St. Caribbean
Island of Saint Kitts and Nevis
The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the
Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis), located in the
Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West
Indies. It is the smallest sovereign nation in the Americas, in
both area and population. The capital city and headquarters of
government for the federated state is Basseterre on the larger
island of Saint Kitts. The smaller state of Nevis lies about 2
miles (3 km) southeast of Saint Kitts, across a shallow channel
called "The Narrows”. Historically, the British dependency of
Anguilla was also a part of this union, which was then known
collectively as Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla. Saint Kitts
and Nevis are geographically part of the Leeward Islands. To
the north-northwest lie the islands of Saint Eustatius, Saba,
Saint Barthélemy, and Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten. To the east
and northeast are Antigua and Barbuda, and to the southeast is
the small uninhabited island of Redonda, and the island of
Montserrat, which currently has an active volcano (see
Soufrière Hills.)
Saint Kitts and Nevis were amongst the first islands in the
Caribbean to be settled by Europeans. Saint Kitts was home to
the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean.
HISTORY
The islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis are two of the
Caribbean's oldest colonized territories. Saint Kitts became
the first British colony in the West Indies in 1624 and then
became the first French colony in the Caribbean in 1625, when
both nations decided to partition the island.
Five thousand years prior to European arrival, the island
was settled by Indian peoples. The latest arrivals, the
Kalinago peoples, arrived approximately 3 centuries before the
Europeans. The Kalinago allowed the Europeans to colonize Saint
Kitts, while earlier attempts to settle other islands were met
with immediate destruction of the colonies by the Indians. The
Kalinago were eventually wiped out in the great Kalinago
Genocide of 1626. Often overlooked in history is the fact that
in the 1600s, under Cromwell's reign, England shipped
approximately 25,000 Irish to St. Kitts as slaves to work on
the island.
Battle of Saint Kitts, 1782, as described by an observer in
a French engraving titled "Attaque de Brimstomhill".The island
of Nevis was colonized 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. Barths for the
French were colonized from it.
Although small in size, and separated by only 2 miles (3 km)
of water, the two islands were viewed and governed as different
states until the late 19th century, when they were forcefully
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.
Anguillans 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. In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused
approximately $445 million in damages and limited GDP growth
for the year.
Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the
Treasury, was born in Nevis; he spent his childhood there and
on St. Croix, then belonging to Denmark, and now one of the
United States Virgin Islands.
CULTURE
Saint Kitts and Nevis is known for a number of musical
celebrations including Carnival (17 December to 3 January on
Saint Kitts). The last week in June features the St Kitts Music
Festival, while the week-long Culturama on Nevis lasts from the
end of July into early August.
Additional festivals on the island of Saint Kitts include Inner
City Fest, in February in Molineaux; Green Valley Festival,
usually around Whit Monday in village of Cayon; Easterama,
around Easter in village of Sandy Point; Fest-Tab, in July or
August in the village of Tabernacle; and La festival de
Capisterre, around Independence Day in Saint Kitts and Nevis
(19 September), in the Capisterre region. These celebrations
typically feature parades, street dances and salsa, jazz, soca,
calypso and steel pan music.
The flag of Saint
Kitts and Nevis was adopted on September
19, 1983, consisting of two white stars on a diagonal black
band, fimbriated in yellow, separating background colors of
green and red. It was the winning entry in a local competition.
The flag contains the Pan-African colours, although officially
the colours are given a different significance:
Green
the island's fertility;
Red
the struggles of the people from slavery through colonialism to
independence;
Yellow
year round sunshine;
Black
the African heritage of the people;
White stars
hope and liberty.
{credit} http://en.wikipedia.org
Nevis Biking
Tour
Take the road less traveled as you explore Nevis on bike. Your
experienced guide delights in sharing local knowledge and
showing you another side of the island
Private Fishing Charter
from Nevis
Charter your own boat for a day of fishing off the coast of
Nevis - a fisherman's dream! Test your fishing skills against
the large population of marine fish.
Nevis Rainforest Hiking
Tour
This fantastic hiking adventure
takes you through the lush rainforest of Nevis. Hear birds
chirp and monkeys chatter, sample delicious wild fruits and
take beautiful
Nevis Horse Riding
Adventure
Take a horseback ride along
the mountain trails of Nevis on this 1.5 hour riding adventure.
Your ride takes you from the stables, along the coast of Fort
Ashby.
Nevis Island Half Day
Tour
For the perfect combination of history and culture
Brimstone Hill
Fortress
This 38 acre fortress, dubbed "the Gibraltar of the east" is
situated on the upper slopes of an 800 foot high mountain with
superb views all around. Six other islands can be seen on
a clear day
Mount
Liamuiga
A 3,792 foot dormant volcano. Guided tours ascend the volcano,
and, if properly equipped, descend into its 400-foot deep
mouth.
Nevis Peak is the volcanic mountain which in ancient times
created the island of Nevis. The peak rises to over three
thousand feet, and it is quite often surrounded by cloud at the
very top.
Mountain Bike
Nevis
Bike Nevis runs guided mountain bike tours in Nevis, and they
also provide mountain bike and road bike rentals . Bike tours
are available for the beginner, advanced and expert biker.
Bloody
River
Folklore holds that this dried river bed once flowed blood for
three days following a slaughter of Carib Indians by British
and French colonial forces.
Fig Tree Church
This small Caribbean church (aka St. John's Figtree Church) is
perhaps best known for its church register, in which is
recorded the marriage of Horatio Nelson to Frances Nisbet, as
follows: "1787...
Chevy's Calypso
Bar
Chevy's Calypso Bar is a cheerful, red-roofed set-up, right on
on Pinney's Beach. It is south of the Four Seasons, north of
Sunshine's and a little way south of where the Golden Rock
Beach Pavilion...
Sunshine's
Sunshine's is a popular beach bar, located on Pinney's Beach, a
little way south of the Four Seasons Resort. They recently had
to move further down the beach to just south of Chevy's. They
serve a rum
Getting Married
Saint Kitts
Getting married in St.Kitts is very
easy, There is no residency is required. Couples are
only required to obtain a marriage license in St.Kitts and have
the following documents:
1. A valid passport or photo ID.
2. Original or certified copy of Birth Certificate.
3. If you have never been married before, an Affidavit
confirming single status.
4. If divorced, a decree absolute (an original or certified
copy showing court's stamp or seal) must be presented.
5. If widowed, a copy of the death certificate of the deceased
spouse must be presented.
6. If documents are not in English they must be accompanied by
a
notarized
translation.
7. If a catholic priest is to perform the ceremony:
8. Couple must receive marriage counselling sessions from their
parish priest and submit the required Catholic documents. A
letter must come from the couple's resident priest verifying
that they are unmarried and that they have received the
necessary instructions. All Catholic weddings take place in the
church.
9. If an Anglican or other minister of religion is to
perform the ceremony:
It is recommended that a letter be brought from the couple's
resident minister verifying that they are known and
unmarried.
10. The licence fee for getting married on St. Kitts is $200.00
(XCD). The Justice of the Peace may also assess a fee.
11. The wedding ceremony can be held on the grounds of your
hotel, in a church of almost any denomination, amongst historic
ruins, in a rustic gazebo in a picturesque garden and, of
course, on the beach.
12. Marriage Times are between 6a.m. – 6p.m. for ceremonies
presided over by a religious person.
and between 8a.m. - 6p.m. if performed by a
Magistrate.
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