Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian peoples. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 617 km2 (238 square miles) with an estimated population of over 180,000 people as of 2022. The national capital is the city of Castries.

Belonging to the Lesser Antilles, the volcanic island of Saint Lucia is located in the Eastern Caribbean Sea and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The Pitons Management Area (PMA) in the Southwest of Saint Lucia is a multiple use conservation and management area of 1,134 hectares of land and 875 hectares of sea, respectively, totaling 2,909 hectares. The eponymous Pitons, two towering volcanic spires, are the major iconic landmark of the island. These spectacular twin pinnacles, Gros Piton and Petit Piton, rise side by side from the sea to 770 and 743 m.a.s.l., respectively. They are bridged by an inland ridge and tower above an accessible caldera-like formation known as the Qualibou Depression. The PMA finds itself within the Soufriere Volcanic Centre and encompasses a wide range of its diverse geological features, including a site of geothermal activity with fumaroles and hot springs, known as the Sulphur Springs. Petroglyphs and diverse artifacts bear witness of the Amerindian Carib population which historically inhabited what is now the PMA.

Despite the small extension there is a high diversity of terrestrial habitats, flora and fauna. The dominant vegetation is comprised of various forest types, including rare elfin woodland on the summits. Small, little disturbed patches of natural forests remain, preserved by the steepness of the land.

The Marine Management Area within the PMA is a strip of roughly 11 km long and about one kilometre wide along the shore. It comprises a steeply sloping continental shelf with healthy fringing and patch reefs covering more than 60 % of the marine area, boulders and sandy plains. The diverse marine and coastal habitats harbour important marine life. Hawksbill turtles are seen inshore, and whale sharks and pilot whales offshore.

The PMA contains the greater part of a collapsed stratovolcano contained within the volcanic system, known to geologists as the Soufriere Volcanic Centre. Prominent within the volcanic landscape are two remnant volcanic peaks, Gros Piton and Petit Piton. The Pitons occur with a variety of other volcanic features including cumulo domes, explosion craters, pyroclastic deposits (pumice and ash), and lava flows. Collectively, these fully illustrate the volcanic history of an andesitic composite volcano associated with crustal plate subduction.

In 2004, the Pitons were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1161