Blogpost: The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis

Greetings! We recently returned from a trip to the country that consists of the sister islands of St. Kitts and Nevis (country #94) in the West Indies (Caribbean). We were able to experience the beaches of St. Kitts (primarily in the Frigate Bay area), and also learn about and experience the capital city of Basseterre (BAH-suh-tur) and surrounding areas in St. Kitts, and the main highlights of the island of Nevis (NEE-vuss), which is a 7-minute water taxi ride away from St. Kitts. Below, you will find information and photos from our trip. Please note that there will be references to and information about the slave trade, which could be distressing to some.

St. Kitts

St. Kitts is an island that has an area of 68 square miles (109sqkm), and is bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side by the Caribbean Sea. St. Kitts is on Atlantic Standard Time (which is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time), and while their local currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, the US Dollar is accepted everywhere (exchange rate in November 2023 was 1 USD = 1.27 ECD). The main source of income is tourism, with cruise ships coming to port throughout the year. The weather is consistently beautiful, with year-round average temperatures in the mid-80s (27 C), rarely getting hotter than 89 degrees (31 C) or colder than the mid-70s (24C). While they have a rainforest, where most of the rain falls, most of the island gets some rain throughout the year.

St. Kitts was originally inhabited by the Caribs (the indigenous people on the island), who had named the island Liamuiga (lee-uh-MOO-ee-gah), which means “fertile land,” and is reflective of the variety of fruits and vegetables that are abundant throughout the island. St. Kitts has approximately 39,000 inhabitants… and 50,000 Green Vervet monkeys (or so we were told…lol). While the land is fertile, the crops are often destroyed by the monkeys, who don’t like people, yet will destroy their crops.

Kittitians (keh-TISH-ee-ans) are very religious people, with a majority of citizens identifying as Roman Catholic, followed by Anglican, Methodist, and Catholic. They also value education, and students can attend local public schools and the local (two year) college for free. Eighty percent of students will attend the local college after graduating from high school, and then they will transfer to the United States or Canada to finish out their university career (We were told that a high percentage of students from St. Kitts and Nevis attend Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. We were not told why this was the case, aside from the fact that Texas is warmer than some other places in the US and Canada). There are also two schools for advanced degrees on St. Kitts (a veterinary medicine school [Ross University; established in 1982] and a medical school [University of Medicine and Health Sciences]) that were established for students from the United States. We were told that 20% of American veterinarians received their degrees from Ross University.

History of St. Kitts

In 1623, the British arrived as part of their quest to inhabit other parts of the world. Two years later, the French arrived with the same objective. At the time, Liamuiga (as it was called then) consisted of present-day St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla, and was inhabited (as previously indicated) by Caribs (also called Kalinagos). In 1626, the French and British converged on the Kalinagos, massacred 2000 of them (essentially eliminating the Kalinagos population), and cast them into the river at a location known as Bloody Point. The river was reported to have been red for several days thereafter. The French (who inhabited the ends of St. Kitts) subsequently brought slaves from Western Africa to the islands, and they brought the monkeys from Western Africa, as well, to destroy the British crops (the British inhabited the middle portions of the island).

Independence Square was the site of the first slave market. Slaves were used to produce sugar, rum, and cotton.

During this time, St. Kitts was renamed Saint Christopher after Christoper Columbus. This is actually still the name that is used by their Ministry of National Security, as the Customs forms that are completed for arrival in St. Kitts say “Saint Christopher and Nevis” on them. Slaves were brought to the island nation for their labor (to tend crops and build structures). They used lava rock and limestone to build the structures, and the quality of their work and sturdiness of the materials has resulted in a majority of the structures withstanding hurricanes, including the last major hurricane, George, in 1997. All of the stone structures on the islands were built by the slaves. Because of how hard that work was (carpentry/building work, as well as working in cotton and sugar cane fields), slaves did not usually live longer than 15 years after they started working.

Eventually, the French and British fought each other and the British won. They continued to inhabit and rule the island nation, and slavery was abolished around 1838. Independence was ultimately gained in 1983. At that time, St. Kitts and Nevis continued to be connected as an island nation, while Anguilla (ann-gwill-uh) chose to continue under British rule. St. Kitts and Nevis is still considered to be part of the Commonwealth, and there is a replica of a British clocktower in Basseterre, which is the only one still on the island.

Interesting Fact: The St. Kitts Government builds apartments and houses (usually 2 bedrooms) that they provide for their citizens at the cost of $300USD per month, with loans that offer 2.5% interest. The families can own the houses outright after 25 years (or sooner if they pay them off early), and can pass the property down to subsequent generations. Foreigners who want to relocate to St. Kitts and Nevis can participate in the Citizen By Investment program, where they can buy property valued at $400,000USD and can subsequently obtain citizenship. Four Billion USD has been generated from this program, making it the largest source of revenue for St. Kitts and Nevis.

St. Kitts and Nevis is considered to be a Federation, as they have a federal government that governs both islands, and a Prime Minister that is the head of that government. The Prime Minister is elected every five years, with no term limit (i.e., can be in power as often/long as elected). There are three parties: Labor Party (which is the party in power now; they represent the “standard living party”), the People Labor Party (original labor party members; they represent the “people in the middle” [i.e., not the rich or the poor]), and the Pam Party (they represent the rich people). Nevis also has a local Premier, who governs local issues.

Oxtail (local delicacy)

Nevis

The island of Nevis (NEE-vuss) is anchored by Mt. Nevis, which is a volcano that rises to 3232 feet/985m on one end, and consists of farmland throughout the remainder of the island’s 36sqmi/58sqkm.

Nevis is best/most popularly known as the place where Alexander Hamilton was born. The US-based musical, “Hamilton,” is about Alexander Hamilton, who is considered to be one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America (he was the first Secretary of the US Treasury, appointed by George Washington [the first US president]).

Nevis is divided into five parishes, and there is an Anglican church in each parish. The oldest Anglican church (pictured above) has a cemetery, within which is buried a cousin of the late American actress, Ms. Cicely Tyson.

St. Kitts and Nevis is a colorful nation with a lot of history, wonderfully kind people, pleasant climate, and delicious food. The islands are easily navigated (either on your own, or with one of the many taxi/tour guides, who are willing to share their history and culture), and is definitely worth visiting.

Until next time, take care and be well…