Castries : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Castries

Official name

Castries

Settlement type

City

Motto

Statio Haud Malefida Carinis ("A Safe Harbour for Ships")

Country

Saint Lucia

Quarter

Castries Quarter

Founded

1650 as "Carenage"

Renamed

1756 as "Castries"

the French

Named for

Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, marquis de Castries

Government

Governing body

Castries City Council

Geography

Total Area

30.5 sq mi (79 km2)

Elevation

6.56 ft (2 m)

Demography

Total Population

61341 (2001)

Density (pop.)

auto/km² (0/sq mi)

Estimate 2004

67000

Other information

Time zone

Eastern Caribbean Time Zone (ECT) (UTC-4)

Area code

758

HDI (2006)

0.814 � high

Home | Settlement C | Castries

Castries (c-eniconˈkæstriːz), population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 (2001-05-12), is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of 30.5 sqmi (79 km2).

Castries is located in a flood gut 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 and 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.