St Kitts and Nevis Background History Also known

St Kitts and Nevis

Background History • Also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis is a country in the West Indies • Named after Christopher Columbus in 1493 but then renamed by Sir Thomas Warner who is established St Kitts as the first successful British Colony 1623. • It is a commonwealth country and Queen Elizabeth is the head of state. • The capital city is on the larger island which is St Kitts and is called Basseterre. • It was among the first islands to be settled by the British and French colonies – so is called ‘The Mother colony of the West Indies’

• The official language is English but Saint Kitts creole is spoken is St Kitts and Nevis but isn’t the official language. • About 40, 000 people • Its origins are from the enslaved west Africans brought to work on sugar plantations • In 1623, the island was settled by the English, soon followed by the French; both agreeing to partition the island. So the English occupied the middle and the French occupying two ends • Britain had full occupation as a result of the Peace of Paris treaty signed in Versailles in 1783. • St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1983. • In August 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from St. Kitts fell short of the required two-thirds majority • They have a parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Interesting fact…