Have you ever wondered how some countries got their names?
For the majority of countries in the world, their names were derived from either the directional description, a prominent feature, the practices of the people living there, or after an important person, and most of the time, it is of the male gender.
There is however one country that has defied this – Saint Lucia. This country is an Eastern Caribbean island nation that is the only country named after a woman from history.
St Lucia was named after Saint Lucy of Syracuse – a Roman Christian martyr highly venerated as a saint in the Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox churches.
The only other country that comes close to this is Ireland – named after the Celtic goddess of fertility Eire.
The story of how Saint Lucia got to be named after Saint Lucy isn’t so clear but one version says a group of French seamen was shipwrecked on the island on 13th December 1502.
These men for some reason named the island after the Virgin Martyr of Syracuse, “Sainte Alousie. Over the years, different variations of the name such as “Santa Lucia”, “Saint Luzia”, and “Sancta Lucia” have been used to refer to this island.
But today, it is generally known as Saint Lucia and the residents celebrate December 13 as the National Day of Saint Lucia.
Aside from its unique name mythology, Saint Lucia is popular for its lovely views that range from tapered mountains to volcanic beaches, reef-diving sites, luxury resorts, and fishing villages. Saint Lucia is also widely known for its twin peaks – the Pitons.
Saint Lucia uses the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$) currency and its main source of revenue is from tourism and offshore banking. Another special thing to note about St Lucia is that this island has more Nobel Prize Laureates than anywhere else.
