The Americas’ Smallest Sovereign Nation
Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country in the Americas — both by area (261 km²) and population (55,000). The federation combines two volcanic islands separated by the 3 km Narrows strait — Saint Kitts (the larger) and Nevis (the smaller, birthplace of Alexander Hamilton).
Saint Kitts was the first British colony in the Caribbean (1623) — “the Mother Colony of the British West Indies” — from which Britain subsequently colonised other islands. France colonised it simultaneously (1625), making it the “Mother Colony” of the French West Indies too. The two powers coexisted uneasily for a century before Britain took full control in 1713.
Alexander Hamilton — the US founding father and first Treasury Secretary — was born on Nevis in 1755 (or 1757 — the exact date is disputed). The Hamilton House museum on Nevis marks his birthplace.
The country was the world’s leading sugarcane producer per capita for much of the colonial period but closed its state-owned sugar industry in 2005 after 400 years, making a full transition to tourism. The country runs the Caribbean’s oldest citizenship-by-investment program (since 1984), selling passports to foreign investors.
Nevis has a long-running movement for secession and independence from Saint Kitts (a 1998 referendum narrowly failed to reach the two-thirds majority required for separation).
A Brief History
Kalinago peoples. British colony from 1623 — the first British Caribbean colony. French-British coexistence until 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Independence 1983 — last British Caribbean territory to gain independence.
Geography and Climate
Saint Kitts and Nevis covers 261 km² across two islands. Volcanic. Climate: tropical.
Culture, Language and Religion
English is official. Religion: approximately 75% Protestant.
The Economy
Saint Kitts and Nevis has a high-income economy (~$1 billion GDP). Tourism and citizenship-by-investment (CBI) are major.
UNESCO Sites
Saint Kitts and Nevis has 1 UNESCO World Heritage Site: Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park.
Travel Guide
Entry: Visa-free for most Western nationalities.
Surprising Facts
- Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country in the Americas — 261 km², 55,000 people.
- Saint Kitts was the first British Caribbean colony (1623) — the “Mother Colony of the British West Indies”.
- Alexander Hamilton — US founding father — was born on Nevis in 1755 or 1757.
- Brimstone Hill Fortress — a UNESCO site — was called the “Gibraltar of the West Indies”.
- Saint Kitts launched the Caribbean’s oldest citizenship-by-investment program in 1984.
- Nevis has held a referendum on separating from Saint Kitts (1998, narrowly failed).
Sources and References
See the frontmatter for cited sources.