What is the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis called? Detailed information about the country, history and interesting facts

Even the most experienced tourists and travelers will not immediately answer the question of what St. Kitts and Nevis are. A distant state, lost in the Caribbean, like more than five hundred years ago, when the island discovered Columbus, remains a mystery to many. A secluded tropical paradise with plantations of fruits, cotton and sugar cane, meanwhile, lives mainly through tourism and agriculture.

Saint Kitts and Nevis: history

Small islands in the eastern region of the Caribbean Sea were discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus, but colonization by the Spaniards was not exposed. In many respects, the reason lies in the indigenous inhabitants - the Caribs, who had a bellicose spirit and limited the progress of Europeans. The first English settlement on the islands appeared on St. Kitts in 1623. Three years later he joined the British colony along with Barbados. It has become a kind of base for conquering other territories in this region. The colony was subsequently nicknamed "the mother of all the other English colonies." Resistance of the local population was active, in 1626 France and England jointly conducted a punitive operation, destroying about 4000 people.

Since the 17th century, Saint Kitts and Nevis (the capital city of Basseterre) was a stumbling block between these two European powers. In the end, the Treaty of Versailles in 1783 finally legalized the power and ownership of the British. Independence of the island was acquired in 1983 on September 19.

Indigenous people

The total area of the two islands on which the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is located is 261 square kilometers. Km. For comparison, it should be said that these are about two of our cities in Ivanovo. The population, according to 2010, is only 50 thousand people. The indigenous inhabitants of the islands were the Caribs (a group of Indian peoples). After a long stay under the rule of the English crown, the population was mixed ethnically. At the moment, 90% are Africans, descendants of imported slaves, 5% are mulattoes, about 3% are Indians, the rest are Europeans and people from the Middle East. The state language is English and Patua (formed on the basis of the French local dialect).

The largest cities in St. Kitts and Nevis - the capital Basseterre (about 11 thousand inhabitants) and Charlestown (1250 people). The average life expectancy is 69 years and 72 years for men and women respectively. Fertility is several times higher than mortality. The level of literacy is quite high - 98%, mainly due to free schooling.

Nevis Island

The state is formed by a pair of islands of volcanic origin, members of the Windward Islands group of the Caribbean Sea. The total area is 261 square meters. Km. Of these, Saint Kitts occupies 168 square kilometers. Km, and Nevis - 93 square meters. Km. The terrain is mountainous, on both islands there are extinct volcanoes. Between them they are separated by the Te-Narrows strait.

Nevis is located 3 km south of the island with its capital and has, as seen on the map, a rounded shape. It is almost completely formed by volcanic rocks, the coast is represented by sandy beaches. The highest point is Nevis Volcano (985 m).

Both islands are surrounded by coral reefs, and between them and the sandy shore there are shallow lagoons.

Saint Kitts Island

St. Kitts Island has a length of 37 km, along its central axis there are picturesque, heavily dissected mountains. The highest point is an extinct volcano with a height of 1115 m, Lyamiuga with a lake in place of the crater. The southeastern part is more flat with an uneven beach line, a lot of salt lakes, bays and sandy beaches, on some the sand has almost black color. On this island is the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis - the city of Basseterre.

Climate of the islands

The formation of a warm tropical climate with high humidity occurs under the influence of trade winds. The islands are hot, the average monthly temperature during the year is + 26 ° C, rarely dropping to +18 ° C or rising to + 32 ° C. The level of precipitation in lowland areas is 1500 mm, and in mountainous areas - 3,700 mm. There is no rainy season. However, the islands fall into the zone of passage of the strongest tropical storms, the probability of which is especially high in the period from August to October. In particular, the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis (Basseterre) has been repeatedly exposed to destructive elements, as well as to earthquakes, floods and fires.

Fauna and flora

The slopes of the island mountains are almost entirely occupied by plantations of sugar cane and cotton, above them are shrubs and tropical rain forests represented by lianas tamarind, avocado, bread and cinnamon tree, mango, papaya, banana thickets. The western slopes are entirely covered with coconut palms. The fauna is represented by a rich variety of tropical birds and butterflies, insects. Mammals are few, mostly primates and rodents. On the coast nesting seabirds, in particular pelicans. Coastal ocean and sea waters are rich in fish.

Buster: short essay

The long-suffering capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis - Basseterre - is located on the south coast of the island. It has a rich history and is one of the oldest cities in the whole of the West Indies. Buster was founded by the French in 1627 and made it the capital of his colony of St. Christophe. In 1639, it became a successful and large trading port, the most significant in the eastern part of the Caribbean basin.

The city is famous for its very tragic history. Over the centuries, it was torn apart by colonial wars, destroyed fires and earthquakes, severe hurricanes and floods, popular unrest and riots. But, in spite of everything, a significant part of the colonial development has survived to this day.

For tourists and travelers it is important to know that at present the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis occupies the top lines in the world's criminal chronicles, leading by the number of murders per 100,000 population.

The city's attractions

If you decide to go to distant islands in the Caribbean, you will surely get to their capital. Rest here is by and large beach and exotic. However, in Buster, some architectural objects remained from the colonialists. We offer you several sights of the capital.

• Independence Square is the central part of the city and one of the popular places for recreation and walks of local residents. In the 19th century a beautiful fountain with a sculpture of the Virgin Mary was erected on it. During the last reconstruction to the anniversary of independence, she for some reason became dark-skinned. Perhaps this is what the local Creole people see it.
• The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception - a beautiful church of the early 20th century gives an idea of which capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis is old. Earlier on this place towered the cathedral of Notre Dame, it is easy to guess that it was built by the French.
• The Berkeley Memorial. This landmark is evidence of the English period of the history of the islands. The previously functioning clock tower with a drinking fountain and four dials that appeared on all sides of the world is now a historical monument. Time here really stopped, and the 21st century resemble only rare cars and novelties of electronics.

Attractions in Nevis

The island of Nevis is smaller than Saint Kitts, but it is also beautiful and amazing. Primordial nature, semi-empty sandy beaches, abundant fruit and warm climate make it attractive for tourists. It is on it is a luxurious network hotel Four Seasons Hotel Resort Nevis.

The largest settlement is the city of Charlestown (economic and political center), whose population is about one and a half thousand people. For tourists of interest is the colonial buildings, including the Court House (1825), the building of the first synagogue and the Jewish cemetery (1684), the Historical Museum.

On the island there is another noteworthy object - Fort Ashby, located in the city of Jamestown, formerly the capital of Nevis. The estimated date of construction is 1702. Only a few walls of one of the first fortifications built by the British were preserved and partially restored.

How to obtain citizenship and passport of St. Kitts and Nevis?

With the aim of stimulating economic development, the so-called fund for diversifying the sugar industry was created in the country, its main task is to improve agriculture, the main branch of the economy. This is a specialized organization, which, in clear language, "sells citizenship". To do this, it is enough to buy real estate or make a contribution for the amount of 250 to 450 thousand dollars. The amount of payment depends on the quantitative composition of your family. It would seem, who particularly needs citizenship of the islands lost in the Caribbean Sea? The secret lies in the political structure of the state of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The detailed information on the country makes it clear that it, in fact, is still under the British protectorate, officially being an independent member of the British Commonwealth. At the head of the state is the English queen, represented by the local governor-general. Becoming a citizen of the islands, you get the opportunity to move around the EU without hindrance.

In 2014, information was published that Pavel Durov , the founder of Vkontakte (social network), received the citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis, investing 250 thousand dollars in the development of the islands industry.

The island state is a former colony of Great Britain, therefore one of the attractive components of St. Kitts and Nevis is the language. Sea and sun, as you know, too much does not happen. The beaches in the country are everywhere, and recently the infrastructure has also started to develop actively. Perhaps there are not so many entertainments on the islands, but they are not yet "spoiled" and not run by numerous tourists. A secluded corner of nature in the Caribbean Sea is fraught with many interesting things.