St. Lucia - Lesser Antilles - Caribbean Islands
Saint Lucia - is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea, part of the Lesser Antilles, on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. One of the Windward Islands, it was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse by the French, the first European colonizers. They signed a treaty with the native Carib peoples in 1660. England took control of the island from 1663 to1667; in ensuing years, it was at war with France 14 times and rule of the island changed frequently (7 times French and British each). In 1814, the British took definitive control of the island. Because it switched so often between British and French control, Saint Lucia was also known as the "Helen of the West Indies." The volcanic island of Saint Lucia is more mountainous than many other Caribbean islands, with the highest point being Mount Gimie, at 3,120 ft. (950 m) above sea level. The official language is English; however Creole, which is a French-based Creole, is spoken by 95% of the population. Independence was gained from the United Kingdo in 1979. The island motto is "The Land, The People, The Light".
1. Twin Pitons - are are two volcanic plugs (also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption. If a plug is preserved, erosion may remove the surrounding rock while the erosion-resistant plug remains, producing a distinctive upstanding landform). The names are: Petit Piton (rising to 2,438 ft./743 m) and Gros Piton (height of 2,526 ft./770 m), which is the 2nd highest point on the island. The Twin Pitons and Piton Mitan Ridge part of the Quailbou Depression (a collapsed strata/composite volcano), measuring about 4.3 mi. (7 km) diameter, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2004), which also includes the Marine Management Area (extending about 7 mi./11 km long and .6 mi./ 1 km wide, along the southwestern coastline).
2. Soufrière - a southwest coastal city that was originally founded by the French, and it was the original capital of the island. Soufrière means "sulfur mine" for the town is located within the caldera of the dormant Qualibou Volcano and the area is geothermally active., and is marketed as a drive-through volcano, there are numerous hot springs and fumaroles.
3. Cape Moule - the southern most portion of the island. Locate here is the Cape Moule a Chique Lighthouse, built in 1912, it is situated 745 ft. above sea level.
4. Maria Islands Nature Reserve (1982)
5. Fort Rodney - an 18th century British fort. In 1979 it was named a national park and again in 1992 it became a national landmark under the control of the Saint Lucia National Trust.
Read More1. Twin Pitons - are are two volcanic plugs (also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption. If a plug is preserved, erosion may remove the surrounding rock while the erosion-resistant plug remains, producing a distinctive upstanding landform). The names are: Petit Piton (rising to 2,438 ft./743 m) and Gros Piton (height of 2,526 ft./770 m), which is the 2nd highest point on the island. The Twin Pitons and Piton Mitan Ridge part of the Quailbou Depression (a collapsed strata/composite volcano), measuring about 4.3 mi. (7 km) diameter, and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2004), which also includes the Marine Management Area (extending about 7 mi./11 km long and .6 mi./ 1 km wide, along the southwestern coastline).
2. Soufrière - a southwest coastal city that was originally founded by the French, and it was the original capital of the island. Soufrière means "sulfur mine" for the town is located within the caldera of the dormant Qualibou Volcano and the area is geothermally active., and is marketed as a drive-through volcano, there are numerous hot springs and fumaroles.
3. Cape Moule - the southern most portion of the island. Locate here is the Cape Moule a Chique Lighthouse, built in 1912, it is situated 745 ft. above sea level.
4. Maria Islands Nature Reserve (1982)
5. Fort Rodney - an 18th century British fort. In 1979 it was named a national park and again in 1992 it became a national landmark under the control of the Saint Lucia National Trust.
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Twin Pitons (Petit and Gros) - are the eroded spire shaped remnants of two lava domes formed on the flanks of a larger and collapsed strato (composite) volcano
- which is composed of "andesitic" lava (also called, "intermediate lava"), an extrusive igneous rock, whose composition is lower in aluminum and silica, and usually somewhat richer in magnesium and iron - this lava's molten magma temperature ranges from about 1400 to 1750 °F (750 - 950 °C), and has a rather high viscosity (thus resulting in the steepness of its flow and layering formation)