Basseterre | |
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Top: Basseterre marina; Middle: Downtown Basseterre, Independence Square; St. George's Anglican Church , Basseterre Government House | |
Coordinates: 17°18′N62°44′W / 17.300°N 62.733°W | |
Country | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Island | Saint Kitts |
Parishes | Saint George Basseterre, Saint Peter Basseterre |
Settled | 1627 |
Area | |
• Total | 6.1 km2 (2.5 sq mi) |
Elevation | 15 m (50 ft) |
Population (2024) | |
• Total | 16,696 [1] |
• Density | 2,541/km2 (6,200/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC-4 (AST) |
Basseterre ( /bæsˈtɛər/ ; Saint Kitts Creole: Basterre) is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. [1] Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at 17°18′N62°44′W / 17.300°N 62.733°W , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands. The city lies within Saint George Basseterre Parish.
Basseterre is one of the oldest towns in the Eastern Caribbean. [2]
Basseterre was founded in 1627 by the French, under Sieur Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc. It served as the capital of the French colony of Saint-Christophe, which consisted of the northern and southern extremities of the island of St. Kitts (the centre was yielded to Britain). When Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy was made the French governor of St. Kitts in 1639, the town turned into a large, successful port, commanding Eastern Caribbean trade and colonisation.
De Poincy then quickly made Basseterre capital of the entire French West Indies colony, which included the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, and remained so until his death in 1660. The city was made capital of the island of St. Kitts in 1727, following the expulsion of the French from the island and the establishment of full British control.
The city of Basseterre has one of the most tragic histories of any Caribbean capital, destroyed many times by colonial wars, fire, earthquakes, floods, riots, and hurricanes. Despite all of this, a considerable number of well-restored buildings still exist in the centre of Basseterre.
Most of the city structures were built after the great fire of 1867. The Circus was modelled after Piccadilly Circus, and the fountain in the centre was built in 1883, and dedicated to The Honourable Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley, the father of Henry Spencer Berkeley. [4]
The city of Basseterre skirts a 2-mile (3.2 km) bay on the southwestern shore of St. Kitts, Basseterre Bay. The city lies within the large Basseterre Valley, almost completely surrounded by lush green hills and mountains. It is primarily low-lying, which is one explanation for the name which the French gave unto it, as Basseterre translates to "low land" in English. However, the name Basseterre is also due to the fact that the island is on the lee of winds of the island, and is thus a safe anchorage.
The name Capesterre, given to the region to the North, was dubbed so as it was facing the wind. Basseterre is surrounded by the Olivees Mountains to the north and the Conaree-Morne peaks to the east. The city is drained by the College River and the Westbourne River, which are locally known as "ghauts" and are dry most of the year. They even form streets in downtown Basseterre. This engineering folly has proven quite disastrous though, as College River has been the scene of many disastrous floods in Basseterre history. Port Zante, located in the centre of the bay, lies on 15 acres (61,000 m2) of land reclaimed from the sea in 1995.
Under the Köppen climate classification, Basseterre features a tropical rainforest climate. As is the characteristic of cities with this climate, temperatures remain constant throughout the course of the year, with temperatures averaging 27 °C (81 °F) year-round. Basseterre has no dry season; all 12 months on average see more than 60 mm (2.36 in.) of precipitation. On average, 1700 mm (66.93 in.) of rain falls on the city annually.
Climate data for Basseterre (Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport) (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.9 (91.2) | 33.6 (92.5) | 34.1 (93.4) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 32.9 (91.2) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 29.1 (84.4) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.2 (88.2) | 30.3 (86.5) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.2 (86.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.9 (78.6) | 26.2 (79.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.7 (81.9) | 28.5 (83.3) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.8 (83.8) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.5 (81.5) | 26.6 (79.9) | 27.5 (81.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.9 (73.2) | 22.8 (73.0) | 22.9 (73.2) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.7 (78.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.5 (76.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.4 (75.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | 17.4 (63.3) | 18.4 (65.1) | 18.6 (65.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.9 (71.4) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.8 (69.4) | 19.3 (66.7) | 17.4 (63.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 61.5 (2.42) | 51.2 (2.02) | 45.5 (1.79) | 65.5 (2.58) | 84.1 (3.31) | 69.5 (2.74) | 101.5 (4.00) | 106.5 (4.19) | 116.8 (4.60) | 187.8 (7.39) | 139.5 (5.49) | 110.1 (4.33) | 1,139.5 (44.86) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 12.5 | 14.0 | 13.5 | 14.0 | 133.5 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 249.5 | 225.0 | 260.0 | 246.0 | 230.0 | 231.0 | 237.0 | 257.5 | 231.2 | 234.0 | 227.4 | 237.5 | 2,866.1 |
Source: NOAA [5] |
Basseterre is a small city that is laid out in a grid pattern. It has four main streets running west to east, and they are listed here in sequence from south to north: Bay Road, Liverpool Row, Central Street, and Cayon Street. The main street running north to south is Fort Street/Bank Street, which is home to the bulk of the island's main shops and banks. The city has two centres, at The Circus, which is geared towards tourism, and the Independence Square, which contains the cathedral, courthouse, and most of the older buildings.
Basseterre is the main commercial and industrial centre of St. Kitts. It is also the country's main port of entry for both sea and air travel, as well as the road and rail transport hub. It houses the administration buildings for the federal government (those for the island of Nevis are in Charlestown). It also houses the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, as well as the headquarters for many other regional financial institutions.
Despite its small size, Basseterre played host to Carifesta VII (the Caribbean Festival of Arts) in 2000, outbidding rivals many times its size. The city was able to outbid the United States of America to host matches for the 2007 World Cricket Cup. The Warner Park Sporting Complex was the site of the allocated first round matches of the tournament. This made St. Kitts and Nevis the smallest country in the world ever to host a World Cup event.
Basseterre is home to two private, for-profit medical institutions founded by Robert Ross: Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and the International University of Nursing. The city has four secondary schools, two of which are government-owned, and two are private schools.
There are a large number of Christian churches in the city for its size. Most are Protestant, due to British colonization, but the cathedral in Basseterre is Catholic. The Anglican, also called the "Church of England", has the largest number of members, followed by the Methodist. Other Protestant denominations include Moravian, Church of God, Baptist, Seventh-day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness, Rivers of Living Water and Pentecostal. Afro-Christian syncretic sects are also widespread.
The city of Basseterre has established itself as a financial centre in the Eastern Caribbean. It is home to the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, as well as the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange, which lists securities for companies and corporations in the region. The city is also headquarters for the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank, the largest bank in the Eastern Caribbean, in terms of assets.
The city is also a major Eastern Caribbean industrial centre; its main exports being bass, electronics, beverages, apparel, and salt. The once dominating sugar industry closed in 2005. This was due to overwhelming debts and further predicted hardships from major price cuts planned by the EU. There are specified industrial estates which carry out sub-sonic technology, food processing, light engineering, bass engineering, and rum distilling.
Basseterre is a hub for all major roads on the island of St. Kitts. Driving is done on the left. The speed limit in the city is 40 km/h (25 mph) everywhere, with special caution to be taken around school zones.
Public buses have a green license plate starting with the letter "H". There are 5 main bus routes on St. Kitts:
All bus fees are $2.50 for a trip 5 miles (8.0 km) and under, $3.00 for a trip 5 to 10 miles (16 km), and $3.75 for a trip over 10 miles (16 km). (EC dollars. 1 US = 2.7 EC)
No public buses travel southwards to the main resort areas in Frigate Bay and the South East Peninsula.
Taxis have yellow license plates starting with the letter "T" or "TA". The taxi station in Basseterre is located at the Circus (466 6999). The taxis will take you just about anywhere for a pre-calculated price.
The Deep Water Harbour in Basseterre is capable of both hosting and berthing of cruise ships or the handling of cargo. It is located to the extreme East of Basseterre Bay.
Port Zante, in the centre of the Bay, is for cruise ships only. The port can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world. It also has a marina.
The bay is also home to the bustling ferry operation which takes place between Basseterre and Charlestown, the capital of Nevis. There are numerous trips daily, served by as many as six different ferry boats. Ferry service also exists between Basseterre and Oranjestad, Statia as well as to St. Maarten, but the trips are irregular and infrequent.
The Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport serves the city of Basseterre and is located in the city's most North Eastern area. It has direct flights to London, New York, and Miami and seasonal flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, Atlanta, and Philadelphia in addition to other major cities in the United States and Canada during tourist season. The also nearby Vance W. Amory International Airport is located on the neighboring island of Nevis. The airport serves regional destinations, primarily in the Caribbean.
St. Kitts' 58 km of narrow (0.762m)-gauge railway terminates in Basseterre, and encompasses the island in a circular pattern. The railway lines, originally built to transport sugar cane to the central sugar factory in Basseterre, are now used to transport tourists via the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, which currently runs from Sandy Point to Basseterre. [6]
Basseterre is twinned with:
Famous people born in Basseterre include:
Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a singular nation state. Nevis is located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago about 350 kilometres (220 mi) east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of Antigua. Its area is 93 square kilometres (36 sq mi) and the capital is Charlestown.
Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Lesser Antilles. With 261 square kilometres (101 sq mi) of territory, and roughly 48,000 inhabitants, it is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, in both area and population, as well as the world's smallest sovereign federation. The country is a Commonwealth realm, with Charles III as King and head of state.
Saint Kitts and Nevis have one of the longest written histories in the Caribbean, both islands being among Spain's and England's first colonies in the archipelago. Despite being only two miles apart and quite diminutive in size, Saint Kitts and Nevis were widely recognized as being separate entities with distinct identities until they were forcibly united in the late 19th century.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a twin island country with a total landmass of just 270 square kilometres (104 sq mi). The island of St. Kitts, the larger of the two, is 180 square kilometres (68 sq mi) in size and is located at latitude 17.30 N, and longitude 62.80 W. Nevis is 93 square kilometres (36 sq mi) and located at latitude 17.10 N, longitude 62.35 W, approximately 3 km south-east of St. Kitts. The islands are about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago. The islands are volcanic and mountainous.
Transport in Saint Christopher and Nevis includes normal road traffic, public buses, taxis, ferries, airports, and one railway.
Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. 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 economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis has traditionally depended on the growing and processing of sugar cane; decreasing world prices have hurt the industry in recent years. Tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking activity have assumed larger roles in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Most food is imported. The government has undertaken a program designed to revitalize the faltering sugar sector. It is also working to improve revenue collection in order to better fund social programs. In 1997, some leaders in Nevis were urging separation from Saint Kitts on the basis that Nevis was paying far more in taxes than it was receiving in government services, but the vote on secession failed in August 1998. In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused approximately $445 million in damages and limited GDP growth for the year.
Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy (1584–1660) was a French nobleman and Bailiff Grand Cross of the Knights of Malta. He governed the island of Saint Christopher from 1639 to his death in 1660, first under the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique and later under the Knights of Malta themselves. Poincy was the key figure in the Hospitaller colonization of the Americas.
The Saint Kitts and Nevis national football team is the national team of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and is controlled by the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association. They are affiliated to the Caribbean Football Union of CONCACAF. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, however, they did qualify for their first CONCACAF Gold Cup appearance in 2023.
Saint Anne Sandy Point is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the smallest parish on St. Kitts in terms of area, at just 5 square miles (13 km2). It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Sandy Point Town.
Saint George Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the largest parish on Saint Kitts and the second largest parish in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is by far the most populous parish in the federation, holding nearly a third of the country's population. It is home to the city of Basseterre, capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and also has a longer coastline than any other parish in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Saint John Capisterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the second largest parish on Saint Kitts, and the third largest parish in the federation. The capital of the parish is Dieppe Bay Town.
Saint Mary Cayon is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Cayon.
Saint Peter Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Monkey Hill.
Saint Paul Charlestown is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the island of Nevis, and the parish capital is Charlestown, which is also capital of the entire island.
Dieppe Bay Town is a town in Saint John Capisterre Parish in the island of Saint Kitts, in the country of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Saint Kitts and Nevis:
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The St. Theresa Church and alternatively St. Theresa Parish, is a religious building of the Catholic church that is located in Main Road in the town of Charlestown, capital of Nevis Island and Saint Paul Charlestown Parish one of the 14 in the Caribbean and island federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Lesser Antilles.
The Château de la Montagne, also known as the De Poincy Château or the Château de la Fontaine, was a fortified palace in Saint Peter Basseterre Parish on the island of Saint Kitts. It was built in the 1640s by Governor Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy, and it remained standing until it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1689. Built in the Baroque style, the château was regarded as one of the finest houses in the Caribbean.