St. Kitts and Nevis is a federal island state in the Lesser Antilles in
the eastern Caribbean. The capital and largest city of the state is
Basseterre, the official language is English.
With its 51,320
inhabitants (as of 2022) and an area of just under 263 square
kilometers, the state is one of the twelve smallest generally recognized
states in the world. It is named after the two islands of St. Kitts and
Nevis. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United
Nations.
The country consists of just two islands, Saint Kitts
and Nevis.
Saint Kitts is the larger of the two islands. It is of
volcanic origin, as evidenced by three volcanic cones separated from
each other by deep gorges.
Nevis is a round island and is only
separated from the larger island of Saint Kitts by a 4km wide sea
channel. Only about a quarter of the population lives on this island.
The highest point on the island is Mount Nevis at 985 m.
The islands were discovered by Columbus on November
12, 1493, on his second voyage. He named the northern island San
Cristobal, and the southern one Nuestro Senora de Las Nievas. He never
landed on either of the two islands himself. But the Spaniards after
Columbus also had no interest in these insignificant islands, so they
remained untouched habitat of the indigenous Indian population for over
100 years. They called the island Liamuiga, "fertile land."
These
two northern islands of the Lesser Antilles are something like the
entrance to the southern Caribbean. In 1622, an attempt by the two
captains Thomas Painton and Sir Robert Thomas Warner to conquer land on
the north coast of South America failed. On the way back to England,
they landed on the island of Saint Christopher, where Warner spent
several months. After his return, he obtained permission from King
Charles I and financial support from the London merchant Ralph
Merrifield to return there with some settlers to grow tobacco. In 1623,
Thomas Warner and 15 other settlers landed at the place that is now
called Old Road Town. Saint Christopher is referred to as the British
mother colony in the Caribbean.
Other European seafaring nations
such as France also wanted to share in the wealth of the New World. In
October 1624, a French privateer ship led by Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc
suffered severe damage in a battle with Spaniards in the waters off St.
Kitts. Thomas Warner gave the French permission to repair their ship on
land. During this time, they were also allowed to clear land and plant
tobacco. Although the Carib Indians had welcomed the arrival of the
English, they felt threatened by the additional French. They called on
tribal brothers from other islands for help and attacked the English and
French. They also allied themselves and by 1626 all Indians had been
driven from the island. A treaty was negotiated between the two nations,
which came into force on May 13, 1627 and was implemented until 1662.
The French received land in the north and south of the island, while the
English received the middle part. The isthmus with the salt lake in the
very south remained neutral and was used by both nations.
In
1628, Thomas Warner began settling the neighboring island of Nevis.
Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc founded the town of Basseterre. D'Esnambuc, who
was supported by the French Cardinal Richelieu, was appointed governor.
In the same year, he founded the trading company Compagnie de
Saint-Christophe. Its goal was to advance colonization and achieve
maximum profit. For the same reason, he sent settlers to the islands
south of Antigua in 1632, which brought Guadeloupe and Martinique into
French possession in 1635. When d'Esnambuc died a year later, the knight
Lonvilliers de Poincy became his successor; Sir Thomas Warner died in
1648. One of his descendants was Charles Warner, who acquired large
tracts of land on the island of Dominica.
Spain initially watched
this settlement idly. But after the Indians had been killed or driven
from the island and more and more non-Spanish settlers populated the
islands, countermeasures were planned. Every year a fleet sailed from
Spain with weapons, wheat and equipment to the colonies in Central
America. In 1629, the accompanying fleet of 35 ships with 7,500 soldiers
under the command of Don Fadrique de Toledo was ordered to destroy the
settlements on St. Kitts on the way to Cartagena and Veracruz. The
island population resisted unsuccessfully. 700 settlers were captured
and sent back to Europe. Another 400 were able to hide in the middle of
the island and resume field work after leaving Toledo.
Tobacco
and cotton were initially the main crops grown on the island; in 1638,
around 225 tons of tobacco were sold to Europe. In 1648, Dutch religious
refugees brought sugar cane seedlings from Brazil to St. Kitts. In the
following period, large parts of the island were deforested and sugar
cane plantations were established everywhere.
In 1666, the
friendly relationship between the English and French on the island
changed as a result of the Second Dutch War, in which the English and
French were hostile to one another in Europe. The first fighting between
the two nations took place at Old Road Town. As a result, the English
built Fort Charles there as the first fortified facility on the island.
In 1689, the French succeeded in occupying the island. The following
year, the English landed in Frigate Bay under the leadership of Sir
Timothy Thornhill. They drove the French troops west along the coast,
where they entrenched themselves in Fort Charles. Sir Thornhill had a
cannon set up on Brimstone Hill and from there fired on Fort Charles on
the coast; the French were forced to surrender.
It was not until
1713, in the Treaty of Utrecht, that the British were finally awarded
the island. By 1726, all former French lands on the island had been
auctioned off in 80-hectare lots. In the ten years between 1721 and
1730, over 10,000 "Negro slaves" were brought to the island to work on
the plantations.
In 1724, 3,000 whites and 10,500 slaves lived on
the island; in 1775, there were only 1,880 whites and 20,500 slaves.
Between 1710 and 1770, sugar production rose from 1,000 to 10,000 tons.
In January 1782, a French fleet with 8,000 soldiers landed in
Basseterre Bay. 600 soldiers of the Royal Scots from East Yorkshire and
350 militiamen retreated to Brimstone Hill, where they were besieged by
the French and forced to surrender. At the same time, naval battles
broke out between the British fleet led by Admiral Samuel Hood and the
French. From Barbados, he attacked de Grasse's fleet with a fleet of 22
ships, damaging many French ships.
A year later, in the Treaty of
Versailles, France and Spain fully recognized British ownership rights.
During the Napoleonic Wars, the island was again occupied by the French
for a short time in 1805.
In 1843, the islands were shaken by an
earthquake that was also felt on St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands) and
Saint Vincent.
The abolition of slavery in 1834 brought little
relief to the colored population. The ruling plantation owners did not
provide land for the 20,000 former slaves, so they remained tied to
their old masters. Between 1840 and 1850, 1,500 Portuguese workers were
also recruited from the island of Madeira, but only a few stayed there
beyond the term of their contract.
In 1854, cholera broke out on
the island. 4,000 islanders died from the epidemic. The next disaster
occurred in January 1880. In the middle of the island, 88 cm of rain
fell in a single day. This "great flood" cost the lives of over 350
people.
In 1871, Saint Christopher and Nevis were incorporated
into the Leeward Islands. Since 1882, both islands have formed a union
of states with one citizenship.
The fall in sugar prices forced
many islanders to look for work on the surrounding islands. Others tried
their luck in the only town on the island, Basseterre. This meant that
by 1890, about half of the island's population lived there. The
consequences of the global economic crisis also had an impact on St.
Kitts in the early 1930s, with repeated riots resulting in deaths. The
British colonial administration initially only sent the gunboat HMS
Leander to Basseterre. In 1932, the Worker's League was founded, which
basically saw itself as a party and later became the Nevis Labour Party.
In 1938, the average daily wage was between 32 and 36 cents. This had
already led to a general strike among agricultural workers in 1935.
When the St. Kitts-Nevis Trade and Labour Union was founded in 1940,
the plantation owners lost their absolute claim to power. However,
decisive reforms did not take place until after 1952, when the
constitution was changed and the composition of the government was
reformed in the following years.
In February 1967, St. Kitts and
Nevis became an autonomous state associated with Great Britain.
Independence was planned for 1980. In the same year, the conservative
St. Kitts Labour Party, which had been in power for 30 years, lost the
general election with only 4 of 9 seats. The alliance of the People's
Action Movement and the Nevis Reformation Party then achieved full
independence on September 19, 1983, against the will of the SKLP,
without a referendum and without new elections.
The main crop
grown on the island until 2005 was sugar cane. But since 2000, this
industry has been losing importance. In 2005, sugar processing on Saint
Kitts was completely stopped. Since then, efforts have been made to
attract foreign investors, change agricultural policy and expand
tourism. The expansion of the road to the southeast end of the island
can be seen from this perspective. The 10.5 km long Dr. Kennedy Simmonds
Highway was completed in 1992 and leads to Banana Bay.
In 1998,
the leadership of the island of Nevis once again pushed through a
referendum on the island's secession and independence. The required
majority of 66.67% was only narrowly missed with 61.6%. This close
election result is also likely to result in political problems in the
future. Especially since the Concerned Citizens Movement had made its
future dependent on this election.
Entry requirements
Tourists from EFTA countries only need a valid
passport and a return or onward flight ticket for a stay of up to three
months. The passport must be valid for six months upon entry. All other
travelers must apply for an eVisa (2021: US$ 100). With the printed
version, you will receive the visa from the border official upon
arrival.
Exit requirements
When leaving the country, all
persons over the age of 12 must pay an airport tax of 60 EC dollars or
22 US dollars.
Foreign exchange regulations
The import of
foreign currencies is unlimited, the import of EC $ must be declared to
customs, the export must not exceed the value of the import.
Airplane
Each of the two islands has its own airport.
Robert
Llewllyn Bradshaw International Airport, Basseterre
Vance Winkworth
Amory Airport, Newcastle
Ship
There are two ports on each of
the two islands.
Bird Rock Deep Water Harbour, Basseterre, cargo
port
Port Zante, Basseterre, the new pier for cruise ships, right
next to it a mini marina and the ferry dock to Nevis
Charlestown
Harbour, three jetties for the ferry to Saint Kitts and for fishing
Nevis Deep Water Harbour, cargo port, a good 4km south of Charlestown
There are several intercity buses on both islands, as well as rental cars and taxis. Please note: traffic drives on the left.
English is spoken on the islands, mixed with a local dialect.
Good soups are also prepared on this group of islands. Often, especially on Saturdays, there are a few simple cooking facilities on the beach or on the river bank and men cook soup and later sell it on the side of the road. Bull Foot Soup contains bull's feet, onions, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkin and spices. Chicken Feet Soup contains onions, tomatoes, lentils, plantains and of course chicken feet. Manish Water is cooked from a whole goat's head and served with plantains and noodles.
There are privately practicing doctors and dentists. International health insurance is not accepted, treatments must be paid for in cash in US dollars.