Soufrière is a town on the West Coast of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

, in the eastern

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. The town and the surrounding district has a population of 7,935. It was colonized by the French and was the original capital of the island.

History

French colonizers built large estates in Soufrière, and their descendants still live in the area. The French Revolution of 1789 resulted in many Royalists being executed and the enslaved Africans were released from enslavement. However, Napoleon reintroduced slavery when he came to power. The British invaded St Lucia shortly afterwards, but the enslaved Africans and French deserters fought them in a guerrilla campaign until 1803 when they were defeated and St Lucia became a British colony. Also, during that time,

Castries Castries () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Saint Lucia, an island country in the Caribbean. The urban area has a population of approximately 20,000, while the eponymous Castries Quarter, district has a population of just under ...

became the capital of St Lucia. Over the years, Soufrière has had to deal with hurricanes in 1780, 1817, 1831, 1898 and 1980, a major fire in 1955 and an earthquake in 1991. Many of these events have resulted in the town being rebuilt. Soufrière inhabitants have included the future Empress of France

Joséphine de Beauharnais Joséphine Bonaparte (, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie; 23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 Janua ...

(who spent much of her childhood in the area), and George Charles (the first Premier of St Lucia). When

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

visited St Lucia in 1966, she landed at Soufrière rather than Castries. Today, Soufrière is more dependent on tourism rather than agriculture. The Pitons are just south of the town and there are several attractions in the area. Many of the old estates are still there such as Soufrière Estate, Fond Doux Estate and Rabot Estate.

Tourism

* The Pitons – Gros Piton and Petit Piton are two giant volcanic plugs located south of Soufrière and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. * Sulphur Springs – 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 volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...

of the dormant Qualibou volcano and the area is geothermally active. It is marketed as a drive-through volcano, and there are numerous hot springs and fumaroles. * Soufrière Estate – 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 area with views, wildlife and waterfalls such as the Enbas Saut Falls. * Anse Chastanet – a resort with a beach and several trails along the coast. *Volga Nature Trail - a hiking trail with views of both pitons up close with views of Sugar beach.

In popular culture

Soufrière was the filming location for most of the 1985 film ''

Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

'', set on the fictional British colony of Cascara.

Image gallery of the town of Soufrière

Image:Soufrière, St Lucia, 2007.jpg, Soufrière Image:PitonValley.JPG, Piton Valley, part of the

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

near Soufrière Image:Malgretout_Beach,_Saint_Lucia.jpg, Malgretoute 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 Image:Soufrerie_rimlight.jpg, Soufrière at night Image:Welcome To Soufriere.jpg, Welcome sign to Soufrière

Notable people

* Emma Hippolyte, politician and government minister * Yasmin K. (born 1986), pop singer

Notes

External links

360degree Panorama, Soufriere Bay, St. Lucia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soufriere, Saint Lucia Populated coastal places in Saint Lucia Towns in Saint Lucia