St. Kitts and Nevis : are located at 17º 15’ north and 62º 40’ west, in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, separated by a channel two miles wide. St. Kitts is 23 miles long, with an area of 68 square miles. A rugged mountain range, including the dormant volcano, Mount Liamuiga {3,792 feet}, covers the central part of the island. Dense, topical forests near the summit contrast with the cultivated, fertile valley below, on the seaboard of which lies the capital, Basseterre. Basseterre was founded in 1627 by the French, under Sieur Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. It served as capital of the French colony of St. Christophe, which consisted of the Northern and Southern extremities of the island of St. Kitts . When Phillipe de Longviliers de Poincy was made the French governor of St. Kitts in 1639, the town turned into a large, successful port, commanding Eastern Caribbean trade and colonisation. De Poincy then quickly made Basseterre capital of the entire French West Indies colony, which included the islands of Guadeloupeand Martinique, and remained so until his death in 1660. The city was made capital of the entire island of St. Kitts in 1713, following French expulsion from the island and full British control. The name Basseterre in French means “low land.” It became the British capital in 1727 and has since had its share of natural disasters – floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires. A fire in 1867 destroyed a great deal of the city, but Basseterre was rebuilt and expanded. Most of the beaches are of black, volcanic sand but the beaches fringing the peninsula known as Frigate Bay and Salt Pond reach out towards Nevis with golden, sandy shores. Nevis, the smaller of the two islands, covers a 36-square miles area consisting of long stretches of golden, sandy, palm lined beaches, particularly on the west and north coasts. Mount Nevis {3,232 feet}. Charlestown is the island’scapital. After a period of association with Britain, the state of St. Kitts and Nevis attained full political independence on, 19th September, 1983, after a democratic system of government. The economy is based on agriculture with sugar cane the main crop on St. Kitts, livestock farming and manufacturing are developing industries. Tourism increasingly contributes to the economy. The climate in St. Kitts and Nevis is pleasant and healthy with an average temperature of 79 degrees Farhenheit. Humidity is low and constant northeast trade winds keep the island cool. There is a annual rainfall averages 55 inches. The official language of St. Kitts and Nevis is English. The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar, which is tied to the U.S. dollar at approximately $2.70 E.C. per $1.00 U.S.
AIRPORTS:
TThe country’s airports are (Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport) (was formally Golden Rock Airport until renamed The Robert L Bradshaw International Airport on 16 September, 1998), in St. Kitts (2 miles from Basseterre), which name after the country’s first premier, have been expanded and re designed with the passenger’s comfort in mine.
Completed in May 1998, the RLB International will also offer banking and car rental services, duty-free shopping, a flight information desk.
Additionally, an improved restaurant facility and two snack bars are also being proved.
To compliment the upgraded structure, the parking apron is being expanded to accommodate wider bodied aircraft and jumbo jets. A new taxi-way to improve on –the-ground aircraft traffic and an extended parking lot contribute to the complete high quality package offered at the RLB Airport.
And Vance W. Amory International Airport in Nevis, named for the fomer Premier of Nevis (7 miles from Charlestown).
HOSPITALS
Joseph N. France General Hospital, Pogson Hospital and Mary Charles Hospital St. Kitts; Alexandra Hospital, Nevis.
HISTORY
First sighted by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, island he named the San Christobal, the British called it St. Christopher (stills its official name), nicknamed to St. Kitts. It was called Liamuiga by its first in habitants (the caribs Indians). Nevis central volcanic peak is often wreathed in cloud, its green foothills home to tropical gardens, secluded lodgings and picturesque manor houses, and the island is edged with beautiful beaches. It was originally called 'Oualie' ; Columbus named it San Martin, but later Spanish explorers called it Santa Maria de las Nieves or Nuestra Senora de las Nieves (Our Lady of the Snows) because of the clouds, and the name was shortened to Nieves and anglecized to Nevis.
St. Kitts was the first island in the West Indies to be colonized by the English when Sir Thomas Warner arrived with 14 settlers, 28 January, 1623. For a long period, St. Kitts was occupied by both the British and French, a strenuous and sometimes volatile situation for both. On May 13, 1627, Thomas Warner and Bèlain D’Esnambuc, acting on behalf of their respective sovereigns, signed a treaty partitioning the island. The English retained the middle portion, while the French reserved the northern and southern ends. The Salt Ponds, located at the southern part of the island, were declared common property. Both nations agreed to share hunting, fishing, wood-cutting and mining limestone and sulphur at Brimstone Hill. They also shared the major roadsteads on the island. It is called the “Mother Colony”. The French established a settlement in 1624. Intermittent warfare flared between the British and French settlers throughout the seventeenth century ravaging the economy of the island. Although St. Kitts was ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, fighting continued until 1782 when the French captured the British fortress, Brimstone Hill, and gained possession of the island. However, St. Kitts was once again restored to Britain by the Treaty of Versailles in 1783. Nevis has also experienced a tumultuous past. It was settled by British colonists from St. Kitts in 1628, but attacked by the Spanish soon after. An earthquake and tidal wave hit Nevis in 1680, and then the French captured the island in 1706 and again in 1782. After Nevis was returned to Britain in 1783, the economy began to flourish with the success of the large plantations.
The EC $60 million project boasts spacious air-conditioned arrival and departure lounges, enhanced baggage handling facilities, two VIP lounges, expanded check-in counters, access for the disabled and increased customs and immigration positions. The airport has also been designed to process some 400 persons per hour.
