Jim in The Caribbean Islands

You are listening to "St Lucia Anthem" Refresh if you want to hear it again.

JIM'S WORK TRIP TO:

St. Lucia is the sort of island that travelers to the Caribbean dream about--a small, lush tropical gem that is still relatively unknown. One of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located midway down the Eastern Caribbean chain, between Martinique and St. Vincent, and north of Barbados. St. Lucia is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide, with a shape that is said to resemble either a mango or an avocado (depending on your taste). The Atlantic Ocean kisses its eastern shore, while the beaches of the west coast owe their beauty to the calm Caribbean Sea.

In natural beauty, St. Lucia seems like an island plucked from the South Pacific and set down in the Caribbean. Its dramatic twin coastal peaks, the Pitons, soar 2,000 feet up from the sea, sheltering magnificent rain forests where wild orchids, giant ferns, and birds of paradise flourish. Brilliantly-plumed tropical birds abound, including endangered species like the indigenous St. Lucia parrot. The rainforest is broken only by verdant fields and orchards of banana, coconut, mango, and papaya trees.

St. Lucia has been inhabited since long before colonial times, and its cultural treasures are a fascinating melange of its rich past and its many different traditions. The island's people have earned a well-deserved reputation for their warmth and charm, and the island itself is dotted with aged fortresses, small villages, and open-air markets.

There is a broad array of exciting and exotic activities available on St. Lucia. The island's steep coastlines and lovely reefs offer excellent snorkeling and scuba diving. The rainforest preserves of St. Lucia's mountainous interior are one of the Caribbean's finest locales for hiking and bird watching. Of course, the island also possesses excellent facilities for golf, tennis, sailing, and a host of other leisure pursuits. Not to be missed is St. Lucia's Soufriere volcano, the world's only drive-in volcanic crater.

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Sons and daughters of Saint Lucia love the land that gave us birth. Land of beaches,
hills and valleys, fairest isle of all the earth. Whosesoever you may roam, love, oh love, our island home.

Gone the days when nations battled for this Helen of the West. Gone the days when strife
and discord, dimmed her children’s toil and rest. Dawns at last a brighter day, stretches out a glad new way.

May the Good Lord bless our island; guard her sons from woe and harm. May our people,
live united, strong in soul and strong in arm. Justice, truth and charity, our ideals forever be.

DESCRIPTION

The flag of St. Kitts and Nevis was officially adopted on September 19, 1983.
The green color is said to be symbolic of the fertile land, black recalls the
African heritage of St. Kitts, and red the overall struggle for freedom.
The two white stars indicate hope and liberty.

O Land of Beauty!
Our country where peace abounds,
Thy children stand free
On the strength of will and love.
With God in all our struggles,
Saint Kitts and Nevis be
A Nation bound together
With a common destiny.

As stalwarts we stand,
For justice and liberty,
With wisdom and truth
We will serve and honour thee.
No sword nor spear can conquer,
For God will sure defend.
His blessings shall for ever
To posterity extend.

Flag DESCRIPTION
The flag of Dominica was officially adopted on November 3, 1978.
The yellow represents the original inhabitants, black the fertile soil,
and white indicates the pure water. The centered stars symbolize the ten island parishes.
The Sisserou Parrot is indigenous to the island.

Isle of beauty, isle of splendor,
Isle to all so sweet and fair,
All must surely gaze in wonder
At thy gifts so rich and rare.
Rivers, valleys, hills and mountains,
All these gifts we do extol.
Healthy land, so like all fountains,
Giving cheer that warms the soul.

Dominica, God hath blest thee
With a clime benign and bright,
Pastures green and flowers of beauty
Filling all with pure delight,
And a people strong and healthy,
Full of godly, rev'rent fear.
May we ever seek to praise Thee
For these gifts so rich and rare.

Come ye forward, sons and daughters
Of this gem beyond compare.
Strive for honour, sons and daughters,
Do the right, be firm, be fair.
Toil with hearts and hands and voices.
We must prosper! Sound the call,
In which ev'ryone rejoices,
"All for Each and Each for All."

Flag Description:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat
of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words
REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua,
which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band -
it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and
AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras,
which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

CHORUS:
Let us salute the motherland,
Proud to be called her children.
To her well-being let us swear
Boldly and unceasingly to devote our lives.

1. Of peace enjoyed in perfect happiness,
El Salvador has always nobly dreamed.
To achieve this has been her eternal proposition,
To keep it, her greatest glory.
With inviolable faith, she eagerly follows
The way of progress
In order to fulfil her high destiny
And achieve a happy future.
A stern barrier protects her
Against the clash of vile disloyalty,
Ever since the day when her lofty banner,
In letters of blood, wrote "Freedom",
Wrote "Freedom", wrote "Freedom".

CHORUS

2. Freedom is her dogma and her guide;
A thousand times she has defended it,
And as many times has she repelled
The hateful power of atrocious tyranny.
Her history has been bloody and sad,
Yet at the same time sublime and brilliant,
A source of legitimate glory
And a great lesson in Spartan pride.
Her innate bravery shall not waver:
In every man there is an immortal hero
Who knows how to maintain the level
Of the proverbial valour of old.

CHORUS

3. All are self-denying and faithful
To the tradition of warlike ardour
With which they have always reaped fame
By saving the motherland's honour.
To respect the rights of others
And base her actions on right and justice
Is for her, without infamous intrigue,
The constant and most firm ambition.
And in following this line she persists,
Dedicating her tenacious efforts
In giving hard battle for battle;
Her happiness is found in peace.

CHORUS