Saint Kitts and Nevis
June 8th, 2011 -- Posted in Central America | No Comments »History
Battle of Saint Kitts, 1782, as described by an observer in a French engraving titled “Attaque de Brimstomhill”.
Five thousand years prior to European arrival, the island was settled by Native Americans. The latest arrivals, the Kalinago peoples, arrived approximately three centuries before the Europeans. The islands were made known to the Europeans by a Spanish expedition under Columbus in 1493. In 1538, French Huguenots established a settlement on St. Kitts but the settlement was destroyed by the Spanish soon afterwards and the survivors were deported. In 1623, an English settlement was established, which was soon followed by French settlements, the island being divided by agreement. Dissimilar to many other islands, the local Kalinago people on the island allowed Europeans to colonise Saint Kitts. In 1626, the Anglo-French settlers massacred the Kalinago.
The island of Nevis was colonised in 1628 by British settlers from Saint Kitts. From there, Saint Kitts became the premier base for British and French expansion, as the islands of Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla and Tortola for the British, and Martinique, the Guadeloupe archipelago and St. Barts[disambiguation needed] for the French were colonised from it.
A Spanish expedition, sent to enforce Spanish claims, occupied both islands and deported the English and French settlers back to their respective countries in 1629. However, they soon returned and re-established their colonies. During the late 17th and early 18th century, the two nations battled for control over the island until it was ceded to the British in 1713.
Although small in size, and separated by only 2 miles (3Â km) of water, the two islands were viewed and governed as different states until the late 19th century, when they were forcibly unified along with the island of Anguilla by the British. To this day relations are strained, with Nevis accusing Saint Kitts of neglecting its needs.
Saint Kitts and Nevis, along with Anguilla, became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. Anguillians rebelled, and their island was allowed to separate from the others in 1971. St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. It is the newest sovereign nation in the Americas. In August 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from St. Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.[3] In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused approximately $458,000,000 in damages and property and limited GDP growth for the year and beyond. Georges was the worst hurricane to hit the region in the century.
Geography
Map of Saint Kitts and Nevis
View of Nevis from St. Kitts.
The country has two main islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis. The highest peak, at 1,156 metres, is Mount Liamuiga.
The islands are of volcanic origin, with large central peaks covered in tropical rainforest; the steeper slopes leading to these peaks are mostly uninhabited. The majority of the population on both islands lives closer to the sea where the terrain flattens out. There are numerous rivers descending from the mountains of both islands, which provide fresh water to the local population. St. Kitts also has one small lake.
Economy
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a twin-island federation whose economy is characterised by its dominant tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing industries. Sugar was the primary export from the 1640s on, but rising production costs, low world market prices, and the government’s efforts to reduce dependence on it have led to a growing diversification of the agricultural sector. In 2005, the government decided to close down the state-owned sugar company, which had experienced losses and was a significant contributor to the fiscal deficit. Former sugar plantations still dominate the St. Kitts landscape, however many of the cane fields are being burned to make room for land development, especially on the northern side of the island, in the parishes of Saint John Capisterre and Christchurch. The agricultural, tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore-banking sectors are being developed and are now taking larger roles in the country’s economy. The growth of the tourism sector has become the main foreign exchange earner for Saint Kitts and Nevis. The country has also developed a successful apparel assembly industry and one of the largest electronics assembly industries in the Caribbean.
St. Kitts is dependent on tourism to drive its economy. Tourism to the island has been expanding since 1978. 2010′s figures are still being calculated, but in 2009 there were 587,479 arrivals to Saint Kitts compared to 379,473 in 2007. This growth represents an increase of just under 40% in a 2 year period. As tourism grows the demand for vacation property increases in conjunction.
Economic Citizenship-by-Investment program
Being one of the Caribbean islands, St. Kitts allows foreigners to obtain the status of St. Kitts citizen by means of a government sponsored investment program called Citizenship-by-Investment.[4] Established in 1984, St. Kitts’ citizenship program is the oldest economic citizenship program of this kind in this world. This well regulated, legitimate program has international approval and acceptance.
St. Kitts’ Citizenship-by-Investment program is unique in that it offers a plethora of benefits;[5]
Each candidate must go through several legal steps[6] and should complete certain legal requirements to get qualified for citizenship by investment program
St Kitts & Nevis also acquires foreign direct investment from their unique citizenship by investment program.
In addition to this, in hopes of expanding tourism, the country hosts its annual St. Kitts Music Festival.
Continued development from within Saint Kitts is planned and it will continue to support future economic growth of the Island.
Education
There are eight publicly administered high/secondary level schools in St Kitts-Nevis, and several private secondary schools.
Public high/secondary schools
- Cayon High School (CHS)
- Basseterre High School (BHS)
- Washington Archibald High School (WAHS)
- Verchilds High School (VHS)
- Sandy Point High School (SPHS)
- Charlestown Secondary School (CSS)
- Gingerland Secondary School (GSS)
- Saddlers Secondary School (SSS)
Private high/secondary schools
- St Theresa’s Convent School and St. Joseph’s School –
- Merged in 2010 to form Immaculate Conception Catholic School – Kindergarten to Grade 11 – the traditional Caribbean final secondary school grade.
- Lyn Jeffers Secondary School
- Lyn Jeffers Primary School
- Saint Christopher Preparatory school
- Montessori Academy