Saint Lucia is an island country in the southern Caribbean. One of the Windward Islands, it lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. Saint Lucia was initially colonized by the French, who named it after Saint Lucy of Syracuse. However, a succession of fourteen wars between Britain and France in the 17th century led the island to ultimately end up in British control before it gained independence in 1979. The country has a relatively high income per capita, but its economy relies heavily upon tourism and banana exports.