Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia (IPA: [seɪnt ˈluːʃɪə]) is an island nation in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north of the islands of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It is also known as the "Helen of the West Indies" because the island switched between British and French control so often it was likened to the mythical Helen of Troy.
Saint Lucia is one of the Windward Islands, named for Saint Lucy of Syracuse. It was first visited by Europeans in about the year 1500 and first colonized successfully by France who signed a treaty with the native Carib peoples in 1660. Great Britain then took control of the island from 1663-1667 before going to war with France over it fourteen times. The British finally took complete control of the island in 1814. Representative government came about in 1924 (with universal adult suffrage from 1953) and from 1958 to 1962 the island was a member of the Federation of the West Indies. Finally, on February 22, 1979, Saint Lucia became an independent state of the Commonwealth of Nations. The island nation celebrates this every year with a public holiday.
Hewanorra International Airport
Hewanorra International Airport (IATA: UVF, ICAO: TLPL), near Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, is the larger of the country's two airports and is managed by the Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA).The airport is a Fire Category 8 airport that handles 440,000 passengers a year and has the capability to handle Boeing 747s, Airbus A320, A340 and other similar aircraft. Aircraft maintenance there is carried out by Caribbean Dispatch Services. George F. L. Charles Airport is located in Castries and handles inter-Caribbean flights.
|
