Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. The west side of the island borders the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Sea, and the eastern coast faces the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Ne ...

constitute one country: the Federation of

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

. Saint Kitts and Nevis are separated by a shallow channel known as "

The Narrows __NOTOC__ The Narrows is the tidal strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay and forms the principal channel by which the Hudson Riv ...

". Saint Kitts became home to the first Caribbean British and French colonies in the mid-1620s. Along with the island of Nevis, Saint Kitts was a member of the

British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...

until gaining independence on 19 September 1983. The island is one of the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

in the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

. It is situated about southeast of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, US. The land area of Saint Kitts is about , being approximately long and on average about across. Saint Kitts has a population of about 40,000, the majority of whom are of

African descent Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

. The primary language is

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, with a literacy rate of approximately 98%. Residents call themselves Kittitians.

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a well-preserved fortress on a hill on the island of St. Kitts in the Federation of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean. It was designed by British ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

, is the largest fortress ever built in the Western Caribbean. The island of Saint Kitts is home to the Warner Park Cricket Stadium, which was used to host

2007 Cricket World Cup The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...

matches. This made Saint Kitts and Nevis the smallest nation to ever host a World Cup event. Saint Kitts is also home to several institutions of higher education, including

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), founded in 1982, is a university offering the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. As of 2014, RUSVM began offering Master of Science and PhD degrees in public health, global animal health, ...

Windsor University School of Medicine Windsor University School of Medicine is a private offshore medical school located in Cayon, Saint Mary Cayon Parish, Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. Windsor confers upon its graduates the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. The university ...

, and the

University of Medicine and Health Sciences The University of Medicine and Health Sciences (also known as UMHS) is a private, for-profit medical school located in Basseterre, Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. UMHS confers upon its graduates the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. The university a ...

Geography

The capital of the two-island nation, and also its largest port, is the town of

Basseterre Basseterre (; Saint Kitts Creole: ''Basterre'') is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitt ...

on Saint Kitts. There is a modern facility for handling large

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

s there. A ring road goes around the perimeter of the island with smaller roads branching off it; the interior of the island is too steep for habitation. Saint Kitts is away from

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially " public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, so ...

to the north and from

to the south. St. Kitts has three distinct groups of

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

peaks: the North West or Mount Misery Range; the Middle or Verchilds Range and the South East or Olivees Range. The highest peak is Mount Liamuiga, formerly Mount Misery, a dormant volcano 1,156 m high.

Geology

The youngest volcanic center is Mt. Liamuiga, 5 km in diameter and rising to an elevation of 1155 m. Its last eruption was 1620 years ago, corresponding with the Steel Dust series of

pyroclastic Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroc ...

deposits on the western flank. The Mansion Series of pyroclastic deposits and andesite with basalt layers occur on the northern flank, along with

mudflow A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a significa ...

s. This volcano has a crater 900 m wide and 244 m deep, plus two distinct parasitic domes consisting primarily of

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomi ...

, Brimstone Hill and Sandy Point Hill which is coalesced with Farm Flat. Brimstone Hill is noted for having

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

on its flanks, which was dragged upward with the formation of the dome 44,400 years ago. Mt. Liamuiga partially overlays the Middle Range to the southeast. This Middle Range is another

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

976 m in height with a small summit crater containing a lake. Next in line is the 900 m South East Range, 1 Myr in age, consisting of four peaks. Ottley's

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

and Monkey Hill dome are on the flanks, while the older volcanoes represented by Canada Hills, and Conaree Hills lie past the airport and Basseterre on the southeast flank. The Salt Dome Peninsula contains the oldest volcanic deposits, 2.3–2.77 Myr in age, consisting of at least nine Pelean domes rising up to 319 m in height, which includes Williams Hill and St. Anthony's Peak.

History

During the last ice age, the sea level was up to lower and St. Kitts and Nevis were one island along with

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Şaba (Romanian for Shabo), a town of the Odesa Oblast, Ukraine * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Saba (river), L ...

and

(also known as Statia). St. Kitts was originally settled by pre-agricultural, pre-ceramic "Archaic people", who migrated south down the archipelago from Florida. In a few hundred years they disappeared, to be replaced by the

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

-using and

agriculturalist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the U ...

Saladoid The Saladoid culture is a pre-Columbian indigenous culture of territory in present-day Venezuela and the Caribbean that flourished from 500 BCE to 545 CE. The Saladoid were an Arawak people. Concentrated along the lowlands of the Orinoco River, the ...

people around 100 BC, who migrated to St. Kitts north up the archipelago from the banks of the

Orinoco River The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Around 800 AD, they were replaced by the

Igneri The Igneri were an indigenous Arawak people of the southern Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Historically, it was believed that the Igneri were conquered and displaced by the Island Caribs in an invasion some time before European contact. Howev ...

people, members of the

Arawak The Arawak are a group of indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. Specifically, the term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to the Lokono of South America and the Taíno, who historically lived in the Greater ...

group. Around 1300 AD, the

Kalinago The Kalinago, also known as the Island Caribs or simply Caribs, are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. They may have been related to the Mainland Caribs (Kalina) of South America, but they spoke an unrelated language ...

, or Carib people arrived on the islands. These agriculturalists quickly dispersed the Igneri, and forced them northwards to the

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...

. They named Saint Kitts "Liamuiga" meaning "fertile island", and would likely have expanded further north if not for the arrival of Europeans. A

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

expedition under

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

arrived and claimed the island for Spain in 1493. The first

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

was established in 1623, followed by a French colony in 1625. The English and French briefly united to pre-empt a Kalinago ambush. massacre the local Kalinago, and then partitioned the island, with the English colonists in the middle and the French on either end. In 1629, a Spanish force sent to clear the islands of foreign settlement seized St. Kitts. The English settlement was rebuilt following the 1630 peace between England and Spain. The island alternated repeatedly between

(then

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

) and French control during the 17th and 18th centuries, as one power took the whole island, only to have it switch hands due to treaties or military action. Parts of the island were heavily fortified, as exemplified by the

Brimstone Hill Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a well-preserved fortress on a hill on the island of St. Kitts in the Federation of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis in the Eastern Caribbean. It was designed by British ...

and the now-crumbling Fort Charles. Since 1783, Saint Kitts has been affiliated with the

Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...

, which became the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Slavery

The island originally produced

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, but farmers switched to

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

in 1640 because of stiff competition from the colony of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The labour-intensive cultivation of sugar cane was the reason for the large-scale importation of

African African or Africans may refer to: * Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa: ** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa *** Ethn ...

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

s. The importation began almost immediately upon the arrival of Europeans to the region even though sugarcane wasn't cultivated for another two hundred years on the island, leading some to discredit the earliest claims of imported African labour. The purchasing of enslaved Africans was outlawed in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

by an Act of Parliament in 1807.

Slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

was abolished by an Act of Parliament which became law on 1 August 1834. This emancipation was followed by four years of forced enslavement, put in place to protect the "planters" (plantation owners) from losing their free labour force. 1 August is now celebrated as a public holiday and is called

Emancipation Day Emancipation Day is observed in many former European colonies in the Caribbean and areas of the United States on various dates to commemorate the emancipation of slaves of African descent. On August 1, 1985, Trinidad and Tobago became the fir ...

. In 1883, Saint Kitts,

, and

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...

were all linked under one presidency, located on Saint Kitts, to the dismay of the Nevisians and Anguillans. Anguilla left this arrangement in 1971, after an armed raid on Saint Kitts in 1967. Sugar production continued to dominate the local economy until 2005, when, after 365 years of having a

monoculture In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. Monoculture is widely used in intensive farming and in organic farming: both a 1,000-hectare/acre cornfield and a 10-ha/acre field of organic kale are ...

, the government closed the

sugar industry The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of sugars (mostly sucrose and fructose). Globally, most sugar is extracted from sugar cane (~80% predominantly in the tropics) and sugar beet (~ 20%, mostly in temperate cli ...

. This decision was made because of huge losses and

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

plans to greatly cut sugar prices.

Government

For purposes of governing, the island is divided into nine

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es: *

Christ Church Nichola Town Christ Church Nichola Town is one of 14 administrative Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis, parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. Christ Church Nichola Town is the fifth largest parish on Saint Kitts and is located on the east coast of the m ...

Saint Anne Sandy Point Saint Anne Sandy Point is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the smallest parish on St. Kitts in terms of area, at just . It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Sandy Poi ...

Saint George Basseterre Saint George Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the largest parish on Saint Kitts and the second largest parish in Saint Kitts and Nevis (after Saint James Windward). It is by far the most p ...

* Saint John Capisterre *

Saint Mary Cayon Saint Mary Cayon is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Cayon. Land The parish's offer forest-draped mountains in the northern interior, ...

Saint Paul Capisterre Saint Paul Capisterre (known locally as Saint Paul's) is a town in Saint Paul Capisterre Parish on the island of Saint Kitts in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the largest town in the Capisterre region of Saint Kitts. Its population is estimated at ...

Saint Peter Basseterre Saint Peter Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Monkey Hill. Land The parish's consists of forest-covered rugged hills a ...

Saint Thomas Middle Island Saint Thomas Middle Island is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the third largest parish on the island of Saint Kitts, and fourth largest in the federation. The parish capital is Middle Island. Land The ...

Trinity Palmetto Point Trinity Palmetto Point is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It ranks 6th in terms of size of all the parishes on Saint Kitts. The parish capital is Trinity. Land The coastline of the parish consists of small ...

Economy

Saint Kitts & Nevis uses the

Eastern Caribbean dollar The Eastern Caribbean dollar (symbol: EC$; code: XCD) is the currency of all seven full members and one associate member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The successor to the British West Indies dollar, it has existed sinc ...

, which maintains a fixed exchange rate of 2.7-to-one with the

United States dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

. The US dollar is almost as widely accepted as the Eastern Caribbean dollar. For hundreds of years, Saint Kitts operated as a

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

, but due to decreasing profitability, the government closed the industry in 2005.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

is a major and growing source of income to the island, although the number and density of resorts is less than on many other Caribbean islands.

Transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

, non-sugar agriculture, manufacturing and construction are the other growing sectors of the economy. Saint Kitts is dependent on tourism to drive its economy. Tourism has been increasing since 1978. In 2009, there were 587,479 arrivals to Saint Kitts compared to 379,473 in 2007, which represents an increase of just under 40% growth in a two-year period. As tourism grows, the demand for vacation property increases in conjunction. Saint Kitts & Nevis also acquires foreign direct investment from their unique citizenship by investment programme, outlined in their Citizenship Act of 1984. Interested parties can acquire citizenship if they pass the government's strict background checks and make an investment into an approved real estate development. Purchasers who pass government due diligence and make a minimum investment of US$400,000, into qualifying government approved real estate, are entitled to apply for citizenship of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Many projects are approved under the citizenship by investment programme, and the main qualifying projects of interest can be found within the Henley Estates market overview . The country hosts an annual St. Kitts Music Festival.

Transportation

Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport Robert L. Bradshaw Airport , formerly known as ''Golden Rock Airport'', is an international airport located just northeast of Basseterre, on the island of Saint Kitts, serving the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It was named after the first Pr ...

serves Saint Kitts. Daily connections from Charlotte, Miami and New York are available. The Basseterre Ferry Terminal facilitates travel between Saint Kitts and sister island Nevis. The

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

(30 inches)

St. Kitts Scenic Railway St. Kitts Scenic Railway is a long narrow gauge railway line along the coastline of the island of St. Kitts in the eastern Caribbean, with a track gauge of . History The original track was laid from 1912 to 1926, to deliver sugar cane from ...

circles the island and offers passenger service from its headquarters near the airport, although the service is geared more for tourists than as day-to-day transportation for residents. Built between 1912 and 1926 to haul sugar cane from farms to the sugar factory in Basseterre, since 2003 the railway has offered a 3.5-hour, 30-mile circle tour of the island on specially designed double-decker open-air coaches, with 12 miles of the trip being by bus. And also the scenic railway which is now used to facilitate tourist and even its citizens to give them a scenery and dramatic views of the island.

Notable residents

Saint Kitts is or was the residence of: *

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She received ...

, a British singer-songwriter. *

George Astaphan George Mario "Jamie" Sahely Chehin Astaphan, M.D., B.Sc. (May 22, 1946 – August 18, 2006) was a physician who became infamous for giving steroids to the sprinter Ben Johnson. Dr. Astaphan was born on the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies. ...

, born in St. Kitts, was a physician who gave steroids to the sprinter

Ben Johnson Ben, Benjamin or Benny Johnson may refer to: In sports Association football * Ben Johnson (footballer, born 2000), English footballer * Ben Johnson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player Other codes of football *Ben Johnson (Australian foot ...

. *

Imruh Bakari Imruh Bakari (Ishaq Imruh Bakari) is a film maker and writer born in 1950 on St Kitts, who is also referred to as Imruh Bakari Caesar or Imruh Caesar.

, born in St. Kitts, film maker and writer. * Hutchens C. Bishop, pre-civil rights era clergyman who led the 1917 Negro Silent Protest Parade in New York. * Robert Bradshaw, first Premier of Saint Kitts and Nevis. *

Archibald Burt Sir Archibald Paull Burt QC (1 September 1810 – 21 November 1879) was a British lawyer, politician and judge. He grew up on the island of Saint Christopher in the West Indies, where both he and his father owned slaves. He studied law in Engla ...

, born in Saint Kitts, first Chief Justice of Western Australia *

Burt Caesar Burt Caesar is a British actor, broadcaster and director for stage and television, who was born in St Kitts and migrated to England with his family as a child.

, born in Saint Kitts, actor, broadcaster and director. *

Pogus Caesar Dr Pogus Caesar (born 1953) is a British photographer, conceptual artist, archivist, author, curator, television producer and director. He was born in St Kitts, West Indies, and grew up in Birmingham, England. Early life Dr Pogus Caesar was bo ...

is a British artist, television producer and director. *

Linda Carty } Linda Anita Carty (born 5 October 1958) is a Kittitian-American former schoolteacher who is on death row in Texas. In February 2002, she was sentenced to death for the abduction and murder in 2001 of 25-year-old Joana Rodriguez in order to steal ...

is a woman possessing both United States and British citizenship who is on death row in Texas. *

Kim Collins Kim Collins (born 5 April 1976) is a former track and field sprinter from Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 2003, he became the World Champion in the 100 metres. He represented his country at the Summer Olympics on five occasions, from 1996 to 2016, a ...

is a former world champion sprinter (2003). *

Felix Dexter Felix Dexter (26 July 1961
Retrieved 22 October 2013

was an actor, comedian, and writer. *

Pavel Durov Pavel Valeryevich Durov (russian: Павел Валерьевич Дуров; born 10 October 1984) is a Russian-born French-Emirati entrepreneur who is known for being the founder of the social networking site VK (service), VK and Telegram (so ...

, founder of

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

. *

Bertil Fox Bertil Fox (born 5 January 1951) is a British former IFBB professional bodybuilder and convicted murderer. He was pardoned for that crime by the Governor General of Saint Kitts and Nevis on 4 August 2022. Biography Born 5 January 1951, on the ...

was born in Saint Kitts, became a professional bodybuilder and was convicted of murder. *

James Grainger James Grainger (c. 1721–1766) was a Scottish doctor, poet and translator. He settled on St. Kitts from 1759 until his death of a fever on 16 December 1766. As a writer, he is best known for his poem ''The Sugar Cane'', which is now valued as an ...

, doctor and planter, who published the georgic poem ''

The Sugar Cane ''The Sugar Cane'' was a pioneering georgic poem adapted to a West Indian theme, first published in 1764. With renewed interest in Caribbean literature, and especially after a new edition was published in 2000, it has attracted critical attention, e ...

'' in 1764 and also wrote about diseases among the slaves. *

Keith Gumbs Keith "Kayamba" Gumbs (born 11 September 1972 in St. Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis) is a retired St. Kitts and Nevis international football player. Playing career Gumbs began playing football while he was attending the Newtown Primary School ...

is an International football player who currently plays as a striker for the Liga Indonesia side Sriwijaya FC. * Sir

James Harford Sir James Dundas Harford (7 January 1899 – 26 November 1993) was a British diplomat who served as Governor of Saint Helena from 1954 to 1958. Biography A direct descendant of John Scandrett Harford of Blaise Castle, he was educated at R ...

was Administrator of Saint Christopher from 1940 to 1946. *

Atiba Harris Atiba Erasto Harris (born 9 January 1985) is a Kittitian football administrator and former professional footballer. He captained the Saint Kitts and Nevis national team. As of August 2021, he serves as President of the St. Kitts and Nevis Foo ...

is a Kittitian footballer who currently plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.
/ref> *

Virgil Hodge Virgil Hodge (born 17 November 1983) is a female sprinter from Saint Kitts and Nevis who specializes in the 200 metres. She was born in Basseterre.

is a female sprinter specialising in the 200 metres event. *

Konris Maynard Konris Maynard, or King Konris born 8 July 1983 on the island of St. Kitts, is most notable for having won the Saint Kitts and Nevis National Calypso Show four times in succession, a record only he holds. Maynard also won a fifth crown, to celeb ...

is a Calypso musician and politician. * Major-General Sir Robert Nickle was governor of Saint Christopher from 1830. *

Caryl Phillips Caryl Phillips (born 13 March 1958) is a Kittitian-British novelist, playwright and essayist. Best known for his novels (for which he has won multiple awards), Phillips is often described as a Black Atlantic writer, since much of his fictional ...

, born in St. Kitts, novelist playwright and essayist. *

Tiandra Ponteen Tiandra Tamika Ponteen (born 9 November 1984) is a Saint Kitts and Nevis sprinter who specializes in the 200 metres and the 400 metres. She won the 400 metres silver medal at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championshi ...

is a female sprinter specialising in the 200 metres and the 400 metres. *

Marcus Rashford Marcus Rashford (born 31 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Manchester United and the England national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his explosive ath ...

, professional footballer for

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

and England. Born in Manchester of Kittitian descent. *

Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead Hercules George Robert Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead, (19 December 1824 – 28 October 1897), was a British colonial administrator who became the 5th Governor of Hong Kong and subsequently, the 14th Governor of New South Wales, the first Gover ...

, was governor of Saint Christopher from 1855 to 1859. * Sir

Cuthbert Sebastian Sir Cuthbert Montraville Sebastian (22 October 1921 – 25 March 2017) was the second governor-general of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1996 to 2013. He was appointed Governor-General in 1995 and was sworn in on 1 January 1996. While in office, he ...

, Governor-General of St Kitts-Nevis from 1 January 1996 to 31 December 2012, his retirement. *

Joseph Matthew Sebastian Joseph Matthew Sebastian (7 July 1891 – 25 June 1944) was a Caribbean trade union leader and politician. Early life Joseph Matthew Sebastian was born in 1891 in Johnsons Point, Johnson's Point, in the Parish of St. Mary, Antigua. Following thi ...

was a Caribbean trade union leader and politician. *

Shirley Skerrit-Andrew Shirley Skerrit-Andrew is an economist and diplomat from St Kitts, who was appointed Ambassador of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States to the European Union on 30 October 2008. At her appointment she became the federation's first non-resi ...

, former High Commissioner to Canada. *

Julius Soubise Julius Soubise (1754 – 25 August 1798) was a formerly enslaved Afro-Caribbean man and a well-known fop in late eighteenth-century Britain. The satirized depiction of Soubise, ''A Mungo Macaroni'', is a relic of intersectionality between race, ...

was a freed Afro-Caribbean slave who became a well-known fop in the UK during the 1760s and 1770s. *

Neil Strauss Neil Darrow Strauss, also known by the pen names Style and Chris Powles, is an American author, journalist and ghostwriter. He is best known for his book '' The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists'', in which he describes his ...

is an American author and journalist. *

Roger Ver Roger Keith Ver (born 27 January 1979) is an early investor in Bitcoin, Bitcoin-related startups and an early promoter of Bitcoin. Ver has sometimes been referred to as "Bitcoin Jesus". He now primarily promotes Bitcoin Cash as Ver sees it as fu ...

businessman who renounced his U.S. citizenship. *

Desai Williams Empson Othman Desai Williams (June 12, 1959 – April 10, 2022) was a Canadian sprinter, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 4 x 100 metres relay in Los Angeles 1984. He was born in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis. Competing at the first ...

is a former sprinter who won a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics. *

Ned Young The complement of , the Royal Navy ship on which a historic mutiny occurred in the south Pacific on 28 April 1789, comprised 46 men on its departure from England in December 1787 and 44 at the time of the mutiny, including her commander Lieute ...

, born in Saint Kitts, was a sailor, mutineer from the HMS ''Bounty'' incident and co-founder of the mutineers'

Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...

settlement. * The Hon Dr Timothy Harris Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis (2015–2022) * The Hon Dr. Terrance Drew Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis (2022 - Present)

Gallery

File:2016 02 FRD Caribbean Cruise S0577137.jpg, View from Sir Timothy's Hill File:Stkitts-view-lookingatsea.jpg, Southeast Peninsula (Saint Kitts). The island on the left is

. File:Saint Kitts at Dawn.JPG, St. Kitts at dawn as seen from a ship entering the port of Basseterre File:Downtown Basseterre, St. Kitts.jpg, Downtown Basseterre File:Diver and fish, MV River Taw wreck, St. Kitts.jpg, Diver and fish, MV River Taw wreck File:BrimstoneHill01.jpg, Brimstone Hill Fortress File:2016 02 FRD Caribbean Cruise Brimstone Hill Fortress S0357090.jpg, Ruins at Brimstone Hill File:Bataille de Saint Kitts janvier 1782.jpg, Battle of St. Kitts in January 1782 File:Flyingoverstkitts.jpg, Flying towards the north end of the island, looking down part of the west or Caribbean coast

References

External links

Official Government of Saint Kitts & Nevis website

Saint Kitts & Nevis News

Saint Kitts & Nevis Media Portal

St. Kitts Tourism Authority Website
{{Authority control Islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis Lesser Antilles Former English colonies Former French colonies