The volcanic and mountainous island of Saint Lucia has numerous wide, fertile valleys. It is situated in the Caribbean between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Martinique and Dominica and north of Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines;  The island is 3.5 times the size of Washington, D.C., at 616km2. Its 158km of shoreline are home to stunning beaches with black or yellow sand. The northeast trade winds help to temper the tropical climate; the dry season runs from January to April, and the rainy season lasts from May to August. Forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), and mineral springs are some of Saint Lucia’s natural resources.