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Quick Facts - St. Kitts and Nevis

When Christopher Columbus explored the islands in 1493, they were inhabited by the Carib people. Years later the British settled St. Kitts, formerly St. Christopher, in 1623 and Nevis in 1628. The French settled on St. Kitts in 1627, and an Anglo-French rivalry lasted for more than 100 years. After a decisive British victory over the French at Brimstone Hill in 1782, the islands came under permanent British control. The islands, including nearby Anguilla, were

united in 1882. They joined the West Indies federation in 1958 and remained in that association until its dissolution in 1962. St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla became an associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967. Anguilla seceded in 1980, and St. Kitts and Nevis became independent on Sept. 19, 1983.

Located in the Leeward Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis is one of the smallest members of the United Nation with a population of 42,696.

 

Language:
 		English
Government:
 		Independence from UK on August 6, 1962
Capital: Basseterre
Size: 261 km²
Location: Lesser Antilles -17 20 N, 62 45W
Sovereign:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
Governor: His Excellency Sir Cuthbert Sebastian (1996)
Head of Government: The Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas (1995)
Climate:

50 - 92 °F

Electricity: 220/240 volts - 50 cycles
Currency: Eastern Caribbean dollars (US currency widely accepted); $1 US = $2.70 XCD (this rate is indicative)
Driving: On left, license required
Rentals: Car, jeeps, boats, bicycles, scooters
Airports/Seaports:
St. Kitts -Airport: Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport
Seaports:
Birdrock Deepwater Port and Port Zante
Nevis - Airport: Vance W. Amory International Airport
Ferry Click here for St. Kitts - Nevis ferry information
Entry: Passport and return or onward ticket required.
Online Newspaper(s): Labour Spokesman ?The Democrat