St Lucia
/ˈluːʃə
/
A country in the Caribbean, one of the Windward Islands; population 160,300 (est. 2009); languages, English (official), French Creole; capital, Castries.
First encountered by Europeans around 1500, St Lucia was settled by both French and British in the 17th century. Possession of the island was long disputed until France ceded it to Britain in 1814. Since 1979 it has been an independent state within the Commonwealth.