The St. Kitts Connection
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They named Saint Kitts Liamuiga meaning "fertile island," and Nevis Oualie meaning "land of beautiful waters. It is thought they would have succeeded in occupying the entire archipelago had the Europeans not arrived. Both islands were major bases used by the Kalinago from the south to raid the Taino peoples of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico , and were critically important for the Kalinago trade routes to the north.
The first Europeans to arrive at the islands were the Spanish under Christopher Columbus. However, misinterpretations of maps by subsequent Spanish explorers led Saint Kitts to be named San Cristobal Saint Christopher , a name originally applied to the island of Saba, 20 miles north. Saint Christopher was eventually transliterated to Saint Kitts. The first non-Spanish settlement attempt in the Caribbean occurred on Saint Kitts, when French Jesuit refugees from the fishing town of Dieppe established a town on a harbor on the island's north coast, which they also named Dieppe, in However, only months after the founding, the settlement was raided by the Spanish and all the inhabitants were deported.
The next European encounter occurred in when Captain John Smith stopped at Nevis for five days before founding the U. Captain Smith documented the many hot springs in Nevis, whose waters had remarkable curative abilities against skin ailments and bad health. The island of Nevis was colonized in , by British settlers from Saint Kitts. Barths for the French were colonized from there. Although tiny in size, and separated by only two miles of water, the two islands were always viewed and governed as completely different states until the late nineteenth century, when they were forcefully unified along with the island of Anguilla by Great Britain.
An unsettling relationship remains, 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 Angullians rebelled, and their island was allowed to separate from the others in Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in It is the newest sovereign nation of the Americas. In August , a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Alexander Hamilton , the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, was born in Nevis and spent his childhood there and on the island of Saint Croix.
The country is an independent Commonwealth Realm with the royal head of the monarch of Great Britain as its head of state, represented in Saint Kitts and Nevis by a Governor-General, who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the House, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state. Saint Kitts and Nevis has a unicameral legislature, known as the National Assembly.
It is comprised of 14 members: Eleven elected Representatives three from the island of Nevis and three Senators who are appointed by the Governor-General. Two of the senators are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, and one on the advice of the leader of the opposition. Unlike the situations in other countries, senators do not constitute a separate Senate or upper house of parliament, but sit in the National Assembly, alongside representatives. All members serve five-year terms.
The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are responsible to the Parliament.
The country is divided into 14 parishes. Nine are located on the island of Saint Kitts and five are on Nevis. Saint Kitts and Nevis is a twin-island federation whose economy is characterized by its dominant tourism, agriculture , and light manufacturing industries.
Sugar had been the country's main export crop since the s, but increasing 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 late , the government decided to close down the state-owned sugar company, which had produced losses and was a significant contributor to the fiscal deficit. Former sugar plantations still dominate the Saint Kitts landscape. Nevis grows primarily cotton , vegetables , and coconuts. 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 including batik-dyed fabrics and other clothing, as well as furniture. They operate one of the largest electronics assembly industries in the Caribbean. Post-hurricane reconstruction led to an economic resumption in with GDP growing at 6.
Terry Downes, a young commercial banker aspiring to achieve a top management position in the banking industry, runs into problems when reporting to a. Saint Kitts and Nevis also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island .. History (). Crossroads of Empire: The European- Caribbean Connection, Department of History, University of the West Indies.
The year began well although the post-hurricane construction boom was over and growth was slowing from its rate. Following the terrorist attacks in the U. As a result, the GDP growth declined substantially in and Economic activity has recovered since , mainly driven by strong growth in tourism. In view of its high level of public debt, the country needs a prudent fiscal policy to ensure sustainable economic growth.
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The ECCB also manages monetary policy, and regulates and supervises commercial banking activities in its member countries. They are also a member of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications ECTEL authority, which is developing the regulations to liberalize the telecommunications sector in the region.
According to a July census, there were an estimated 42, inhabitants; 11, on Nevis, and 31, on Saint Kitts. The average life expectancy was The population is predominantly Black The Mulatto population is five percent, East Indian is three percent, while White is one percent. The country's official language is English. The people of Saint Kitts and Nevis are devoutly religious , mainly Christian. Several historic Anglican churches remain on Nevis, and 50 percent of the country's population still practices Anglicanism. Other denominations are Methodist and small groups of Moravians and Roman Catholics.
There are some Rastafarians and Baha'i followers. An old Jewish cemetery on Nevis proves that there was once a Jewish population as well, but currently there is no active Jewish community in the country. Emigration has historically been very high, and the population is about 25 percent lower than at its peak in of 51, The culture of Saint Kitts and Nevis has grown mainly out of the West African traditions passed down from the former slave population.
French and British colonists both settled the islands, and for a period of time the British imported indentured Irish servants. British influence remains in the country's official language, English, while some islanders speak an English-based Creole. As in other Caribbean nations, the culture on Saint Kitts and Nevis is festive and vibrant. Carnivals and celebrations play an important role in island life.
At Christmas time December 17 to January 3 , Carnival is in full swing. The opening gala takes place in mid-December, with events going on until a few days after New Year's. Of course, there are also plenty of parades full of people wearing colorful, spangled costumes. Another very popular aspect of Carnival, Masquerade or Mas evolved over the past three centuries from a mix of African and European traditions.
Masquerade performers wear brightly patterned long-sleeved shirts with trousers, embellished with bangles, mirrors, and ribbons. Topping off their costumes are masks and headdresses decorated with peacock feathers. Their dances combine elements of waltzes, jigs, wild mas, fertility dances, quadrilles, and other traditional African and European dances.
Stilt-walkers called Moko-Jumbies wear similar but simpler costumes. Wearing stilts six to eight feet high, Moko-Jumbies dance to entertain the crowds. Clown troupes also perform. In groups of about 50, they dance while a live band plays music.
Saint Kitts and Nevis - New World Encyclopedia
After the islands had assumed the status of associated states, Anguilla complained of domination by the Saint Kitts administration. In May the Anguillans ejected the Saint Kitts police and established their own council. In July of the same year, they proclaimed their independence. After unsuccessful negotiations, the Anguilla Act of July placed Anguilla directly under British control. On February 10, , Anguilla was granted a constitution, and its union with Saint Kitts and Nevis was formally severed in A constitutional conference was held in London in , and, in spite of disagreement over special provisions for Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis became independent on September 19, A referendum was held there in on the question of independence for the island, but it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to secede.
The nationalized sugar industry continued to slump and, after years of operating it at a loss, the government closed it down after the harvest. Douglas won reelection in , , and but was defeated in by Team Unity, a coalition of opposition parties led by former foreign minister Timothy Harris, who became the new prime minister. We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.
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It is approximately 1,, square miles 2,, square km in extent. To the south it is bounded by the coasts of Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama; to the west…. Early settlement physical geography In Saint Kitts and Nevis: Land population In Saint Kitts and Nevis: Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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Saint Kitts and Nevis
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