Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis Quiz

Answer: Two

There are only two significant islands in the federation, Saint Kitts (168 sq km) and Nevis (93 sq km). The 'CIA Factbook' whimsically describes them as being shaped like a baseball bat and ball, with Saint Kitts being the bat and Nevis the ball. Given the popularity of cricket in the region, a cricket bat might be a more apt comparison, but in either case the ball seems to be located near the handle, rather than close to the striking part of the bat. 'The Encyclopedia of the Nations' describes them as resembling an exclamation mark.

The two stars on the national flag represent the two islands; their white color stands for hope and liberty according to the official government explanation. The colors of the flag were chosen to be the Pan-African colors, but they have been given a new significance for this flag. Green stands for the fertile soil found on the islands, red for the blood shed during the struggles for independence, yellow for the sunshine that makes the islands a popular tourist destination, and black for the African heritage of many citizens. At the start of the 21st century, 75% of citizens identified themselves as being of African descent, and another 12% as Afro-European. Mulattos and Afro-East Indians accounted for a further 10%.

Answer: Caribbean Sea

Saint Kitts and Nevis are located near the eastern edge of the Caribbean Sea, and some geographers consider that the eastern side of the islands is part of the North Atlantic Ocean, while others consider that the Atlantic doesn't start until the eastern side of Antigua and Barbuda - it seems even harder to come to a consensus about the boundaries between oceans than those between countries.

The islands are part of the group known as the Leeward Islands, which run from Puerto Rico in the north to Dominica in the south.

Their name originated in sailing ships from Europe, which followed ocean winds that generally brought them to the Caribbean around Dominica. Islands north of there were on the leeward (downwind) side of the boats as they arrived; islands to the south are called the Windward Islands.

The entire archipelago is called the Lesser Antilles.

Answer: Volcanic island

The islands of the Lesser Antilles lie along the eastern edge of the Caribbean Plate, which is interacting with the South American Plate. As the South American Plate moves under the Caribbean Plate in a process called subduction, there is a lot of geological activity, including earthquakes and volcano formation. Continuing eruptions after the islands form often leads to very fertile soil, as is the case for Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The mountains are very steep, and covered in tropical vegetation, so most of the population is found in the flatter areas near the shoreline.

Answer: Three km

Sources give the distance at either 3 or 3.5 kilometers, between 1.5 and 2 miles. However, if you want to travel between the islands the ferry service runs between Basseterre and Charlestown, which is a much longer distance. Basseterre is the transport hub of the country. If you fly in, you will land at its international airport; if you arrive on a cruise ship, it will probably anchor in Basseterre Harbor. From Basseterre you can also catch a ride on the 60 km of train track, originally built to carry sugar cane from the fields to the processing plant, which now carry tourist trains around the island.

Answer: Liamuiga

Mount Liamuiga, at 1156m, a volcanic peak situated near the north end of Saint Kitts, is the highest point on either island. The highest point on Nevis is Nevis Peak, at 985 m. The word Liamuiga can be translated as fertile land, an accurate description of Saint Kitts. Some sources list the peak as Mount Misery.

The history of the names of these islands is convoluted, primarily because the early Spanish explorers did not have reliable maps, and subsequent visitors often made incorrect identifications of the island they had found. Columbus apparently named Saint Kitts "Sant Iago" (Saint James), and another nearby island, now known as Saba, "San Cristobal" (Saint Christopher, after his patron saint). However, the name of Saint Christopher was attached to Saint Kitts by a mapmaker shortly afterwards, and that is the name that stuck. It became shortened from Christopher to Kitt, a common nickname at the time.

The naming of Nevis is even more complex. Its original name was "Oualie" (meaning land of beautiful waters), and Columbus named it "San Martin". Another mapping error transferred that name to the island we now know as Saint-Martin. Some later Spanish settler named the island "Noestra Sinora delas Neves", meaning Our Lady of the Snows. This may have been a reference to the clouds often seen around the top of Nevis Peak. Later, English settlers called the island "Dulcina", Latin for something sweet. Eventually, the Spanish name stuck, and was shortened to Nevis.

Answer: Anguilla

The island of Anguilla is not an immediate neighbour of Saint Kitts and Nevis, with Saint Barthelemy and Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten lying in between. Nevertheless, the federation originally included Anguilla, and was known as Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (now there's a mouthful).

This unnatural union was imposed by the British in the 19th century, and they stayed confederated when they became an associated state in 1967. Anguilla separated in 1971, and in 1983 Saint Kitts and Nevis gained independence. Relations between the two islands remain strained, and there have been attempts to make Nevis an independent country - a referendum to that effect in 1998 gained a majority of the vote, but did not achieve the two-thirds majority required.

Answer: Great Salt Pond

Great Salt Pond, located near the southern end of Saint Kitts, is promoted by the tourist board as having beautiful white sand beaches, and offering a variety of aquatic activities. It is also environmentally significant as being the only major wetland on the island, and is a breeding ground for a variety of birds and marine fish.

Answer: Spanish colonists

The French (represented by the fleur-de-lis), the English (represented by the pink rose) and the Spanish fought over possession of these valuable islands, made more significant by the fact that the native Kalinago people were quite prepared to allow them to settle and develop towns. Britain emerged victorious early in the 18th century.

The coat of arms (unfortunately, not available to be reproduced here - check it out on Wikipedia, because it's quite detailed and interesting) shows two pelicans (the national bird) supporting a shield which rests on top of a banner carrying the national motto. One pelican holds sugar cane in its beak, and the other a coconut palm, both references to important national agricultural products. On the bottom of the shield is a local boat, important as transport between islands for centuries. A red chevron separates this from the central region, which features two Poinciana flowers, the national flower. The top part of the shield is a darker blue, and contains the three symbols described in the question. On top of the shield is a helmet on which perches the crenellated top of a tower, which in turn provides the base for two forearms, one dark and one light in skin tone, which support a flaming torch.

Answer: Sandy Point Town

Sandy Point Town was settled by the British in the 1620s, and became one of the busiest ports in the Leeward Islands. Tourists can still see the remains of the multitude of warehouses built along the shoreline during the 17th centuries. Commercial activity started moving away from Sandy Point Town to Basseterre at the start of the 18th century, and the port became steadily less significant.

When it was extensively damaged by Hurricane Klaus, the decision was made to close the port rather than attempt to repair the damage. Saint Kitts and Nevis is in a hurricane-prone region, and residents know to be prepared, especially between August and November when the biggest storms usually hit.

Answer: The French siege eventually forced the British defenders of the fort to surrender

The British first started defending Brimstone Hill in 1690, and over the next century built an imposing fortress covering 38 acres, mostly built with slave labour. In 1782 the French besieged the fortress, and eventually forced it to surrender as part of the Battle of St Kitts.

A year later, the Treaty of Paris returned the island to British control, and the British made it even more impregnable than before - it was never captured again before being abandoned in 1853. The area was declared a National Park in 1987, and a World Heritage Site in 1999. Today, tourists can take a bus from nearby Sandy Point Town to see the partially-restored fortress.