Saint George Gingerland, also known as St. George's Gingerland, is a parish in the southeastern part of the 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 ...

, Leeward Islands,

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 Greate ...

. It is one of five parishes on the island, and has a total population of about 2,500. The five parishes, in combination with the nine parishes of St. Kitts, make up the fourteen administrative parishes of the two-island 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 ...

. The parish is commonly referred to as Gingerland, and is named after the valuable ginger crop that used to be grown there. The Anglican parish church of Saint George is located within the main village of Market Shop, and Gingerland also encompasses numerous other villages such as Chicken Stone, Zetlands and Zion. Gingerland is one of the most populous parishes on Nevis, primarily because the higher parts of the parish have fertile soil and good rainfall. The parish is on the windward side of the island (meaning that it faces into the

trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisp ...

). Many of the villages in Gingerland are situated at an altitude of nearly 1,000 feet (over 300 meters), making them considerably cooler than coastal villages (especially at night). Gingerland supplies most of Nevis with fresh fruits and vegetables. The farms are mostly small holdings, where crops are grown for private consumption and for sale. The livestock include sheep and goats, which wander and graze freely; and pigs, cows and horses, which are either fenced or tethered. Feral donkeys roam freely. On the coast around Indian Castle, fishing is important economically. Tourism is an important industry in Gingerland. The main buildings of hotels such as Old Manor (now closed) and Golden Rock Estate were originally sugarcane plantation "

great house A great house is a large house or mansion with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. The term is used mainly historically, especially of properties at the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the late Victorian or ...

s", and some of the other plantation buildings, including the old windmills, have been turned into guest suites or dining areas. A third plantation hotel in the parish is Montpelier Plantation, which is situated not far from the Botanic Garden. The island's racetrack is located in the area near Red Cliff, and the well-attended Nevis horse races take place at approximately monthly intervals.

References

*Ordnance Survey, Government of the United Kingdom, 1984, Nevis, with part of St. Christopher (Saint Kitts). Series E803 (D.O.S. 343), Sheet Nevis, Edition 5 O.S.D. 1984. Reprinted in 1995, published by the Government of the United Kingdom (Ordnance Survey) for the Government of Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis. *Robinson, Davin & Jennifer Lowery (Editors), 2000. The natural history of the island of Nevis.

Nevis Historical and Conservation Society The Nevis Historical and Conservation Society is a nonprofit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in the Caribbean island of Nevis, founded in 1980 to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the island. Mission and funding The Societ ...

Press, Ithaca, New York. Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis Nevis {{SaintKittsNevis-geo-stub