Prehistory
At the arrival of the Europeans, Saint Christopher and Nevis were inhabited by caribou, who had displaced the former Arab-speaking residents.
History
Before the arrival of the Europeans, the islands were populated by Caribbean Indians, who later became extinct. In 1493 Columbus arrived in Saint Christopher and Nevis and named the main island after its patron saint, Saint Kristoffer. The first English colonists came to Saint Christopher in 1623 (which they called Saint Kitts); five years later, Nevis was colonized. The English had planted sugar plantations and imported blacks from Africa as slave labor. Saint Christopher and Nevis were the oldest permanent English colony in the Caribbean and became a “parent colony” as an important starting point in the colonization of other islands in the Caribbean. A long-standing rivalry with France over the area first ended in 1783 by the Treaty of Versailles.
- Countryaah: Check to see the location of Saint Kitts and Nevis on the world map. Also covers major mountains, rivers and lakes in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
In 1882, Saint Christopher and Nevis joined the neighboring island of Anguilla in The Leeward Islands Federation. In 1967, Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla gained internal autonomy, while Britain retained control of defense and foreign policy. Shortly thereafter, the Anguilla left the federation in protest of the dominance of Saint Christopher.
Saint Christopher and Nevis became independent in 1983 and the same year joined the Commonwealth and the UN. To see more information other than history, please visit Abbreviationfinder to learn more about climate, population, government, and economy for the country of St. Kitts and Nevis. Although Nevis was assigned to his own government and parliament, there is widespread dissatisfaction on this island over the dominance of the larger island. In a 1998 referendum, 61.8 percent of Nevi’s voters voted for exit from the federation, but this was less than the 2/3 majority required for the exit to be implemented. Since then, a more constructive relationship with the main island of Saint Christopher has been developed.