Valley, Anguilla – Washington D.C., United States of America – Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles