50 Fun Facts About Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis holds what distinction among the sovereign states of the Western Hemisphere?

With 261 square kilometres and about 48,000 people it is also the world's smallest sovereign federation.

What is the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis?

Founded by the French in 1627, it is the main cruise and cargo port and home to about 15,500 people.

The shallow channel separating Saint Kitts from Nevis is called what?

It is only about 3 km wide; the tiny Booby Island sits in it.

Which British dependency broke away from its union with Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1967?

Anguillans resented rule from St Kitts and declared independence unilaterally; Britain formally separated it in 1980.

Saint Kitts is nicknamed the 'Mother Colony of the West Indies' because it hosted what?

From St Kitts the British went on to settle Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla and Tortola, and the French settled Martinique and Guadeloupe.

In which year did Saint Kitts and Nevis, the last British Caribbean territory, become independent?

Kennedy Simmonds became the first prime minister; the country stayed a Commonwealth realm.

The Kalinago name for Saint Kitts, Liamuiga, roughly translates as what?

Nevis was Oualie, 'land of beautiful waters'; the highest peak now carries the old name.

The name 'Saint Kitts' comes from a 17th-century nickname for which saint's name?

Kit was a common short form of Christopher, so St Christopher's Island became St Kitt's; the constitution still uses both names.

The name Nevis derives from a Spanish phrase meaning what?

The clouds wreathing Nevis Peak apparently recalled a miraculous summer snowfall on Rome's Esquiline Hill; the early English called it Dulcina, 'Sweet Island'.

Who led the first permanent European settlers to Saint Kitts in 1623?

He struck a deal with the Carib chief Tegremante at Old Road Town; the French under d'Esnambuc arrived two years later.

The 1626 massacre of the Kalinago by the combined European settlers gave its name to which site?

The two colonial rivals had partitioned the island between them and then joined forces against its original inhabitants.

France finally renounced its claim to Saint Kitts and Nevis under which 1713 agreement?

Spain had recognised Britain's claim at Madrid in 1670; the French grabbed St Kitts once more in 1782 but handed it back at Versailles.

An earthquake in 1690 destroyed which town, then the capital of Nevis?

Charlestown was built as the replacement; its stone-and-timber Georgian buildings were designed to shrug off later quakes.

Which American Founding Father was born on Nevis in 1755 or 1757?

He was born in Charlestown and later became the first US Treasury Secretary; the Broadway musical made his Caribbean origins famous.

Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO site since 1999, earned what nickname by 1780?

Considered impregnable, it nonetheless fell to the French under de Grasse after a 1782 siege; it was designed by British engineers and built by enslaved Africans.

Slavery was outlawed in Saint Kitts and Nevis, along with the rest of the British Empire, in which year?

A four-year 'apprenticeship' followed; St Kitts freed 19,780 people and Nevis 8,815.

Nevis may legally secede from the federation if what share of voters approve in a referendum?

A 1998 vote produced 62 percent for separation, short of the threshold, so the island stays with its own premier and assembly.

Which labour leader was Premier of the colony from 1966 to 1978 and gives his name to the main airport?

He founded the Labour Party in the 1940s and sought state control of sugar; Nevis's airport is named for Vance Amory.

Who became the first prime minister of independent Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983?

The People's Action Movement leader won three more elections before Labour's Denzil Douglas unseated him in 1995.

The state-owned sugar industry, once the mainstay of the economy, was shut down completely in which year?

Years of losses and subsidies ended it; tourism, offshore banking and citizenship-by-investment took over.

Which 1998 hurricane caused some $458 million of damage to the federation?

It struck the same month as the Nevis secession referendum and dented growth for years.

What is the highest peak in Saint Kitts and Nevis, rising to about 1,150 m?

The dormant volcano once went by a much gloomier name that older islanders still use.

The country's highest peak was formerly known by what gloomier name?

The Kalinago name for the whole island was restored to its highest peak.

What is the national bird of Saint Kitts and Nevis?

Some 176 bird species have been recorded; the national flower is the flamboyant, Delonix regia.

Which two colours form the upper and lower triangles of the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis?

A black diagonal band edged in yellow carries two white stars; the design was chosen from 258 entries in a national competition.

The winning flag design was submitted by student Edrice Lewis and first hoisted when?

Its layout is nearly identical to the flag of the Republic of the Congo, though the meanings differ.

Saint Kitts and Nevis uses which currency, shared with five other independent states?

Issued since 1965 and pegged at EC$2.70 to the US dollar since 1976, it is also used by Anguilla and Montserrat.

Saint Kitts and Nevis's citizenship-by-investment programme, founded in 1984, is what?

It took off after 2006 when Henley & Partners restructured it; applicants may buy US$400,000 of property or donate US$250,000.

The St Kitts Scenic line, which carries tourists around the island, is described as what?

Its narrow-gauge track was laid from 1912 to carry cane to the Basseterre sugar mill; tourist trains began in 2003 behind Romanian-built locomotives.

Sprinter Kim Collins won which world title for Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2003?

He also took Commonwealth gold in 2002 and, aged over 40, ran 9.93 seconds to become the only man over forty to break 10 seconds.

Kim Collins was the country's first athlete to do what, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics?

He went to five Games in all, and the sprint relay team took a world championship bronze in 2011.

The national football team of Saint Kitts and Nevis is nicknamed what?

They reached the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup after a penalty shoot-out against French Guiana but lost all three group games.

Saint Kitts and Nevis was the smallest country ever to host matches in which tournament, in 2007?

Games were played at Warner Park in Basseterre; Nevisian Runako Morton played for the West Indies.

Which Spice Girl, whose father is Nevisian, was made a Nevis tourism ambassador in 2022?

Footballers Marcus Rashford and Cole Palmer also have Kittitian and Nevisian roots.

Nevis's week-long summer festival, running from late July into August, is called what?

St Kitts holds Carnival from 18 December to 3 January and a music festival in the last week of June.

The Bath establishment on Nevis, built in 1778 by John Huggins, is described as what?

Its hot spring drew Admiral Nelson and the future William IV; the Hermitage Plantation nearby is the Caribbean's oldest surviving wooden house.

Nevis earned which sobriquet in the 18th century thanks to its sugar plantations?

It was the richer island until St Kitts overtook it, and it served as seat of the Leeward Islands colony from 1671.

The capital was founded in 1627 by which colonial power?

Under de Poincy it briefly served as capital of the entire French West Indies, including Guadeloupe and Martinique.

The National Assembly of Saint Kitts and Nevis has how many members?

Eleven are elected, three of them from Nevis, and three senators are appointed but sit in the same chamber.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is divided into how many parishes?

Nine are on Saint Kitts and five on Nevis, matching the number of seats in the assembly.

Roughly what share of the population is Afro-Caribbean?

English is the only official language, but Saint Kitts Creole is widely spoken.

Saint Kitts and Nevis, together with a third island, was federated in which year?

The three islands later formed a province of the short-lived West Indies Federation from 1958 to 1962.

How large is the defence force of Saint Kitts and Nevis?

It mostly handles policing and drug interdiction; the country has no international disputes.

Which 1985 Chuck Norris film was shot in Saint Kitts?

The Vietnam prison-camp sequel used the island's jungle as a stand-in.

Who became the fourth prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis after snap elections in August 2022?

His Labour Party victory ended the Team Unity coalition that had governed since 2015.

What name did Columbus originally give to Nevis in 1493?

The island's present name recalls a Roman legend of summer snow, possibly inspired by the white clouds that wreathe its peak.

Which Nevisian-born American is credited with largely inventing mechanical refrigeration?

He is listed among the islands' notable natives alongside Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

What is the only official language of Saint Kitts and Nevis?

A local creole is also widely spoken, and about 82 percent of the population is Christian.

From St Kitts, the French went on to settle Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and which archipelago?

The British used the same base to colonise Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla and Tortola.

When does Carnival run on Saint Kitts?

June brings the St Kitts Music Festival, while Nevis stages its Culturama from late July.