Castries
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- For the town in France, see Castries, Hérault.
Castries, population 11,147 (1991), is the capital of Saint Lucia. Its harbor is one of the best in the West Indies. Castries is located at Template:Coor dm. It was founded by the French in 1650, named from Charles Eugène Gabriel de la Croix, Marquis de Castries. The islands' history is unique in having changed hands seven times between the English and French, hence the rich heritage of the creole culture tinged with smatterings of French influences and the patois second language spoken by most locals.
St. Lucia will be home to the 2007 World Cup cricket and also plays host every year to Jazz Artiste from around the world at its Annual Jazz Festival usually in early May.
Places of interest would be Soufriere, a town in the south which is the original capital of St. Lucia, here you will find the world's only drive-in volcano, mineral baths, black sand beaches of Anse Chastanet and the Pitons World Heritage site. Pigeon Island national park also deserves a visit as you can walk amongst the ruins of the old fort and also enjoy some sea and sun on the two available sandy beaches on the Pigeon Island park - home of St. Lucia Jazz Festival.
Nightlife tends to be concentrated in the north of the island with Friday night street fetes at Gros Islet and Anse La Raye where you can savour the local cuisine and music to your heart's content. Also a visit to Rodney Bay for its varied restaurants and nightlife, including our own brand of Hooters.
In the mood for Scuba, the island boast some excellent dive sites as managed by the Soufriere Marine Management Association, places of interests for divers worldwide would be Supermans Flight, The Pinnacles, Anse Chastanet sites and Anse Cochon for both wreck dives to the Lesleen M in 65 to 80 feet (20 to 25 m) or the reef dives which begin at a mere 5 feet (1.5 m).
Castries is served by George F. L. Charles Airport. Passengers on longer flights arrive at Hewanorra International Airport, near Vieux-Fort, Saint Lucia.
External links
http://www.brigandhill.com/other.htmlde:Castries es:Castries io:Castries sk:Castries fi:Castries ja:カストリーズ sv:Castries