Saint Kitts and Nevis (in English Saint Kitts and Nevis). They are two islands united in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (in English Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis or also Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis) that form a North Antillean country, specifically the Windward Islands. Christopher Columbus discovered these islands on his second trip to America, calling the largest Saint Christopher in honor of the legendary martyr and Nieves the second because of the time of its summit (actually caused by the clouds). It is the smallest country on the American continent, both in size and population. They are located between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago is bordered to the west by the Caribbean Sea and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. To the north is the island of Anguilla, to the south that of Montserrat and to the east that of Antigua. The two Antillean islands that make up the country are separated by the Strait of Narrows, less than 3 km. Basseterre is the capital city of Saint Kitts and Nevis according to simplyyellowpages.
Culture
Native art
The island is well known for its native art, filled with drawings of beautiful landscapes with native designs and colors. Fabrics, leather objects and carved wooden sculptures are also made.
Festivities
Saint Kitts and Nevis are known for their carnival, which lasts from December 18 to January 3. Among the carnivals highlights the “Christmas” and “New Year”, when people dress up and go out to celebrate the holidays. The “Masquerade”, or “Mas”, is another traditional aspect of the island. Born from a mix between African and European traditions, the “Mas” is one of the most anticipated festivals on the island. People dress in elaborate costumes full of color, sequins and curious designs, and everyone wears masks decorated with peacock feathers. The dances are a mixture of various traditional dances from both Africa and Europe.
Other notable holidays and festivals are the “San Cristóbal Musical Festival” and the “Culturama de Nieves”, which takes place from the end of July to the beginning of August. The Culturama festival dates back to 1974, when the locals realized that they were losing their more traditional values. Since that year, courses in traditional art, local dance, music and plays from the region have been held for five days, and boat trips have been organized.
On the island of San Cristóbal they also celebrate the “Inner City Fest”, a festival in the city of Molineaus, or the “Green Valley Festival”, in the city of Cayon. Other notable festivals are the “Easterama”, which takes place every “Easter” at Sandy Point, the “Fest Tab” at Tabernacle and the ” Capisterre Festival ” which takes place around the same dates as Saint’s Independence Day. Cristóbal y Nieves, on September 19. In all these celebrations parties, meals, local and traditional music and many dances are organized.
During the dates of the holidays, the streets are also filled with Moko Jumbies, people who walk on stilts. There are also several circuses and traveling fairs that organize shows full of color and music.
The islands are very fond of Cricket, the best-known sport on the island. Holding the Cup Cricket World of the 2007 turned the islands into smaller nation where an event of the World Cup was held. The Warner Park Sporting Complex, the main cricket stadium, is located in Basseterre.
The culture of the islands is a mixture of the traditions of the West African slaves who were brought to the island during colonial times, and the traditions of the settlers from France and Great Britain. There is even an Irish stream, given that during that time the British also brought servants from Ireland. Very few descendants of the island’s native Caribbeans remain. Most of the population speak English and Creole.
Demography
Saint Kitts and Nevis was the last place to practice sugar monoculture in the Lesser Antilles. But because the sugar industry was finding it increasingly difficult to make a profit, the government decided to carry out a diversification program for the agricultural sector and stimulate development in other sectors of the economy, particularly tourism. The issuance of postage stamps, mainly intended for collecting, is also an important source of income for its economy.
The government instituted an investment incentive program, encouraging both domestic and foreign private investment. Government policies included tax exemptions, duty-free import of equipment and materials, and subsidies for training local personnel. Tourism has shown a great increase. By 1987, it had surpassed sugar as a source of foreign exchange income.
The country’s economy experienced strong growth for most of the 1990s, but the hurricanes of 1998 and 1999 contributed to a sharp downturn in the economy. Real economic growth was 0.75% in 2002, after a 4.3% decline in 2001. The economy performed unevenly in 2002, with some sectors experiencing positive growth while others had varying levels of decline.
The construction sector registered a 4.51% decline, the manufacturing industry, hotels and gastronomy also had significant declines of 4.01% and 9.89% respectively, and sugar production fell close to 5.1 %. Important investments in the tourism sector (including a hotel of the Marriot chain, with 648 rooms and a convention center, which opened in December 2002) as well as continued efforts from the government to diversify the economy, open an expectation to improve economic performance. Retail prices have grown marginally in recent years. The inflation rate was 3% – 4% for most of the 1990s.
The Central Bank of the Eastern Caribbean issues the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, which is a common currency to all countries that are part of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. The Central Bank also manages monetary policy and regulates and supervises the commercial banking activities of the member countries.
