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Destination : Saint Kitts & Nevis

St. Kitts and Nevis have long had the reputation of being sleepy Caribbean islands, and one of the few countries in the region where agriculture is still a larger part of the economy than tourism. Officially the island is known as Saint Christopher. It lies in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean. The two islands form the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere. First settled by the British in 1623, the islands along with Anguilla, became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from St. Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed

The history of the island nation, like that of so many in the Caribbean, is filled with conflict and violence. The Carib Indians inhabited the islands when the first British colonists arrived in 1623. (The islands are the oldest British settlement in the Caribbean—St. Kitts was known as Britain’s Mother Colony of the West Indies.) When French settlers arrived a short time later, the Caribs decided enough was enough and prepared for battle. The results were not as they had hoped: In 1629, more than 2,000 Caribs were slaughtered at what’s now called Bloody Point on St. Kitts.

The French and British then faced off for the right to control the islands’ fertile sugarcane fields. The British won out, and the islands officially became a British colony in 1783. In the 1950s and 1960s, St. Kitts and Nevis were politically joined with Anguilla, though all three were still colonies. Anguilla left the alliance in 1971 as St. Kitts and Nevis moved toward independence, a status they achieved in 1983. How much longer St. Kitts and Nevis will remain united is uncertain. Nevisian leaders have initiated peaceful secession procedures that may soon split the federation.
The form of government of the islans is the consitutional monarchy since 1983. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor General Sir Cuthbert Montroville Sebastian since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas since 1995. The official language is English

The high central body of the island is made up of three groups of rugged volcanic peaks split by deep ravines. The vegetation on the central mountain range is rainforest, thinning higher up to dense bushy cover. From here the island's volcanic crater, Mount Liamuiga, rises to almost 1200m (4000ft). The foothills, particularly to the north, form a gently rolling landscape of sugar-cane plantations and grassland, while uncultivated lowland slopes are covered with thick tropical woodland and exotic fruits such as papaya, mangoes, avocados, bananas and breadfruit. To the southeast of the island, a low-lying peninsula, on which there are many excellent beaches, stretches towards Nevis.