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, municip ...

on the Southwest 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

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

. 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 Newman (screenwriter), David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment i ...

'') and historic mineral baths, plus the nearby beaches of Anse Chastanet 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 ''sulphur in the air''. The nearby plantation at Anse Mamin, formerly Malmaison, was at one time owned by Gaspard-Joseph Tascher de La Pagerie father of Josephine de Beauharnais. 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 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 ...

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 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 ...

. 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 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 ...

''. 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 el ...

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 produce 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 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. Marketed as a drive-through volcano, 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 locale with views of the surrounding area, abundant wildlife and several waterfalls such as the Enbas Saut Falls. * Anse Chastanet: 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