Saint Lucia

St. Lucia is an island nation in the West Indies east of the Caribbean Sea bordering the Atlantic Ocean. The island was formerly known as Ionola, the name given to the island by the Araucans, and later Hivanura, the name given to the Caribbean by two Native Americans. It is part of the Lesser Antilles, located northwest of Barbados, north / northeast of St. Vincent, south of Martinique. It covers an area of ​​617 square kilometers (238 square miles) and reported a population of 165,595 in the 2010 census. Its capital is Castres. Sofir was colonized by the French and was the main capital of the island.

The French were the first Europeans to settle on the island. They signed a contract with their hometown of Calinago in 1660. Britain ruled the island from 1663 to 1667. After that, there were 14 wars with France and the island government changed frequently. (Each was ruled seven times by the French and the British.) In 1814, the British took decisive control of the island. St. Lucia is also known as "Western Helen" after the Greek mythological figure Troy Helen because of the frequent changes between British and French rule.

A representative state was born in 1840. Universal suffrage was established in 1953. From 1958 to 1962, the island was a member of the West Indies Federation. On February 22, 1979, St. Lucia became an independent and Commonwealth member state. St. Lucia is a mixed jurisdiction, meaning that it has a legal system that is based in part on British civil law and customary law. The St. Lucia Civil Code of 1867 is based on the Quebec Civil Code of 1866 and is complemented by the British Public Law Style Code. He is also a member of the International Organization of La Francophonie.