The Pitons are two mountainous

volcanic plug A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcano, volcanic object created when magma hardens within a Volcanic vent, vent on an active volcano. When present, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of high gas pressure if risi ...

s, volcanic spires, located in

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 ...

. Petit Piton is high and Gros Piton is high; they are linked by the Piton Mitan

ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

. Piton means mountain peak in French; Petit Piton means small mountain peak and Gros Piton means large mountain peak. The Pitons are a

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 ...

, in size, and located near the town of Soufrière.

Geography

The Pitons are located between the towns of Soufrière and Choiseul on the southwestern coast of the island. They are in the electoral districts of three and ten. The Pitons are located on either side of Jalousie Bay.

Flora and fauna

Coral reefs cover almost 60% of the site's marine area. A survey has revealed 168 species of finfish, 60 species of cnidaria, including corals, eight mollusks, 14 sponges, 11 echinoderms, 15 arthropods, and eight annelid worms. The dominant terrestrial vegetation is tropical moist forest grading to subtropical wet forest, with small areas of dry forest and wet elfin woodland on the summits. At least 148 plant species have been recorded on Gros Piton, 97 on Petit Piton, and the intervening ridge, among them eight rare tree species. Gros Piton is home to some 27 bird species (five of them endemic), three indigenous rodents, one opossum, three bats, eight reptiles, and three amphibians. The site has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

Geology

The volcanic complex includes a geothermal field with sulphurous

fumarole A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another 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 ...

s and

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

Gros Piton

Gros Piton is at the southern end of Pitons Bay. It is the second-highest peak on Saint Lucia, after

Mount Gimie Mount Gimie is the tallest mountain on the island of Saint Lucia. It is located in the Canaries Quarter, Canaries District on the west side of Saint Lucia. The mountain's peak reaches . It is covered by lush tropical rainforest and was formed as ...

. Gros Piton can be climbed without ropes or mountaineering experience. One can hike to the summit and come back down to sea level within several hours. Local guides are provided by the National Park and are included with your entry fee. They are trained by the government to have basic knowledge of the languages common among tourists and of the medical procedures required in case of common accidents.

Petit Piton

Petit Piton lies towards the middle of Soufrière Bay, south of Soufrière and north of Gros Piton. Petit Piton was first climbed in 1878 by Abdome Deligny. The islands of Dominica, Martinique, Barbados, and St. Vincent can be seen from its peak.

In popular culture

Saint Lucia's local brand of

beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...

made by the Windward & Leeward Brewery is named after the Pitons. Both mountains are an attraction for hikers although the Gros Piton peak is more popular since it is an easier climb and tours are offered by The Soufrière Foundation, a non-profit group that is dedicated to helping preserve the Pitons Management Area.

Gallery

File:Gros Piton and Petit Piton in Saint Lucia.JPG, The Pitons, Soufrière, and the Caribbean Sea File:View of Petit Piton from Gros Piton.JPG, Petit Piton from Gros Piton Image:The Pitons at Soufriere Saint Lucia.jpg, Pitons from the northern viewpoint Image:GrosPiton.JPG, Gros Piton seen from the Piton Mitan ridge Image:PetitPiton.JPG, Petit Piton seen from the Piton Mitan ridge Image:two pitons.jpg, Gros Piton (left) and Petit Piton seen from the north-east File:The Pitons of St Lucia YORYM-TA0184.jpg, Pitons in 1903 File:Les Pitons de Ste. Alousie.jpg, St Lucia Pitons drawing from 17th - 18th century Image:Petit piton panorama.jpg, Panorama View from the top of Gros Piton, looking north. Gives a view of the Petit Piton and northern St. Lucia. File:St Lucia Pitons 2008.jpg, Pitons from the ocean

References

External links

Pitons Management Area
UNESCO Collection on Google Arts and Culture {{authority control Volcanoes of Saint Lucia Volcanic plugs of North America Mountains of Saint Lucia Important Bird Areas of Saint Lucia World Heritage Sites in Saint Lucia