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About St. Kitts & Nevis
Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Saint Kitts and Nevis are separated by a shallow 3-kilometre (2 mi) channel known as "The Narrows".
The official and business language is English. The Federation is a member of the United Nations (UN), of the Organisation of American States (OAS), the British Commonwealth, CARICOM and many other international organisations. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank has its headquarters on St. Kitts. It maintains the stability of the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$), the national currency of most Eastern Caribbean countries. St. Kitts and Nevis is a well-functioning democracy based on the British parliamentary system.
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History
When Christopher Columbus explored the islands in 1493, it was inhabited by the Carib people. The British settled on St. Kitts in 1623, and on Nevis in 1628. The French settled on St. Kitts in 1627, and an Anglo-French rivalry lasted for more than 100 years. After a decisive British victory over the French at Brimstone Hill in 1782, the islands came under permanent British control. The islands, along with nearby Anguilla, were united in 1882. They joined the West Indies Federation in 1958 and remained in that association until its dissolution in 1962. St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla became an associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967. Anguilla seceded in 1980, and St. Kitts and Nevis gained independence on Sept. 19, 1983.