Maria Islands are larger and more arid and are almost constantly exposed to salt-laden winds blowing up from the equator. Set to the east of St. Lucia`s southernmost tip, off the town of Vieux Fort, their biodiversity is strictly protected. The approximately 12 hectares of cactus-dotted land that make up the two largest islands (Maria Major and Maria Minor) are home to more than 120 species of plants, lizards, butterflies, and snakes that are believed to be extinct in other parts of the world. These include the large ground lizard and the nocturnal, nonvenomous kouwes snake.
