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| Welcome to St Kitts on the Paradise Islands website. The island is part of the Caribbean Leeward Island chain and lies just southeast of Saba, west of Antigua and around 1,200 miles southeast of Florida. St Kitts and it's immediate neighbouring island of Nevis form an independent country called the "Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis". The two islands are separated by a 2 mile wide channel called the Narrows. |
| St Kitts is also known as "Saint Christopher Island" and is about 18 miles long and 5 miles wide with a population of around 35,000. Formally St Kitts and Nevis were part of a larger British dependency which included Anguilla; the islands gained independence from Britain in 1983. These islands were among the first in the Caribbean to be settled by Europeans. Today the majority of the population are of African decent and the main language is still English with the highest literacy rate in the Caribbean. |
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Clock Tower in Basseterre
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Rainforest
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| The capital and main port is Basseterre with facilities for large cruise ships. One main road circles the mountainous island. The island interior is dominated by three dormant volcano peaks, the highest of which is Mount Liamuiga at 1,156 metres. To the south of St Kitts and Nevis lies the island of Montserrat with the very active Soufriere Hills volcano. |
| The economy of the island historically was sugar plantations since the 1640's, but the sugar industry closed in 2005 following years of losses due to low prices. Tourism is the main income together with some light industry and a small but growing offshore banking sector. |
| Travel, holiday, vacation and cruise guide to St Kitts and the Caribbean. All text and images are Copyright Paradise Islands org. All photographs on this Caribbean travel website are obtained with the permission of the owners and come from various sources including the islands tourist boards. |
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Quick Facts
Capital
Basseterre
Main Airport
Robert L Bradshaw
International
Main Port
Basseterre
Language
English
Currency
East Caribbean Dollar
Government
Federation of St Kitts & Nevis
Island Size
65 Square Miles
Population
35,000
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Cruise Port Guide
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