Saint Kitts

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Saint Kitts (also/previously known as Saint Christopher) is an island in the Caribbean.

St. Kitts, together with the island of Nevis, constitutes the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. During the last Ice Age, the sea level was 200 feet (60 m) lower and St. Kitts and Nevis were one island with Saint Eustatius (also known as Statia) and Saba.

The island is situated at [17°15′N 62°40′W], about 1,300 miles (2,100 km) southeast of Miami, Florida, in the United States. It has a land area of about 65 sq. miles (168 km²), being 18 by 5 miles (29 by 8 km).

The island has a population of around 35,000, the majority of whom are of African descent. The main language is English, and the literacy rate is approximately 98 per cent. Residents call themselves Kittitians (or Kittians).

Parishes

There are nine parishes on the island of St. Kitts:

The capital of the two-island nation, and also its largest port, is the city of Basseterre on Saint Kitts.

Kittitians use the Eastern Caribbean dollar which maintains a fixed exchange rate of 2.70-to-one with the United States dollar. The US dollar is just as widely accepted as the Eastern Caribbean dollar.

St. Kitts is six miles (10 km) away from Saint Eustatius to the north and two miles (3 km) from Nevis to the south. St. Kitts has three distinct groups of volcanic peaks: the North West or Mount Misery Range; the Middle or Verchilds Range and the South East or Olivees Range. The highest peak is Mount Liamuiga, formerly Mount Misery, a dormant volcano some 3,793 feet (1,156 m) high.

St. Kitts is home to Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine [link] and the Windsor University School of Medicine. [link]

History

Main article: History of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Lord Hercules George Robert Robinson was governor of Saint Christopher from 1855 to 1859.

External links

[Saint Kitts Tourism Authority] - Official Site
[St. Kitts and Nevis History]

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