St. Kitts & Nevis: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Saint Kitts and Nevis is a country made of two islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. It is the smallest sovereign country in the Americas, in both area and population. The capital, Basseterre, is on Saint Kitts, the larger island, and the two islands are separated by a channel only about 3 kilometres wide.

Saint Kitts and Nevis is known for its volcanic mountains, beaches, old sugar plantations and colourful carnival. On the globe you can find Brimstone Hill Fortress, a huge stone fortress built on a steep volcanic hill, sometimes called the 'Gibraltar of the West Indies'.

Geography and nature

Both islands are volcanic. On Saint Kitts, the dormant volcano Mount Liamuiga rises to about 1,156 metres, with a crater at its top, and on Nevis the cone of Nevis Peak is often wrapped in cloud. Rainforest covers the upper slopes, while the lower land was once covered in sugar cane fields. The islands are home to many green vervet monkeys, whose ancestors were brought from West Africa centuries ago. Sea turtles nest on the beaches, and coral reefs lie offshore.

People, languages and culture

English is the official language, and many people also speak a local English-based creole. Most people have African ancestry, and most are Christian. The biggest celebration is Sugar Mas, the carnival held over Christmas and New Year, with steel bands, calypso and masquerade dancers in bright costumes. Nevis has its own summer festival, Culturama. The national dish is stewed saltfish served with spicy plantains, coconut dumplings and breadfruit. Cricket and football are popular sports.

History in a nutshell

The Kalinago people called Saint Kitts 'Liamuiga', meaning fertile land. In 1623 the English set up their first colony in the Caribbean here, and the French soon arrived too. Large sugar plantations were worked by enslaved Africans until slavery was abolished in the 1830s. The British built Brimstone Hill Fortress over about a hundred years, and the French captured it in 1782. Saint Kitts and Nevis became independent on 19 September 1983 and is a member of the Commonwealth.