The Pitons are two mountainous volcanic spires rising side by side from the sea (770 m and 743 m high respectively), linked by the Piton Mitan ridge, and located near the town of Soufrière, on the southwestern coast of Saint Lucia. The volcanic complex includes a geothermal field with sulphurous fumeroles and hot springs. The Marine Management Area is a coastal strip 11km long and about 1km wide. It comprises a steeply sloping continental shelf with fringing and patch reefs, boulders and sandy plains. The coral reefs, which cover almost 60% of the marine area, are healthy and diverse. 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.
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