Saint Kitts & Nevis

History

Christopher Columbus arrived on the island in 1493 and named it Saint Kitts after his patron Saint Christopher.

St Kitts and Nevis were initially two separate territories. And the British colonized St Kitts in 1623 and Nevis in 1628.

Later, the two territories jointly gained independence in 1983 forming one country.

Food/ culture

Its culture is influenced by British culture.

The crops grown in the country are sweet potatoes, rice, onions, yams, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots and bananas.

The most popular dishes are pelau, rikkita beef, roti and goat water stew.

Wildlife

Common wildlife animals living in the country are hawksbill turtle, spinner dolphins, humpback whales and sea turtles.

Annual events/ celebrations/ festivals

The common events held in the country are St. Kitts Music Festival, Independence Day, Battle of St. Kitts reenactment, Culturama, St Kitts Carnival and Latin Fiesta.

Things to see

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a preserved fort that lies on a hill and is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Frigate Bay is the title of two bays close to each other near Basseterre.

Mount Liamuiga is a 3,792 m stratovolcano on the western region of Saint Kitts Island.

Other must-visit places are South Friars Bay, Pinney’s beach and St. Kitts Scenic Railway.

Interesting facts

On the western hemisphere, Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country by population and area.

St. Nevis Island was given that name by Christopher Columbus for it looked like a snow-capped mountain whose Spanish title is nieves.

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest fortress ever built in the Western Caribbean.

People living on the island of Saint Kitts are called Kittians while those on the island of Nevis are called Nevisians.

Borders

It is bordered by the islands of Sint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint-Martin and Anguilla on the north-northwest, Antigua and Barbuda on the east-northeast and, Island of Redonda and Island of Montserrat on the southeast.