St. Kitts and Nevis

Located only 2 miles (1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers) apart, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is a two-island eastern Caribbean nation positioned on the Leeward Islands chain in the Lesser Antilles. With a collective land mass of 261 square kilometers and a population of around 50,000 people, it stands as the New World's smallest and least populous nation. Saint Christopher (later abbreviated to St. Kitts) became Britain's first Caribbean colony in 1623, soon establishing a slave-driven economy of cotton and sugar production.

As former British colonies, and later a Britain-associated self-governing state (with Anguilla, which seceded in 1971), St. Kitts and Nevis became an independent federation in 1983. Like Canada and Australia, St. Kitts and Nevis is a Commonwealth realm and sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations, with Queen Elizabeth II as monarch and head of state. The nation has a governor-general, prime minister and deputy prime minister, bicameral parliament, and separately run Nevisian assembly. The fragile twin-island nation is held together despite Nevis’ constitutional right to secede and dissolve federation ties if successful in a two-thirds majority vote, last attempted via referendum in 1998.

Today, the English-speaking nation is mostly African Caribbean, with small percentages of diasporic British, Lebanese, and the Portuguese residents. The Church of England and the Catholic Church established mission parishes in the 17th century, but for more than 200 years were ineffective in mass proselytization of the majority enslaved African inhabitants. Most of the country's inhabitants today practice a form of Christianity, with about 40% being Anglicans, 10% Catholics, and many worshippers belonging to various Protestant sects. Minor populations following Baha'i and Islam exist; there are also unofficially recognized believers in Obeah, which uses folklore and African-derived root practices.

Though sugarcane is still plentifully available, the industry was shut down in 2005. Plantation homes, once a reflection of the New World economy's reliance on slave labor, have today been converted into tourist sites as inns, museums, and historical attractions. Events drawing in visitors and [Page 1226]locals alike include independence, music, carnival, and culturama festivals; historic ruins and churches like St. George's Anglican Church on St. Kitts and Fathergill's Nevisian Heritage Village; and UNESCO's World Heritage Site, the large fortress, Brimstone Hill, on St. Kitts. The bays, beaches, and lush tropical foliage entice tourists and support the local fishing and agricultural industries.