Saint Kitts

Geography

Saint Kitts is volcanic, dominated by the dormant Mount Liamuiga stratovolcano at 1,156 m, whose crater holds a small forested lake. The island has a tapering southeastern peninsula that nearly touches the smaller Nevis to the south.

History

Saint Kitts is sometimes called the “mother colony of the West Indies,” being the first English Caribbean settlement in 1623 and the first French Caribbean settlement in 1625. The federation gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1983.

Notable features

Brimstone Hill Fortress, a massive 17th-century British stronghold on the western coast, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site nicknamed the “Gibraltar of the West Indies.”