NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Nevis

Nevis (pronounced nee-vis) is an island in the Caribbean, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 220 miles (350 km) southeast of Puerto Rico and 50 miles (80 km) west of Antigua. The 36 square-mile (93 km²) island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain. The capital of Nevis is Charlestown. Image File history File links Nevis_Aerial. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Aerial. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Charlestown. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Charlestown. ... Charlestown was built in a protected area on the Leeward side of Nevis, situated between Fort Charles and the Fort Black Rocks. ... â€œWest Indianâ€ redirects here. ... Location of the Lesser Antilles (green) in relation to the rest of the Caribbean Islands of the Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles, also known as the Caribbees,[1] are part of the Antilles, which together with the Bahamas and Greater Antilles form the West Indies. ... The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... Charlestown was built in a protected area on the Leeward side of Nevis, situated between Fort Charles and the Fort Black Rocks. ...

Nevis, along with Saint Kitts, forms the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The two islands are separated by a shallow 2-mile (3.22 km) channel, known as "The Narrows". Nevis is conical in shape, with a volcanic peak, Nevis Peak, at the centre. It is fringed on three sides by long sand beaches, and has a coastline intermittently protected by coral reefs. The most popular beach is the 4-mile (6.44 km) long Pinney's Beach, on the western or Caribbean coast. The gently sloping coastal plain (0.6 miles/1 km wide) has natural fresh water springs, as well as non-potable volcanic hot springs, especially along the west coast. Country Saint Kitts and Nevis Archipelago Leeward Islands Region Caribbean Area 65 sq. ... For other uses, see Beach (disambiguation). ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ... â€œWest Indianâ€ redirects here. ... Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57 F or...

The island was named Oualie ("Land of Beautiful Waters") by the Caribs and Dulcina ("Sweet Island") by the early British settlers. The name Nevis is derived from the Spanish, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves or Our Lady of the Snows and appear on maps first in the 16th century.^[4] This article is about the Island Carib, who lived on the islands of the Caribbean. ... Our Lady of the Snows may refer to: Our Lady of the Snows (liturgical feast) Notre-Dame-des Neiges Monastery in ArdÃ¨che, France National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois, USA Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Category: ...

The majority of the approximately 12,000 citizens of Nevis are of primarily African descent. English is the official language, and the literacy rate, 98 percent, is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Nevis is of particular historical significance to Americans because it was the birthplace and early childhood home of Alexander Hamilton. For British people, Nevis is the place where Horatio Nelson as a young sea captain, was stationed, and where he met and married Frances Nisbet, a young plantation widow. Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757â€“July 12, 1804) was an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, American politician, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ...

History

Amerindians

When Nevis was spotted by Columbus in 1493, the island had already been settled for more than 2,000 years by Caribbean Amerindian populations. Since the 1990s, artifacts from three major prehistoric periods have been discovered at excavation sites in Nevis.^[5] 1493 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An artifact (also artefact) is a term coined by Sir Julian Huxley meaning any object or process resulting from human activity. ...

The indigenous people of Nevis during these periods belonged to the Leeward Island Amerindian groups popularly referred to as Arawaks and Caribs, a complex mosaic of ethnic groups with similar culture and language.^[6] Dr. Lennox Honychurch from Dominica (D. Phil. in Anthropology and a leading scholar in the history and culture of Island Caribs) traces the European use of the term "Carib" for the Leeward Island aborigines to Columbus, who picked it up from the Tainos on Hispaniola. It was not a name the Island Caribs called themselves.^[7] The Spanish used the term to clarify which native groups were officially available for enslavement. "Carib Indians" was the generic name used for all groups allegedly involved in war rituals of a cannibalistic nature, namely the consumption of parts of a killed enemy's body. The Spanish law permitted and encouraged the enslavement of all such "cannibals" or "Caribs". The Arawakan languages are an indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. ... This article is about the Island Carib, who lived on the islands of the Caribbean. ... The Taíno are the pre-Hispanic Amerindian inhabitants of the Greater Antilles, which includes Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Jamaica and the Bahamas. ... Early map of Hispaniola The island of Hispaniola (from Spanish, La EspaÃ±ola) is the second-largest island of the Antilles, lying between the islands of Cuba to the west, and Puerto Rico to the east. ...

The Amerindian name for Nevis was Oualie, land of beautiful waters. The structure of the Island Carib language has been linguistically identified as Arawakan.^[7] This is used as an argument to support the Arawakan Continuity Model for the Leeward Islands. According to the continuity model, the many ethnic groups of the Leeward Islands lived side by side through the centuries before the Europeans arrived, becoming multilingual because of intense inter-island trade. The suggestion that a natural merging of languages and cultures occurred over the centuries is in sharp contrast with the invasion and displacement model which has previously been the dominant model in Caribbean scholarship. The displacement model suggests that the Cariban speaking groups killed off the Arawakan groups, but that the Arawakan language survived because the Carib warriors spared the Arawak women and the women then passed Arawakan on to their children. Many scholars now subscribe to moderated continuity models, considering the Caribbean to have been a site of encounter and exchange throughout history.^[7] The Arawakan languages (also Arahuacan, Arawakanas, Arahuacano, Maipurean, Maipuran, Maipureano, MaipÃºrean) are a hypothetical indigenous language family of South America and the Caribbean. ... The Cariban languages are an indigenous language family of South America. ...

Nevis was part of the Spanish claim to the Caribbean islands, a claim pursued until 1671, even though there were no Spanish settlements on the island. According to Vincent Hubbard, author of Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis, the Spanish ruling caused many of the Arawak groups who were not ethnically Caribs to "be redefined as Caribs overnight".^[4] Records indicate that the Spanish enslaved large numbers of the native inhabitants on the more accessible of the Leeward Islands and sent them to Cubagua, Venezuela to dive for pearls. Hubbard suggests that the reason the first European settlers found so few "Caribs" on Nevis is that they had already been rounded up by the Spanish and shipped off to be used as slaves.

Christopher Columbus initially gave the island the name San Martin (Saint Martin), but the confusion of numerous poorly-charted small islands in the Leeward Island chain meant that this name ended up being transferred to another island in the group. The current name Nevis was derived from a Spanish name Nuestra Señora de las Nieves by a process of abbreviation and anglicization. The name originally meant Our Lady of the Snows. It is not known who chose this name for the island, but it is a reference to the story of a 4th century Catholic miracle; a snowfall on a mountain near Rome. Presumably the white clouds that usually wreathe the top of Nevis Peak made someone think of this story of a miraculous snowfall in a hot climate. Anglicisation is a process of making something English. ... Our Lady of the Snows may refer to: Our Lady of the Snows (liturgical feast) Notre-Dame-des Neiges Monastery in ArdÃ¨che, France National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois, USA Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Category: ...

Colonial era

In spite of the Spanish claim, Nevis continued to be a popular stop-over point for English and Dutch ships on their way to the North American continent. Captain Bartholomew Gilbert of Plymouth visited the island in 1603, spending two weeks to cut twenty tons of lignum vitae wood. Gilbert sailed on to Virginia to seek out survivors of the Roanoke settlement in what is now North Carolina. Captain John Smith visited Nevis also on his way to Virginia in 1607. This was the voyage which founded the Jamestown Settlement, the first permanent English settlement in the New World.^[4] Lignum vitae is the heartwood of species of the genus Guaiacum, the trees of which are usually called guayacan. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... A map of the Roanoke area, by John White Roanoke Island is an island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area Ranked 28th - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 kmÂ²) - Width 150 miles (240 km) - Length 560[1] miles (901 km) - % water 9. ... John Smith (1580-1631) was an English soldier and sailor, now chiefly remembered for his role in establishing the first permanent English colony in North America, and his brief association with the Native American princess Pocahontas. ... Sketch of Jamestown c. ...

On August 30, 1620, James I of England asserted sovereignty over Nevis by giving a Royal Patent for colonisation to the Earl of Carlisle. However, actual European settlement did not happen until 1628 when Anthony Hilton moved from nearby Saint Kitts following a murder plot against him. He was accompanied by 80 other settlers, soon to be boosted by a further 100 settlers from London who had originally hoped to settle Barbuda. Hilton became the first Governor of Nevis. After the 1671 peace treaty between Spain and England, Nevis became the seat of the British colony and the Admiralty Court also sat in Nevis. Between 1675 and 1730, the island was the headquarter for the slave trade for the Leeward Islands, with approximately 6,000-7,000 enslaved West Africans passing through on route to other islands each year. The Royal African Company brought all its ships through Nevis.^[4] James VI and I (19 June 1566 â€“ 27 March 1625) was King of Scots as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James I. He ruled in Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567, when he was only one year old, succeeding his mother Mary... The title of Earl of Carlisle has been created several times in the Peerage of England. ... Barbuda is an island in the Antigua and Barbuda. ... Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences. ... The Royal African Company was a slaving company set up by the Stuart family and London merchants once the former retook the English throne in 1660. ...

Due to the profitable Triangular trade and the high quality of Nevisian sugar cane, the island soon became a dominant source of wealth for Great Britain and the slave-owning British plantocracy. When the Leeward Islands were separated from Barbados in 1671, Nevis became the seat of the Leeward Islands Colony and was given the nickname "Queen of the Caribees". It remained colonial capital for the Leeward Islands until the seat was transferred to Antigua for military reasons in 1698. During this period, Nevis was the richest of the British Leeward Islands.^[4] The island outranked even larger islands like Jamaica in sugar production in the late 17th century. The wealth of the planters on the island is evident in the tax records preserved at the Calendar State Papers in the British Colonial Office Public Records, where the amount of tax collected on the Leeward Islands was recorded. The sums recorded for 1676 as "head tax on slaves", a tax payable in sugar, amounted to 384,600 pounds in Nevis, as opposed to 67,000 each in Antigua and Saint Kitts, 62,500 in Montserrat, and 5,500 total in the other five islands.^[8] The profits on sugar cultivation in Nevis was enhanced by the fact that the cane juice from Nevis yielded an unusually high amount of sugar. A gallon (3.79 litres) of cane juice from Nevis yielded 24 ounces (0.71 litres) of sugar, whereas a gallon from Saint Kitts yielded 16 ounces (0.47 litres).^[4] Twenty percent of the British Empire’s total sugar production in 1700 was derived from Nevisian plantations.^[9] Exports from West Indian colonies like Nevis were worth more than all the exports from all the mainland Thirteen colonies of North America combined at the time of the American Revolution.^[4] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (429x602, 116 KB) Source: The XVIIIth Century: Its Institutions, Customs, and Costumes: France, 1700-1789, Fig. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (429x602, 116 KB) Source: The XVIIIth Century: Its Institutions, Customs, and Costumes: France, 1700-1789, Fig. ... An example of three way trade in the North Atlantic Triangular trade is a historical term denoting trade between three ports or regions. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles. ... The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet official in charge of managing the various British colonies. ... Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen...

The enslaved families formed the large labour force and were forced to perform the monotonous and dangerous work of the sugar plantations. After the 1650s the supply of white indentured servants began to dry up due to increased wages in England and less incentive to migrate to the colonies. Additionally, the plantation owners considered lifelong enslavement a better long-term investment for their owners than indentured servants who could leave after four to seven years. They also considered it easier to control persons in a workforce that had been removed from their homelands and separated from their kin by brute force and who were easily discerned by their skin colour should they try to escape. By the end of the 17th century, the population of Nevis consisted of a small, rich planter elite in control, a marginal population of poor whites, a great majority of enslaved families of African descent, and an unknown number of maroons, people who had freed themselves from the exploitation at the plantations and escaped into the mountains. In 1780, 90 percent of the 10,000 people living on Nevis were black.^[4] Some of the maroons joined with the few remaining Caribs in Nevis to form an ever present resistance force in the mountainous regions of the island. Memories of the Nevisian maroons' struggle against the injustices suffered by the Afro-Caribbean population under the plantation system are preserved in place names such as Maroon Hill, an early centre of resistance. An indentured servant (also called a bonded laborer) is a labourer unde from the employer in exchange for an extension to the period of their indenture, which could thereby continue indefinitely. ... Body of Djuka Maroon child brought before a medicine man, Suriname 1955 A Maroon (from the word marronage or American/Spanish cimarrÃ³n: wild, savage, fugitive, runaway, lit. ...

The great wealth generated by the colonies of the West Indies led to wars between Spain, Britain, and France. The formation of the United States can be said to be a partial by-product of these wars and the strategic trade aims that often ignored North America.^[4] Three privateers were employed by the British Crown to help protect ships in Nevis' waters. One of them, Captain Frances, was of African descent. He commanded 100 men and a 20-gun ship.^[4] This article is about the concept in naval history. ...

During the 17th century the French, based on Saint Kitts, launched many attacks on Nevis, sometimes assisted by the Island Caribs, who in 1667 sent a large fleet of canoes along in support. Letters and other records from the era indicate that the English on Nevis hated and feared the Amerindians. In 1674 and 1683 they participated in attacks on Carib villages in Dominica and St. Vincent, in spite of a lack of official approval from The Crown for the attack.^[4] Motto: Pax et justitia (Latin: Peace and justice) Anthem: St Vincent Land So Beautiful Capital (and largest city) Kingstown Official languages English Government Parliamentary democracy Commonwealth Realm - Monarch Queen Elizabeth II - Governor-General Sir Frederick Ballantyne - Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves Independence From the United Kingdom - Date 27 October 1979 Area... This article refers to the Commonwealths concept of the monarchys legal authority. ...

On Nevis, the English built Fort Charles and a series of smaller fortifications to aid in defending the island against Carib attacks.^[4] One of atleast 12 cannons at the fort Fort Charles is an abandoned British fort on the island of Nevis. ...

Emancipation

In 1706, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, the French Canadian founder of Louisiana in North America, decided to drive the English out of Nevis and thus also stop pirate attacks on French ships; he considered Nevis the region's headquarter for piracy in the Caribbean against French trade. During d'Iberville's invasion of Nevis, French Buccaneers were used in the front line, infamous for being ruthless killers after the pillaging during the wars with Spain where they gained a reputation for torturing and murdering non-combatants. In the face of the invading force, the English militiamen of Nevis fled. Some planters burned the plantations, rather than letting the French have them, and hid in the mountains. It was the enslaved Africans who held the French at bay by taking up arms to defend their families and the island. The slave quarters had been looted and burned as well, as the main reward promised the men fighting on the French side in the attack was the right to capture as many slaves as possible and resell them in Martinique. Image File history File links Nevis_Methodist. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Methodist. ... Pierre Le Moyne dIberville. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article refers to the type of pirate. ...

During the fighting, 3,400 enslaved Nevisians were captured and sent off to Martinique, but about 1,000 more, poorly armed and militarily untrained, held the French troops at bay, by "murderous fire" according to an eyewitness account by an English militiaman. He wrote that "the slaves' brave behaviour and defence there shamed what some of their masters did, and they do not shrink to tell us so."^[4] After 18 days of fighting, the French were driven off the island. Among the Nevisian men, women and children carried away on d'Iberville's ships, six ended up in Louisiana, the first persons of African descent to arrive there.^[4]

One consequence of the French attack was a collapsed sugar industry and during the ensuing hardship on Nevis, small plots of land on the plantations were made available to the enslaved families in order to control the loss of life due to starvation. With less profitability for the absentee plantation owners, the import of food supplies for the plantation workers dwindled. Between 1776 and 1783, when the food supplies failed to arrive altogether due to the rebellion in North America, 300-400 enslaved Nevisians starved to death.^[4] On August 1, 1834, slavery was abolished in the British Empire. In Nevis, 8,815 slaves were freed.^[4] The first Monday in August is celebrated as Emancipation Day and is part of the annual Nevis Culturama festival. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

A four-year apprenticeship program followed the abolishment of slavery on the plantations. In spite of the continued use of the labour force, the Nevisian slave owners were paid over £150,000 in compensation from the British Government for the loss of property, whereas the enslaved families received nothing for 200 years of labour.^[10] One of the wealthiest planter families in Nevis, the Pinneys of Montravers Plantation, claimed £36,396 pounds (worth close to £1,800,000 today) in compensation for the slaves on the family-owned plantations around the Caribbean.^[11]

Because of the early distribution of plots and because many of the planters departed from the island when sugar cultivation became unprofitable, a relatively large percentage of Nevisians already owned or controlled land at emancipation.^[12] Others settled on crown land. This early development of a society with a majority of small, landowning farmers and entrepreneurs created a stronger middleclass in Nevis than in Saint Kitts where the sugar industry continued until 2006. Even though the 15 families in the wealthy planter elite no longer control the arable land, Saint Kitts still has a large, landless working class population.^[13]

After 1800

Nevis was united with Saint Kitts and Anguilla in 1882, and they became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967, though Anguilla seceded in 1971. Together, Saint Kitts and Nevis became independent on September 19, 1983. On August 10, 1998, a referendum on Nevis to separate from Saint Kitts had 2,427 votes in favour and 1,498 against, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed. Image File history File links Nevis_School1899. ... Image File history File links Nevis_School1899. ... Saint Kitts and Nevis has one of the longest written histories in the Caribbean, both islands being amongst Europes first colonies in the archipelago. ... An associated state is used to describe a free relationship between a territory and a larger nation. ... is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

Before 1967, the local government of Saint Kitts was also the government of Nevis and Anguilla. Nevis had two seats and Anguilla one seat in the government. The economic and infrastructural development of the two smaller islands was not a priority to the colonial federal government. When the hospital in Charlestown was destroyed in a hurricane in 1899, planting of trees in the squares of Saint Kitts and refurbishing of government buildings, also in Saint Kitts, took precedence over the rebuilding of the only hospital in Nevis.^[4] After five years without any proper medical facilities, the leaders in Nevis initiated a campaign, threatening to seek independence from Saint Kitts. The British Administrator in Saint Kitts, Charles Cox, was unmoved. He stated that Nevis did not need a hospital since there had been no significant rise in the number of deaths during the time Nevisians had been without a hospital. Therefore, no action was needed on behalf of the government, and besides, Cox continued, the Legislative Council regarded "Nevis and Anguilla as a drag on St. Kitts and would willingly see a separation".^[14] Finally, a letter of complaint to the metropolitan British Foreign Office gave result and the federal government in Saint Kitts was ordered by their superiors in London to take speedy action. The Legislative Council took another five years to consider their options. The final decision by the federal government was to not rebuild the old hospital after all, but to instead convert the old Government House in Nevis into a hospital, named Alexandra Hospital after Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII. A majority of the funds assigned for the hospital could thus spent on the construction of a new official residence in Nevis.^[4] The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the United Kingdom abroad. ... Edward VII King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Emperor of India His Majesty King Edward VII (Albert Edward) (9 November 1841–6 May 1910) was the first British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ...

Electricity was introduced in Nevis in 1954, when two generators were shipped in to provide electricity to the area around Charlestown. In this regard, Nevis fared better than Anguilla, where there were no paved roads, no electricity and no telephones in 1967. However, electricity did not become available island-wide on Nevis until 1971.^[4]

An ambitious infrastructure development programme has been introduced during the last 10 years, including a transformation of the Charlestown port, construction of a new deep-water harbour, resurfacing and widening the Island Main Road, a new airport terminal and control tower, and a major airport expansion, which required the relocation of an entire village in order to make room for the runway extension.

Modernized classrooms and better equipped schools, as well as improvements in the educational system, have contributed to a leap in academic performance on the island. The pass rate among the Nevisian students sitting for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams, the Cambridge General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) and the Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examinations is now consistently among the highest in the English-speaking Caribbean.^[15]^[16] Caribbean Examination Council is the main examining council serving the Caricom members of the Caribbean. ...

Since 2005, Nevis has its first Resident Judge, Her Ladyship Justice Ianthea Leigertwood-Octave.

Economy

After d’Iberville’s invasion in 1704, records show Nevis’ sugar industry in ruins and a decimated population begging the English Parliament and relatives for loans and monetary assistance to stave of island-wide starvation.^[4] The sugar industry on the island never fully recovered and during the general depression that followed the loss of the West Indian sugar monopoly, Nevis fell on hard times and the island became one of the poorest in the region. The island remained poorer than Saint Kitts until 1991, when the fiscal performance of Nevis edged ahead of the fiscal performance of Saint Kitts for the first time since the French invasion.^[4] The European Commission's Delegation in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean estimates the annual per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on Nevis to be about 10 percent higher than on St. Kitts.^[17] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The baobabs (Adansonia) are a genus of eight species of trees, native to Madagascar (the centre of diversity, with six species), and Africa and Australia (one species in each). ... A hogshead is a large cask of liquid (less often, of a food commodity). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 536 pixelsFull resolution (968 Ã— 648 pixel, file size: 133 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Attribution: Photo by Aaron Vos Subject: Photograph of Nevis Heritage Trail sign at the entrance to Montravers Estate, Nevis, West Indies. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 536 pixelsFull resolution (968 Ã— 648 pixel, file size: 133 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Attribution: Photo by Aaron Vos Subject: Photograph of Nevis Heritage Trail sign at the entrance to Montravers Estate, Nevis, West Indies. ... A body now called the English Parliament first arose during the thirteenth century, referred to variously as colloquium and parliamentum. It shared most of the powers typical of representative institutions in medieval and early modern Europe, and was arranged from the fourteenth century in a bicameral manner, with a House... This article is about the economics of markets dominated by a single seller. ... Berlaymont, the Commissions seat The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive branch of the European Union. ... Nominal GDP per person (capita) in 2006. ...

The major source of revenue for Nevis today is tourism. During the 2003-2004 season, approximately 40,000 tourists visited Nevis.^[18] A five star hotel (The Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies), four exclusive restored plantation inns, and several smaller hotels, are currently in operation. Larger developments along the west coast have recently been approved and are in the process of being developed.^[19]

The introduction of new legislation has made offshore financial services a rapidly growing economic sector in Nevis. Incorporation of companies, international insurance and reinsurance, as well as several international banks, trust companies, asset management firms, have created a boost in the economy.^[20] During 2005, the Nevis Island Treasury collected $94.6 million in annual revenue, compared to $59.8 million during 2001.^[21] In 1998, 17,500 international banking companies were registered in Nevis. Registration and annual filing fees paid in 1999 by these entities amounted to over 10 percent of Nevis’ revenues.^[17] The offshore financial industry gained importance during the financial disaster of 1999 when Hurricane Lenny damaged the major resort on the island, causing the hotel to be closed down for a year and 400 of the 700 employees to be laid off.^[17] An offshore financial centre (or OFC), although not precisely defined, is usually a low-tax, lightly regulated jurisdiction which specialises in providing the corporate and commercial infrastructure to facilitate the use of that jurisdiction for the formation of offshore companies and for the investment of offshore funds. ... Lowest pressure 933 mbar (hPa; 27. ...

In 2000 the Financial Action Task Force, part of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued a blacklist of 35 nations which were said to be non-cooperative in the campaign against tax evasion and money laundering. The list included the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as Liechtenstein, Monaco, Luxembourg, the British Channel Islands, Israel, and Russia.^[22] No alleged misconduct had taken place on Nevis, but the island was included in the blanket action against all offshore financial business centres, as such centres cause a considerable loss of tax revenue for the G-7 countries.^[4] With new regulations in place, Saint Kitts and Nevis were removed from the list in 2002.^[23] The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), also known by the French name Groupe daction financiÃ¨re sur le blanchiment de capitaux (GAFI), is an inter-governmental body founded in 1989 by the G7. ... The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ... Money laundering is the practice of engaging in financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source and destination of the money in question. ... This article is about the British dependencies. ... 1983 G-7 Economic Summit in Williamsburg, Virginia (left to right) Pierre Trudeau, Gaston Thorn, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Ronald Reagan, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Margaret Thatcher, Amintore Fanfani. ...

The official currency is the Eastern Caribbean dollar (EC$), which is shared by eight other territories in the region. The East Caribbean dollar (ISO currency code: XCD) is the currency of eight political states in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. ...

Politics

The political structure for the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is based on the Westminster Parliamentary system, but it is a unique structure^[24] in that Nevis has its own unicameral legislature, consisting of Her Majesty's representative (the Deputy Governor General) and members of the Nevis Island Assembly. Nevis has considerable autonomy in its legislative branch. The constitution actually empowers the Nevis Island Legislature to make laws that cannot be abrogated by the National Assembly. In addition, Nevis has a constitutionally protected right to secede from the federation, should a two-third majority of the island’s population vote for independence in a local referendum. Section 113.(1) of the constitution states: "The Nevis Island Legislature may provide that the island of Nevis shall cease to be federated with the island of Saint Christopher and accordingly that this Constitution shall no longer have effect in the island of Nevis."^[25] Image File history File links Nevis_Pier. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Pier. ... Charlestown was built in a protected area on the Leeward side of Nevis, situated between Fort Charles and the Fort Black Rocks. ... The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ... The Nevis Island Assembly is the local legislative body for the island of Nevis. ...

Nevis has its own premier and its own government, the Nevis Island Administration. It collects its own taxes and has a separate budget, with a current account surplus. According to a statement released by the Nevis Ministry of Finance in 2005, Nevis had one of the highest growth rates in gross national product and per capita income in the Caribbean at that point.^[26]

The federal prime minister, Denzil Douglas, is the leader of the majority party of the federal House of Representatives in Saint Kitts, and his cabinet conducts the affairs of state. The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis has a 14 or 15-member unicameral legislature or parliament (the Senate and House of Representatives sit and vote together): A Senate, with three or four members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; and a popularly elected House of Representatives with 11 members, eight Saint Kitts seats and three Nevis seats. The prime minister and the cabinet are responsible to the Parliament. Denzil Llewellyn Douglas (born January 14, 1953) is the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis. ...

Elections

In the 2006 Nevis elections, called on 10 July 2006, three months ahead of the constitutional deadline, the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) won three of the five seats in the Nevis Island Assembly, while the incumbent Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) won two. The victory for the NRP and party leader Joseph Parry ended 15 years of governing by the CCM.^[27] The Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis St. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Nevis Reformation Party is a political party in Nevis. ... The Concerned Citizens Movement is a political party in Nevis. ... Joseph Parry (1841 â€” February 17, 1903) was a Welsh composer and musician. ...

In the federal election of 2004, CCM won two of the three Nevis assigned Federal seats, while the NRP secured one. Malcolm Guishard of the CCM, the opposition party in the Nevis Island Assembly, is the leader of the opposition in the federal assembly. Of the eight Saint Kitts assigned federal seats, the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party won seven and the People's Action Movement (PAM) one.^[28]

Movement for constitutional reform

Joseph Parry, Premier of Nevis since 2006, has indicated that he favours constitutional reform over secession for Nevis. His party, the NRP, has historically been the strongest and most ardent proponent for Nevis independence; the party came to power with secession as the main campaign issue. In 1975, the NRP manifesto declared that: "The Nevis Reformation Party will strive at all costs to gain secession for Nevis from St. Kitts – a privilege enjoyed by the island of Nevis prior to 1882."^[29] Joseph Parry (1841 â€” February 17, 1903) was a Welsh composer and musician. ...

A cursory proposal for constitutional reform was presented by the NRP in 1999, but the issue was not prominent in the 2006 election campaign and it appears a detailed proposal has yet to be worked out and agreed upon within the ruling party.^[30]

In Handbook of Federal Countries published by Forum of Federations, the authors consider the constitution problematic because it does not "specifically outline" the federal financial arrangements or the means by which the central government and Nevis Island Administration can raise revenue: "In terms of the NIA, the constitution only states (in s. 108(1)) that 'all revenues...raised or received by the Administration...shall be paid into and form a fund styled the Nevis Island Consolidated Fund.' [...] Section 110(1) states that the proceeds of all 'takes' collected in St. Kitts and Nevis under any law are to be shared between the federal government and the Nevis Island Administration based on population. The share going to the NIA, however, is subject to deductions (s. 110(2)), such as the cost of common services and debt charges, as determined by the Governor-General (s.110(3)) on the advice of the Prime Minister who can also take advice from the Premier of Nevis (s.110(4))."^[31]

According to a 1995 report by the Commonwealth Observer Group of the Commonwealth Secretariat, "the federal government is also the local government of St Kitts and this has resulted in a perception among the political parties in Nevis that the interests of the people of Nevis are being neglected by the federal government which is more concerned with the administration of St Kitts than with the federal administration."^[32] The Commonwealth Secretariat is the central body of the Commonwealth of Nations, which implements the decisions taken by the associations 54 member governments and organises meetings of Commonwealth ministers. ...

Secession movement

Simeon Daniel, Nevis' first Premier and former leader of the Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) and Vance Amory, former Premier and leader of the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), made sovereign independence for Nevis from the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis part of their parties' agenda.^[33] Since independence from the United Kingdom in 1983, the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government have been involved in several conflicts over the interpretation of the new constitution which came into effect at independence. During an interview on Voice of America in March 1998, repeated in a government issued press release headlined "PM Douglas Maintains 1983 Constitution is Flawed", Prime Minister Denzil Douglas called the constitution a "recipe for disaster and disharmony among the people of both islands".^[34] Simeon Daniel (born 1934) was the Premier of Nevis from 1983 to 2 June 1992. ... The Nevis Reformation Party is a political party in Nevis. ... Vance Amory (born 22 May 1949) has been the Premier of Nevis since 2 June 1992. ... The Concerned Citizens Movement is a political party in Nevis. ... Voice of America logo Voice of America (VOA), is the official external radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government. ... A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Denzil Llewellyn Douglas (born January 14, 1953) is the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis. ...

A crisis developed in 1984 when the People's Action Movement (PAM) won a majority in the Federal elections and temporarily ceased honouring the Federal Government's financial obligations to Nevis.^[35] Consequently, cheques issued by the Nevis Administration were not honoured by the Bank, public servants in Nevis were not paid on time and the Nevis Island Administration experienced difficulties in meeting its financial obligations.^[35] The Peoples Action Movement is a conservative political party in Saint Kitts and Nevis. ...

In 1996, four new bills were introduced in the National Assembly in Saint Kitts, one of which made provisions to have revenue derived from activities in Nevis paid directly to the treasury in Saint Kitts instead of to the treasury in Nevis. Another bill, The Financial Services Committee Act, contained provisions that all investments in Saint Kitts and Nevis would require approval by an investment committee in Saint Kitts. This was controversial, because ever since 1983 the Nevis Island Administration had approved all investments for Nevis, on the basis that the constitution vests legislative authority for industries, trades and businesses and economic development in Nevis to the Nevis Island Administration.^[36] Image File history File links Nevis_Today. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Today. ...

All three representatives from Nevis, including the leader of the opposition in the Nevis Island Assembly, objected to the introduction of these bills into the National Assembly in Saint Kitts, arguing that the bills would affect the ability of Nevis to develop its offshore financial services sector and that the bills would be detrimental to the Nevis economy. All the representatives in opposition in the National Assembly shared the conviction that the bills, if passed into law, would be unconstitutional and undermine the constitutional and legislative authority of the Nevis Island Administration, as well as result in the destruction of the economy of Nevis.^[35]

The constitutional crisis initially developed when the newly appointed Attorney General refused to grant permission for the Nevis Island Administration to assert its legal right in the Courts. After a decision of the High Court in favour of the Nevis Island Administration, the Prime Minister gave newspaper interviews stating that he "refused to accept the decision of the High Court".^[37] Due to the deteriorating relationship between the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government, a Constitutional Committee was appointed in April 1996 to advise on whether or not the present constitutional arrangement between the islands should continue. The committee recommended constitutional reform and the establishment of an island administration for Saint Kitts, separate from the Federal Government.^[36]

The Federal Government in Saint Kitts fills both functions today and Saint Kitts does not have an equivalent to the Nevis Island Administration. Disagreements between the political parties in Nevis and between the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government have prevented the recommendations by the electoral committee from being implemented. The problematic political arrangement between the two islands therefore continues to date.^[31]

Nevis has continued developing its own legislation, such as The Nevis International Insurance Ordinance and the Nevis International Mutual Funds Ordinance of 2004,^[20] but calls for secession are often based on concerns that the legislative authority of the Nevis Island Administration might be challenged again in the future.

The issues of political dissension between Saint Kitts and Nevis are often centered around perceptions of imbalance in the economic structure.^[38] As noted by many scholars,^[39] Nevisians have often referred to a structural inbalance in Saint Kitts' favour in how funds are distributed between the two islands and this issue has made the movement for Nevis secession a constant presence in the island's political arena, with many articles appearing in the local press expressing concerns such as those compiled by Everton Powell in "What Motivates Our Call for Independence":^[40]

Parishes

The island of Nevis is divided into five administrative subdivisions called parishes. Each parish has an elected representative in the Nevis Island Assembly. The division of the almost round island has been done in a circular sector pattern, with each parish shaped like a pie slice, reaching from the tip of Nevis peak to the coastline. Saint Kitts and Nevis is divided into 14 parishes: Christ Church Nichola Town Saint Anne Sandy Point Saint George Basseterre Saint George Gingerland Saint James Windward Saint John Capisterre Saint John Figtree Saint Mary Cayon Saint Paul Capisterre Saint Paul Charlestown Saint Peter Basseterre Saint Thomas Lowland Saint Thomas Middle... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... A circular sector or circle sector also known as a pie piece is the portion of a circle enclosed by two radii and an arc. ...

The parishes have double names, for example Saint George Gingerland, where the first part of the name is the name of the patron saint of the parish church. The second part is the common name of the parish. Often the parishes are referred to simply by their common name. The religious part of a parish name is sometimes written or pronounced in the possessive: Saint George's Gingerland. Saint George Gingerland is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ...

Saint George Gingerland is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. ... Saint James Windward is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. ... Saint John Figtree is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. ... Saint Paul Charlestown is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. ... Saint Thomas Lowland is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. ...

Geography

The formation of the island began in mid-Pliocene times, approximately 3.45 million years ago. Nine distinct eruptive centres from different geological ages, ranging from mid-Pliocene to Pleistocene, have contributed to the formation. No single model of the island's geological evolution can therefore be ascertained.^[42] Image File history File links Nevis_Satellite. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Satellite. ... Map showing location of Sint Eustatius relative to Saba and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin Sint Eustatius (also Saint Eustace and Statia), pop. ... Country Saint Kitts and Nevis Archipelago Leeward Islands Region Caribbean Area 65 sq. ... Barbuda is an island in the Antigua and Barbuda. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the worlds recent period of repeated glaciations. ... Geochronology is the science of determining the age of rocks, fossils, and sediments. ...

Nevis Peak (985 m /3,232 ft) is the dormant remnant of one of these ancient stratovolcanoes. The last activity took place in 1692, but active fumaroles and hot springs are still found on the island, the most recent formed in 1953.^[43] The composite cone of Nevis volcano has two overlapping summit craters that are partially filled by a lava dome, created in recent, pre-Columbian time. Pyroclastic flows and mudflows were deposited on the lower slopes of the cone simultaneously. Nevis Peak is located on the outer crater rim. Four other lava domes were constructed on the flanks of the volcano, one on the northeast flank (Madden's Mount), one on the eastern flank (Butlers Mountain), one on the northwest coast (Mount Lily) and one on the south coast (Saddle Hill). A cutaway diagram of a stratovolcano Mount Damavand, a stratovolcano in MÄzandarÄn, Iran Mount St. ... Sulfur deposits near a fumarole A fumarole (Latin fumus, smoke) is an opening in Earths (or any other astronomical bodys) crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emit steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. ... Pyroclastic flows are a common and devastating result of some volcanic eruptions. ...

During the last Ice age when the sea level was 200 feet lower, the three islands of Saint Kitts, Nevis and Saint Eustatius (also known as Statia) were connected as one island. Saba however is separated from these three by a deeper channel. Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Map showing location of Sint Eustatius relative to Saba and Sint Maarten/Saint Martin Sint Eustatius (also Saint Eustace and Statia), pop. ... Motto Remis Velisque (Latin) With oars and sails (English) Anthem Saba you rise from the ocean Capital The Bottom Largest city The Bottom Official languages Dutch, Papiamento and English (unofficial) Government See Politics of the Netherlands Antilles - Saba Administrator A.J.M. Solagnier - Governor of N.A. Frits Goedgedrag Constitutional...

The most popular and most developed beach is the 4-mile (6.44 km) long Pinney's Beach, on the western or Caribbean coast. The eastern coast of the island faces into the Atlantic Ocean, and can have strong surf in parts of the shore which are unprotected by fringing coral reefs. The colour of the sand on the beaches of Nevis is variable: on a lot of the bigger beaches the sand is a yellowish grey, but some beaches on the southern coast have darker, reddish, or even black sand. Under a microscope it becomes clear that Nevis sand is a mixture of tiny fragments of coral, many foraminifera, and small crystals of the various mineral constituents of the volcanic rock of which the island is made. â€œWest Indianâ€ redirects here. ... Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ... For other uses, see Sand (disambiguation). ... Orders Allogromiida Carterinida Fusulinida - extinct Globigerinida Involutinida - extinct Lagenida Miliolida Robertinida Rotaliida Silicoloculinida Spirillinida Textulariida incertae sedis Xenophyophorea Reticulomyxa The Foraminifera, or forams for short, are a large group of amoeboid protists with reticulating pseudopods, fine strands that branch and merge to form a dynamic net. ... Ignimbrite is a deposit of a pyroclastic flow. ...

Colonial deforestation

During the 17th and 18th centuries, massive deforestation was undertaken by the planters as the land was initially cleared for sugar cultivation. Eventually the sugarcane fields stretched from the coast to the upper regions of the mountain slope in many areas. This intense land exploitation by the sugar and cotton industry, lasting almost 300 years, led to irreparable damage to the island’s original ecosystem. In some places along the windswept southeast or "Windward" coast of the island, the landscape is radically altered compared with how it used to be in pre-colonial times.^[6] Due to extreme land erosion, the top soil was swept away, and in some places at the coast, sheer cliffs as high as 25 metres (82 feet) have developed. ^[44] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1632x1224, 466 KB)This file was first taken by (and then released to wikpedia by) kayokayo. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1632x1224, 466 KB)This file was first taken by (and then released to wikpedia by) kayokayo. ... This article is about the process of deforestation in the environment. ... A coral reef near the Hawaiian islands is an example of a complex marine ecosystem. ...

The lush primeval forest, which once covered the eastern coastal plain where the Amerindians built their first settlements during the Aceramic period, is gone forever, and so is a large portion of the ecosystem surrounding the coral reef just offshore. It was the easy access to fresh water on the island and the rich food source represented by the ocean life sheltered by the reef that made it feasible for the Amerindians to settle this area around 600 BCE.^[6] With the loss of the natural vegetation, the balance in runoff nutrients to the reef was disturbed, eventually causing as much as 80 percent of the large eastern fringing reef to become inactive. As the reef broke apart, it in turn provided less protection for the coastline.^[6] Some of the biodiversity of a coral reef, in this case the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. ...

During times of maximum cultivation, sugar cane fields stretched from the coastline of Nevis up to an altitude where the mountain slopes were too steep and rocky to farm. Nonetheless, once the sugar industry was finally abandoned, vegetation on the leeward side of the island regrew reasonably well as scrub and secondary forest.

Water resources

Nevis has several natural fresh water springs, as well as non-potable volcanic hot springs. After heavy rains, strong rivers of water pour down the numerous ravines (known as Ghauts), and the coastal ponds, both freshwater and brackish, fill to capacity and beyond, spilling over into the sea. However, with modern development on the island, this is no longer enough to supply freshwater to the whole island. The water supply now comes mostly from Government wells. Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57 F or... A ravine is a very small valley, which is often the product of streamcutting erosion. ...

The major source of potable water for the island is groundwater, obtained from 14 active wells. Water is pumped from the wells, stored and allowed to flow by gravity to the various locations. ^[45]

Climate

The climate is tropical with little variation, tempered from December through February by the steady, mild north-easterly breezes called the alizés or trade winds, followed by a slightly hotter and somewhat rainier season from May to November. Nevis lies in the track of tropical hurricanes, developing between August and October. This period has the heaviest rainfall of the year. In 1999, Nevis was hit by hurricane Lenny, the most recent hurricane to cause heavy damage to the island's infrastructure. The trade winds are a pattern of wind that are found in bands around the Earths equatorial region. ... Lowest pressure 933 mbar (hPa; 27. ...

Culture

Culturama, the annual cultural festival of Nevis, is celebrated during the Emancipation Day weekend, the first week of August. The festivities include many traditional folk dances, such as the masquerade, the Moko jumbies on stilts, Cowboys and Indians, and Plait the Ribbon, a May pole dance. The celebration was given a more organized form in 1974, including a Miss Culture Show and a Calypso Competition, as well as drama performances, old fashion Troupes (including Johnny Walkers, Giant and Spear, Bulls, Red Cross and Blue Ribbon), arts and crafts exhibitions and recipe competitions. According to the Nevis Department of Culture, the aim is to protect and encourage indigenous folklore, in order to make sure that the uniquely Caribbean culture can "reassert itself and flourish".^[46] The Mongoose Play, a popular production of folk theatre and music Saint Kitts and Nevis is an island nation in the Caribbean, known for a number of musical celebrations including Carnival (December 24 to January 2 on Saint Kitts). ... A masquerade ceremony (or masked rite, festival, procession or dance) is a cultural or religious event involving the wearing of masks. ... A moko jumbie (also known as moko jumbi) is a stilts walker or dancer. ... Dancing around the maypole, in Åmmeberg, Sweden The maypole is a tall wooden pole (traditionally of hawthorn or birch), with several long coloured ribbons suspended from the top. ... Calypso might refer to one of several things: Calypso is the name of a sea nymph in Greek mythology; Calypso music is a style of Caribbean folk music; Calypso is the name of an album sung by Harry Belafonte; Calypso is the name of a moon of Saturn; 53 Kalypso...

Music, theater and dance

Nevisian culture has since the 1600s incorporated African, European and East Indian cultural elements, creating a distinct Afro-Caribbean culture. Several historical anthropologists have done field research Nevis and in Nevisian migrant communities in order to trace the creation and constitution of a Nevisian cultural community. Karen Fog Olwig published her research about Nevis in 1993, writing that the areas where the Afro-Caribbean traditions were especially strong and flourishing relate to kinship and subsistence farming. However, she adds, Afro-Caribbean cultural impulses were not recognized or valued in the colonial society and were therefore often expressed through Euro-Caribbean cultural forms.^[47] Examples of European forms appropriated to express Afro-Caribbean culture are the Nevisian and Kittitian Tea Meetings and Christmas Sports. According to anthropologist Roger D. Abrahams, these traditional performance art forms are "Nevisian approximation of British performance codes, techniques, and patterns". He writes that the Tea Meetings were staged as theatrical "battles between decorum and chaos", decorum represented by the ceremony chairmen and chaos the hecklers in the audience, with a diplomatic King or a Queen presiding over the battle to ensure fairness.^[48] Immigration is the act of moving to or settling in another country or region, temporarily or permanently. ... Kinship is the most basic principle of organizing individuals into social groups, roles, and categories. ... Like most farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this Cameroonian man cultivates at the subsistence level. ... Etiquette is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm. ...

The Christmas Sports included a form of comedy and satire based on local events and gossip.^[49] They were historically an important part of the Christmas celebrations in Nevis, performed on Christmas Eve by small troupes consisting of five or six men accompanied by string bands from different parts of the island. One of the men in the troupe was dressed as a woman, playing all the female parts in the dramatizations. The troupes moved from yard to yard to perform their skits, using props, face paint and costumes to play the roles of well-known personalities in the community. Examples of gossip about undesired behaviour that could surface in the skits for comic effect were querulous neighbours, adulterous affairs, planters mistreating workers, domestic disputes or abuse, crooked politicians and any form of stealing or cheating experienced in the society. Even though no names were mentioned in these skits, the audience would usually be able to guess who the heckling message in the troupe’s dramatized portrayals was aimed at, as it was played out right on the concerned person’s own front yard. The acts thus functioned as social and moral commentaries on current events and behaviours in the Nevisian society. Abrahams theorises that Christmas Sports are rooted in the pre-emancipation Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations when the enslaved population had several days off.^[49]

American folklorist and musicologist Alan Lomax visited Nevis in 1962 in order to conduct long-term research into the black folk culture of the island. His field trip to Nevis and surrounding islands resulted in the anthology Lomax Caribbean Voyage series.^[50] Among the Nevisians recorded were chantey-singing fishermen in a session organised in a rum shop in Newcastle; Santoy, the Calypsonian, performing calypsos by Nevisian ballader and local legend Charles Walters^[51] to guitar and cuatro; and string bands, fife players and drummers from Gingerland, performing quadrilles. Lomax playing guitar on stage at the Mountain Music Festival, Asheville, North Carolina, sometime between 1939 and 1950. ... Sea shanties (singular shanty, also spelled chantey; derived from the French word chanter, to sing) were shipboard working songs. ... Calypso might refer to one of several things: Calypso is the name of a sea nymph in Greek mythology; Calypso music is a style of Caribbean folk music; Calypso is the name of an album sung by Harry Belafonte; Calypso is the name of a moon of Saturn; 53 Kalypso... The name cuatro can refer to any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. ... The string band originated as a subgenre of old-time music. ... This article is about the area in Scotland. ... A quadrille (quadrille de contre danse) is a lively dance which involves four couples arranged in the shape of a square with each couple facing the center of the square. ...

Architecture

A series of earthquakes during the 18th century laid most of the colonial era stone buildings of Charlestown in ruins. The Georgian stone buildings of today had to be partially rebuilt after the earthquakes, and this led to the development of a new architectural style, consisting of wooden upper floors over a ground floor built of stone; the new style resisted earthquake damage more effectively. Image File history File links Nevis_Hamilton. ... Image File history File links Nevis_Hamilton. ... Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757â€“July 12, 1804) was an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, American politician, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. ...

Two famous Nevisian buildings from the 18th century are Hermitage Plantation, built of lignum vitae wood in 1740, the oldest surviving wooden house still in use in the Caribbean today, and the Bath Hotel, the first hotel in the Caribbean, a luxury hotel and spa built by John Huggins in 1778. The soothing waters of the hotel's hot spring and the lively social life on Nevis attracted many famous Europeans, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Antigua-based Admiral Nelson and Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence, (future William IV of the United Kingdom), who attended balls and private parties at the Bath Hotel. Today, the building serves as government offices, and there is a simple, shaded, outdoor hot-spring bathing spot for public use. Lignum vitae is the heartwood of species of the genus Guaiacum, the trees of which are usually called guayacan. ... Green Dragon Spring at Norris Geyser A hot spring is a place where warm or hot groundwater issues from the ground on a regular basis for at least a predictable part of the year, and is significantly above the ambient ground temperature (which is usually around 55~57 F or... Samuel Taylor Coleridge (October 21, 1772 â€“ July 25, 1834) (pronounced ) was an English poet, critic, and philosopher who was, along with his friend William Wordsworth, one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England and one of the Lake Poets. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British royal families. ... William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 â€“ 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. ...

An often repeated legend recounts how a massive 1690 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the buildings of the original capital Jamestown, a town on the west coast. However, recent research has found no archaeological evidence that would indicate that the story is true. Archaeologists from the University of Southampton who have done excavations in the area state that the myth may be the result of an over-excited Victorian letter writer who shared somewhat exaggerated accounts of his exotic life in the tropical colony with a British audience back home.^[52] One such letter recounts that so much damage was done to the town that it had to be completely abandoned, and that the whole town sank into the sea, but most of this story appears to be legend only. Early maps do not, however, actually show a "Jamestown", only "Morton's Bay", and later maps show that all that was left of the town Jamestown/Morton's Bay in 1818 was a building labelled "Pleasure House". Very old bricks that wash up on Pinney's Beach after storms may have contributed to the idea of a sunken town; however these bricks are thought to be dumped ballast from 17th and 18th century sailing ships. For other uses, see Tsunami (disambiguation). ... The University of Southampton is a university situated in the city of Southampton, on the south coast of Great Britain. ...

Famous Nevisians

Alexander Hamilton, the statesman and one of the founding fathers of the United States was born on Nevis around 1755 and spent a significant part of his childhood there. His father was a trader from Scotland, his mother from Nevis. The place of his birth currently holds the Nevis Island Assembly Chambers and the Museum of Nevis History. Download high resolution version (868x1224, 303 KB) A portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, 1792. ... Download high resolution version (868x1224, 303 KB) A portrait of Alexander Hamilton by John Trumbull, 1792. ... Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757â€“July 12, 1804) was an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, American politician, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. ... Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757â€“July 12, 1804) was an Army officer, lawyer, Founding Father, American politician, leading statesman, financier and political theorist. ... The Nevis Island Assembly is the local legislative body for the island of Nevis. ...

Duchess of Bronte Frances "Fanny" Nisbet (1761−1831), wife of British hero 1st Viscount Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson of Battle of Trafalgar fame, was a planter's daughter from Nevis, whose rich and influential uncle, John Herbert, was the President of the Council of Nevis.^[53] Fanny Nisbet was a young widow with a five-year old son when she met and married Captain Horatio Nelson on Nevis in 1787. A copy of the marriage certificate is on display at the St. John's Figtree Anglican Church in Nevis. Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... Combatants United Kingdom First French Empire Kingdom of Spain Commanders Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson â€ Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve Strength 27 ships of the line and 6 others. ...

Eulalie Spence (1894-1981), pioneer playwright of the Harlem Renaissance, was born on Nevis on 11 Jun. 1894. She and her family moved to New York in 1902. She wrote fourteen plays, including "Fools Errand" which ran on Broadway in 1927. Her three act play, "The Whipping" was optioned by Paramount Studios, but never made into a film. Spence is famous for having introduced an affirming image of black women into early American drama, using her unique mix of folk art and political race drama. Several of her plays won awards.^[54] Eulalie Spence (June 11, 1894 - March 7, 1981) was a black, female writer, teacher, actress and playwright from the British West Indies during the Harlem Renaissance. ...

Elquemedo Willett, born 1 May 1953, famous Nevisian cricket player and former Leeward Islands and West Indies left-arm spinner, was the first Leeward Islander to play Test cricket for the West Indies in 1973, when he was 19 years old. He was inducted into the Nevis Sports Museum Hall of Fame in 2005.^[55] Elquemedo Tonito Willett (born May 1, 1953, Charlestown, Nevis) is a former West Indian cricketer who played in five Tests from 1973 to 1974. ... is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cicely Tyson, born on 19 December 1933, Oscar-nominated in 1972, former wife of Miles Davis and winner of multiple Emmy Awards, is of Nevisian descent. Both her parents emigrated from Nevis to New York. Cicely Tyson (born December 19, 1933) is an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated American actress. ... is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Constance Baker Motley (1921-2005), who as a young lawyer represented Martin Luther King, Jr., has Nevisian heritage and owned a home in Brown Hill, Nevis, near her ancestral home. Both her mother and father emigrated from Nevis.^[12] She attained fame as the first African-American woman appointed as a United States Federal judge, the first African-American woman elected to the New York State Senate and the first woman to serve as Manhattan borough president. She was also the first African-American woman to serve on the federal judiciary (1966), as well as the first African-American and the first woman to become Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (1982). Constance Baker Motley Constance Baker Motley (14 September 1921â€“28 September 2005) was an African American civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, and state senator. ...

Melanie Brown, the former "Scary Spice" of Spice Girls, born on 29 May 1975 in Leeds, has a Nevisian father. Melanie Janine Brown (born May 29, 1975 in Leeds) (aka Mel B) is an English pop singer and songwriter turned actress and television personality best known as one of the members of the girl band the Spice Girls, one of the most successful female groups of all time. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References and notes

^ The Nevis flag incorporates the flag of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the top left corner. The golden field stands for sunshine. The central triangle represents the conical shape of Nevis, with the blue being the ocean, the green being the verdant slopes of the island, and the white being the clouds that usually wreathe Nevis peak.
^ The Deputy Governor-General of Nevis is appointed by the Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis, to assent or withhold assent to any bill passed by the Nevis Island Assembly and to perform other functions of the office of Governor-General on Her Majesty's behalf relating to Nevis, as the Governor-General may specify. See Chapter III, Sections 23 of the Constitution.
^ Population number from the Ministry of Finance, Nevis Financial Services Development & Marketing Department, Quickfacts, retrieved 8 Aug. 2006. For an older breakdown by parish, see the Statistics Department Nevis August 2002 table, used by IFLA/UNESCO in Country report on the public and school library sectors of Nevis, subsection 5ii. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Hubbard, Vincent K. (2002). Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis. Corvallis, OR: Premiere, ISBN 1-891519-05-0, pp. 20-23 (Captain Gilbert, Captain Smith), 25 (pearl diving), 41-44 (name Dulcina, treaty with Spain, first settlement), 69-70 (privateers, Captain Francis), 79-85 (slave trade, Royal African Company, Queen of the Caribees), 86-102 (Caribs), 113-120 (d'Iberville, buccaneers), 138-139 (Great Britain's wealth derived from West Indian sugar and slave trade, 1776 starvation), 194-195 (Alexandra Hospital), 211-223 (electricity, Anguilla in 1967, OECD blacklist).
^ See for example Nevis Heritage excavation reports, 2000-2002, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Wilson, Samuel (1990). "The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis, West Indies". Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 1989), p. 427-450.
^ ^a ^b ^c Honychurch, Lennox (1997). "Crossroads in the Caribbean: A Site of Encounter and Exchange on Dominica". World Archaeology Vol. 28(3): 291-304.
^ Calendar State Papers (1676). Number 1152, 1676. The British Colonial Office Public Records. Qtd. in Hubbard, p. 85.
^ Watts, David (1987). The West Indies: Patterns of Development, Culture and Environmental Change Since 1492. Cambridge University Press, 1987, p. 285.
^ Goveia, Elsa H. (1965). Slave Society in the British Leeward Islands. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965. ISBN 0-88258-048-5.
^ ^a ^b Personal stories: Traders and Merchants - John Pinney. In Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery, a project by City Museum and the University of the West of England's Faculty of Humanities. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
^ ^a ^b Baker Motley, Constance (1998). Equal Justice Under Law. An Autobiography. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. ISBN 0-374-14865-1. An excerpt from the autobiography, describing her search in Nevis church records for her family's history during the era of slavery, is available online at The New York Times Book Review. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Simmonds, Keith C. (1987). "Political and Economic Factors Influencing the St. Kitts-Nevis Polity: An Historical Perspective". Phylon, 48:4. 4th Qtr., 1987, pp. 277-286.
^ Qtd. in Hubbard, p. 195.
^ Brown, Janet (2000). "Early Childhood Investment in St. Kitts and Nevis: A Model for the Caribbean?". Caribbean Child Development Centre, School of Continuing Studies, UWI, Mona: "St. Kitts-Nevis has one of the highest levels of CXC passes in the region."
^ "Education official calls on students to push beyond their comfort zones". Nevis Government Information Service, 10 January, 2007: "In 2002, Nevis captured the award for Most Outstanding School for the year in the Region. [...] In the May/June examinations of 2006, Nevis again recorded its name in the annals of CXC's when it captured two of the eight awards in Business Studies and Technical/vocational Studies. Nevis returned the best performance in Business Studies in the Region in two of the three years that the award had been offered". For results at individual schools, see Caines, Jaedee. "Proud Moment For Lyn Jeffers School". The Observer, October 13, 2005; "Minister of Education to GSS 2005 graduands: The future of Nevis depends on you". SKN Vibes, 24 Nov. 24, 2005; and Washington Archibald High School obtains highest CXC pass rate among 7 others. SKN Vibes, 4 September, 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c "EU & the Eastern Caribbean: St Kitts and Nevis Overview". The European Commission's Delegation in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ CIA Factbook (2006). Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ "Developers pay US$10m installment for Nevis land". Caribbean Net News, 9 May 2006. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ ^a ^b As reported by the Premier at the official Web site for Nevis Financial Services Departments and the Ministry of Finance, Nevis. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ "Employment on Nevis increases" (2006). Nevis Island Government Press Release, May 2006. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ See articles in the BBC,Island Sun, and The Royal Gazette. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ CUOPM (2006). "Steady progress reported in financial services sector". Press release 101/2006, Office of the Prime Minister, Saint Kitts and Nevis Government. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Phillips, Fred (2002). Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law. Cavendish Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1843144298, p. 136: "St Kitts and Nevis has broken new ground in creating a federal structure that is sui generis: a Federation not between St Kitts and Nevis, but between Nevis on the one hand and St Kitts and Nevis on the other."
^ See section 3 and 4 about Nevis Island Legislature and Administration in The Saint Christopher and Nevis Constitution Order 1983. Published online by Georgetown University and also by University of the West Indies. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Nevis Island Administration - Ministry of Finance (2005). Quick Facts. About Nevis. Tax and Economic System. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ "Nevis' new administration sworn in". Press release, Nevis Island Administration. SKN Vibes, 12 Jul. 2006. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ "Opposition senator accuses PAM Leader Lindsay Grant of insulting and disrespecting Nevisians" (2005). Press release, Government of St Christopher and Nevis, 6 Feb. 2005. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Herbert, Roy (2005). "A short historical look at the Relationship between St. Kitts & Nevis". Historical Review. Nevis Independence, 4 Feb. 2005. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ "Nevis: 'Reform before independence'". BBC Caribbean, online edition, 26 Jan. 2004. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ ^a ^b Griffiths, Ann Lynn and Karl Nerenberg (2002). Handbook of Federal Countries. Ed. Karl Nerenberg. Published McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 2002. ISBN 0773525114, p. 274.
^ General Election in St Kitts and Nevis 3 July 1995: The Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group. Commonwealth Observer Group, Commonwealth Secretariat, 1995. ISBN 0850924669, p.3.
^ "Independence for Nevis still on the agenda, says premier." Caribbean Net News, 16 Jun. 2006. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Office of the Prime Minister (1998). "PM Douglas Maintains 1983 Constitution is Flawed." Media Release, 11 Mar. 1998. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h The Concerned Citizens Movement (1996). "The Way Forward For The Island Of Nevis." Nevis, Queen of the Caribees. Nevis Island Administration, September 1996. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ ^a ^b Phillips, Fred (2002). Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law. Cavendish Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1843144298.
^ St. Kitts and Nevis Observer July 16-22, 1995. Qtd. in The Concerned Citizens Movement. "The Way Forward For The Island Of Nevis." Nevis, Queen of the Caribees. Nevis Island Administration, September 1996.]
^ Anckar, Dag (2001). "Party systems and voter alignments in small island states". In Party Systems and Voter Alignments Revisited. Eds. Lauri Karvonen and Stein Kuhnle. Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0415237203. p. 270: "To a historical rivalry between the islands must be added a structural economic inbalance".
^ See for example: Duval, David Timothy (2004). Tourism in the Caribbean: Trends, Development, Prospects. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0415303613, p. 102: "Nevis has claimed domination and exploitation by St Kitts and has come to view St Kitts as the 'larger omnipresent looming partner' (Premdas 2000). Such mistreatment (whether real or perceived), combined with the subordinate island's distinctive cultural and historical identity, has fostered an ambivalent relationship between internal core and periphery. These accusations and counter-attacks have been entrenched in the countries' collective memory and have, to some degree, permeated many aspects of society." See also: Phillips, Fred (2002). Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law Cavendish Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1843144298: "In Freedom in the Caribbean, reference was made to the long history of grievance nurtured by Nevis against St Kitts [ever since] imperial legislation brought Nevis into the unitary state of St Kitts/Nevis/Anguilla in 1882."
^ Powell, Everton (Ed.) (2006). "What Motivates Our Call for Independence". Nevis Independence. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Hull, E. "Part I: Grabbing the Forgiven-debt Money." and "On the Money Trail – PART II". Nevis Independence. See also Powell, Everton (2006). "Disparities in sharing". Nevis Independence. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ United Nations (2000). "Saint Kitts and Nevis: Executive Summary". Country Reports. Committee on Science and Technology, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, pdf file, retrieved 7 Dec. 2006.
^ "Nevis Peak" (2006). Global Worldwide Holocene Volcano and Eruption Information. Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, 2006. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Wilson, Samuel (1990). "The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis, West Indies". Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 1989), p. 428: "The breakup of the fringing reef has itself contributed to extensive and accelerating coastal erosion on the windward coast of the island, where sea cliffs of unconsolidated volcanic gravels as high as 25 m have developed."
^ The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). “Chapter 9: St. Kitts and Nevis. In Programme of Action for the sustainable development of small island developing States (SIDS POA). United Nations, 2003-09-29. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
^ Nevis Department of Culture (2006). Nevis Culturama. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Olwig, Karen Fog (1993). Global Culture, Island Identity: continuity and change in the Afro-Caribbean community of Nevis. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1993.
^ Abrahams, Roger D. (1983). Man of Words in the West Indies: Performance and the Emergence of Creole Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins U P, 1983.
^ ^a ^b Abrahams, Roger D. (1973). "Christmas Mummings on Nevis." North Carolina Folklore Journal (1973): pp. 120-31.
^ Cowley, John. "Caribbean Voyage: Nevis & St Kitts Tea Meetings, Christmas Sports, & the Moonlight Night". Musical Traditions, 1 Nov. 2002. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
^ Abrahams, Roger D. "Charles Walters - West Indian Autolycus'". Western Folklore, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Apr. 1968), pp. 77-95.
^ Machling, Tessa (2002). "Jamestown, Morton's Bay and James Fort: Myth, Port and Fort". Interim Report for the 2002 Season, Theme Two. University of Southampton. Available online in pdf format. [1]. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ White, Colin (2003). "The Wife's Tale: Frances, Lady Nelson and the break-up of her marriage". Journal for Maritime Research, Oct. 2003 issue. ISSN 1469-1957. Online at JMR, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.
^ Parascandola, Louis J. (2005). Look for Me All Around You: Anglophone Caribbean Immigrants in the Harlem Renaissance. Wayne State University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8143-2987-X.
^ CMC (2005). "Willett for Nevis Sports Hall of Fame" West Indies Cricket Board, 27 Feb. 2005. Retrieved 8 Aug. 2006.

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