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St. Kitts & Nevis are located in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, 19 degrees north of the equator, separated by a channel two miles wide.

St. Kitts is 23 miles long and 5 miles across at its widest, encompassing an area of 68 square miles. The island's point of highest elevation is Mt. Liamuiga, at 3,792 feet. Nevis, the smaller island, lies to the south and is approximately 7 miles in diameter, covering a total of 36 square miles.

Yearly average temperature is 79 degrees; annual rainfall averages 55 inches; humidity is low, and constant northeast trade winds keep the islands cool.

St. Kitts and Nevis, like no other islands in the Caribbean, seem to embody a kind of lush tropical paradise usually associated with the South Pacific. The atmosphere here is palpably luxuriant, an intoxicating blend of sunlight, sea air and fantastically abundant vegetation. At the center of St. Kitts stands the spectacular, cloud-fringed peak of Mount Liamuiga (pronounced Lee-a-mweega), a dormant volcano covered by dense tropical forest. And on Nevis, too, the ground rises upward into a cloud forest filled with elusive green vervet monkeys and brilliant tropical flowers. For ecotourists, or simply anyone who enjoys stunning natural beauty, St. Kitts and Nevis cannot fail to exceed expectations.

And yet nature is only a small part of the wonder of these small, relatively undiscovered destinations. Long ago, St. Kitts and Nevis were the pearls of the British Caribbean, rich and enormously important islands that were celebrated throughout Europe. Nevis, the "Queen of the Caribbees," possessed unimaginable wealth from its super-productive sugar industry, while on St. Kitts the impregnable fortress of Brimstone Hill stood as the Gibraltar of the West Indies. In this venerable history is plenty of romance as well, for it was on Nevis that the dashing young Horatio Nelson met, courted, and wedded Fanny Nisbet, all the while attending to the whirling social life of the island's prosperous plantation estates.

Today these islands are esteemed more for their long stretches of sugary sand than for their sugar cane. Basseterre and Charlestown, the islands' capitals, are among the most captivating and picturesque of the Caribbean's colonial harbour towns. The law here holds that no building here may be taller than the surrounding palm trees, and on both St. Kitts and Nevis natural preservation is a major value. Activities include outstanding hiking through the islands' rain forests, golfing on internationally ranked golf courses, fishing, boating and diving or snorkeling through underwater reefs and unexplored wrecks. There is also an exceptional wealth of historic points of interest, including restored fortresses, haunted plantations, and ancient petroglyphs. In the midst of all of these attractions are many of the finest and most welcoming plantation inns in the Caribbean. Still largely undiscovered, despite their extraordinary beauty, their remarkable history, and their unmatched charm, St. Kitts & Nevis offer a rare opportunity to visit the "Secret Caribbean."

Activities

The islands aren't famous for their beaches, but there are a few strands on St Kitts and a couple on Nevis that can make for good walking, picnicking or loafing. St Kitts' best beaches are on the southern end of the island at Frigate Bay and in the sheltered bays along the southeastern peninsula. Beaches along the main body of the island are mostly thin strands of black and gray sands. Running north from Charlestown on Nevis is Pinney's Beach, a long, lovely strand backed by coconut palms. There's also a good white-sand beach on Nevis' northern shore in Newcastle and at Oualie Bay in the northwestern corner of the island.

Despite its limited beaches, St Kitts has healthy reefs and marine life that includes rays, barracuda, garden eels, nurse sharks, sea turtles, sea fans, giant barrel sponges and black coral. A favorite place for snorkeling is White House Bay on St Kitts' southeastern peninsula. A popular scuba dive spot is Sandy Point Bay, below Brimstone Hill, which has an array of corals, sponges and reef fish as well as some coral-encrusted anchors from the colonial era. Among a handful of wreck dives in the bay is the 148ft (45m) freighter River Taw, which sank in 50ft (15m) of water in 1985. Nevis has good diving off its western coast, while Oualie Bay in the north catches the tradewinds and offers windsurfing in shallow waters that's good for beginners; when the wind is up there are also opportunities for wave jumping.

There's some good hiking on the islands, but the tracks into the interior of St Kitts and Nevis are not well defined, so it's advisable to do any majortrekking with a guide. Guided hikes are available into the rainforests and estate ruins of St Kitts and up the slopes of Nevis Peak. If you want more speed you can rent a mountain bike on Nevis and do several laps around the island before the sun sets.

Culture

Unlike many Caribbean peoples, Kittitians (Kit-TEE-shuns) and Nevisians (Nee-VEE-shuns) haven't been deeply affected yet by the growth of tourism, which isn't a major part of the economy. The islands draw upon a mix of European, African and West Indian traditions. Architecture is predominantly British and cricket is the national sport, but music and dance are very much West Indian and African. Masquerades, St Kitts' popular folk troupe, performs dances ranging from a traditional French quadrille to a spirited African war dance. The troupe wears colorful costumes of a unique West Indian design.

While Kittitians and Nevisians amicably coexist - they share essentially the same culture, and most Nevisians live on St Kitts - they are fierce rivals. Their annual cricket match is an intense affair, and Nevis inches closer to full independence with each session of the House of Assembly.

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