Soufrière is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

on the Southwest coast of Saint Lucia in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

. Soufrière was the former capital of Saint Lucia during times of French rule. It is now a small fishing port with an emerging tourism industry. It has several tourist sites, including a "drive-in" volcano, the Diamond Botanical Gardens with waterfall (briefly featured in ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film se ...

'') and historic mineral baths, plus the nearby beaches of

Anse Chastanet Anse may refer to: Places * Anse, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium * Anse, Rhône, a commune in France * Anse-Bertrand, a commune in Guadeloupe * Anse-Bleue, New Brunswick, a community in Canada * Anse, Mississippi, an unincorporated commun ...

to the north and Malgretout to the south.

History

The name Soufrière came from the French who dominated during the 1700s. The French word Soufrière means volcanic area or ''surlphur in the air''. The nearby plantation at

Anse Mamin Anse Mamin (Mamin Bay) is bay on the coast with a small black sand beach in Soufrière District, Saint Lucia. It is located near Anse Chastanet () and the two beaches are linked by a rocky path below the cliffs. Anse Mamin offers of wooded t ...

, formerly Malmaison, was at one time owned by Gaspard-Joseph Tascher de La Pagerie father of

Josephine de Beauharnais Josephine may refer to: People * Josephine (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Josephine (singer), a Greek pop singer Places *Josephine, Texas, United States *Mount Josephine (disambiguation) * Josephine Coun ...

. Although the exact locale of her birth has been the subject of dispute by historians -notable figures such as Henry H Breen, Mayor of Castries and Mme. Darlas Delomel, her childhood friend claim she was born in St Lucia, then baptized at five weeks in Martinique- it is certain that the Empress spent much of her childhood on her father's plantation. Framing the town to the south are the Pitons - comprising the Gros Piton and Petit Piton. They rise directly up from the coral reef beds and form part of a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The region is commonly visited for snorkeling and scuba diving. Soufrière doubled as the fictional town Port Agnes, capital of the equally fictional island of Cascara in the 1985 comedy movie ''

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

''. The movies '' Creature'' and '' White Squall'' were also filmed there.

Government

The Soufrière District is an electoral constituency and has been represented since July 2021 in the

House of Assembly of Saint Lucia The House of Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Saint Lucia, elected by popular vote. The upper house is the Senate. It has 17 or 18 members: 17 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies, and a speaker e ...

by Emma Hippolyte Parliamentary Representative for the Soufrière electoral constituency.

Local attractions

The following attractions are within the borders of the quarter: * The Pitons: Gros Piton and Petit Piton are two giant volcanic plugs located south of Soufrière and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. *

Sulfur springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

: Soufrière is located within the

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

of the dormant Qualibou volcano and the area is geothermally active. Marketed as a drive-through volcano, there are numerous hot springs and

fumaroles A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...

. *

Soufrière Estate Soufrière Estate (jointly controlled with Diamond Estate), located on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, was originally established in 1713 as a estate granted to three Devaux brothers for services to King Louis XIV of France. Later on, miner ...

: Also known as Diamond Estate, this is an old colonial estate that is home to a botanical garden, sulphur baths and Diamond Falls. *Fond Doux Estate: A working plantation where cacao is still processed. *St Lucia's Rainforest: There are several rainforest trails in the locale with views of the surrounding area, abundant wildlife and several waterfalls such as the Enbas Saut Falls. *

: A resort with a beach and several trails along the coast.

Gallery

Image:PitonValley.JPG, Piton Valley, part of the

near Soufrière Image:Malgretout_Beach,_Saint_Lucia.jpg, Malgretout Beach, looking north towards Soufrière Image:Catholic Church Soufriere Saint Lucia.jpg, Catholic Church and Central square, Soufrière, April 2007 Image:The Pitons at Soufriere Saint Lucia.jpg, The Pitons at Soufrière Image:Soufriere6.jpg, Soufriere Image:Bays of Saint Lucia.jpg, Soufrière Bay

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soufriere Quarter Quarters of Saint Lucia Subdivisions of Saint Lucia