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Saint George Basseterre | |
---|---|
Country | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Area | |
• Total | 29 km2 (11 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 12,635 [1] |
• Density | 436/km2 (1,130/sq mi) |
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 (after Saint James Windward). 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.
The parish's 11 square miles (28 km2) offer the most diverse terrain to be found in a single parish in the country. The northern part of Saint George Basseterre comprises the large Basseterre Valley, one of the most fertile spots on the island. The expansive flatlands are intensively used for agriculture, with the city of Basseterre skirting the coast. The central and southern portions of the parish constitute Saint Kitts' South East Peninsula, and has a strikingly contrasting arid climate. It is made up of eroded hills, scrub vegetation, salt ponds and white sand beaches. The largest pond, the Great Salt Pond, covers 3 square miles (7.8 km2). A mile offshore, in the centre of the channel separating Saint Kitts and Nevis lies Booby Island, a rocky island not officially claimed by Saint George Basseterre nor Saint James Windward.
The capital city of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Basseterre, is located on the coast of Basseterre Bay, but the city also stretches northward into the parish of Saint Peter Basseterre. The location is ideal, as it is the congregation of the island's 4 main thoroughfares (West to Sandy Point, East to Cayon, North to Monkey Hill, and South to the South East Peninsula). The parish's other settlements act as suburbs to the city. Some of the suburbs are Frigate Bay, Mattingley, Bird Rock, Harbour View and New Road. The rich agricultural lands surrounding Basseterre are heavily cultivated, mainly with fruits and vegetables for local consumption as well as for sale to cruise ships and hotels.
Being home to all of St. Kitts' white sand beaches, the South East Peninsula in Saint George Basseterre is the centre for the island's tourism industry. At present, nearly all the tourism development is at the resort town of Frigate Bay, ideally located on a narrow isthmus with 2 fine beaches (one on the Caribbean side and one on the Atlantic side) within 5 minutes walking distance of one another. It is also home to Saint Kitts' championship golf course.
Capital – Basseterre
Other Villages:
Saint George Basseterre is the economic heart of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and is of significant importance to the greater Eastern Caribbean area. Most Kittitians and also many Nevisians work in the city. Basseterre is a regional financial centre, home to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Headquarters, as well as the Eastern Caribbean Stock Exchange. It is also home to the Eastern Caribbean's largest light manufacturing industry. The many hotels and resorts in Frigate Bay also are responsible for a lot of the islands' employment and foreign exchange earnings. The parish's former main employer, the sugar factory, officially closed in 2005 following dropping world prices.
Saint George Basseterre is home to Saint Kitts' 2 seaports of entry, Port Zante and Deep Water Harbour.
Saint George Basseterre is home to three community festivals, Newtown Fest, Gut O'Rama and Village O'Rama. Newtown Fest is held in East Basseterre, mainly centered on the Newtown community, one of the oldest settled wards in the city of Basseterre. Held in mid-September, it features calypso shows, beauty pageants, jam sessions and late night liming sessions. Gut O'Rama is an annual festival held in Central Basseterre, with most activities located in the Westbourne Ghaut area (thus the name). The other community festival in Basseterre is the oldest running and largest (by participant population) community festival in St. Kitts, Village O' Rama. Held in early December, it has the usual festival celebrations (calypso, pageants and jamming), held in 'De Village,' the name given to the collective Western Basseterre communities (because the ward resulted from the overgrowth and amalgamation of several small, separate villages once in the area).
The bulk of the Eastern section of the Basseterre Valley (about 2 square miles) is to be developed into a large national park, in attempt to protect the aquifer system beneath it.
Future tourism developments are centred on the Great Salt Pond area in the south. Villa developments are also in the works on various hills and ridges on the peninsula, as well as a dolphin park on South Friar's Bay.
The city of Basseterre was also a venue for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.
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 50,000 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.
The politics of Saint Kitts and Nevis takes place in the framework of a federal parliamentary democracy. Saint Kitts and Nevis is an independent Commonwealth realm with Charles III as its head of state, viceregally represented by a Governor-General. He acts on the advice of the prime minister, who is the majority party leader in the National Assembly, and who, with a cabinet, conducts affairs of state.
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".
Basseterre is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at 17°18′N62°44′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.
The music of Saint Kitts and Nevis is known for a number of musical celebrations including Carnival. The last week in June features the St Kitts Music Festival, while the week-long Culturama on Nevis lasts from the end of July into early August.
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 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.
Trinity Palmetto Point is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It ranks 6th in terms of size of all the parishes on Saint Kitts. The parish capital is Trinity.
Saint James Windward is the largest of five parishes on the island of Nevis. These five parishes are in turn part of the 14 administrative parishes making up the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
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.
South Friar's Bay is a bay in Saint George Basseterre Parish, Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is one of the two bays that stretch along the coast of the isthmus connecting the Southeast Peninsula, with the rest of the island of Saint Kitts. It is longer than its northern neighbour. At their closest, the two coasts are less than one kilometre apart.
The Southeast Peninsula of Saint Kitts island is located in Saint Kitts and Nevis, in the Lesser Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean.
The SKNFA Premier League, known for sponsorship reasons as the SKNFA National Bank Premier League, is the Saint Kitts top division, created in 1980 and organized by the St. Kitts and Nevis Football Association.
Mary Charles George O.B.E. was a Kittitian educator. She taught school in St. Kitts for 43 years before moving to the Virgin Islands, where she taught for another decade. She was the first woman in St. Kitts and Nevis to run for public office. For her contributions to education in the Caribbean, she was honoured with the Order of the British Empire from Queen Elizabeth II and granted a life membership in the Caribbean Union of Teachers. A hospital in Molyneux, Saint Kitts, and the teaching excellence award of the St. Kitts Teachers’ Union are named in her honour.