History of St. Kitts and Nevis

When Christopher Columbus explored the islands in 1493, they were inhabited by the Carib people. Today, most of the inhabitants are the descendants of African slaves. St. Kitts, formerly St. Christopher, was settled by the British in 1623; Nevis in 1628. The French settled on St. Kitts in 1627, and an Anglo-French rivalry lasted for more than 100 years.

During the 17th century, intermittent warfare between French and English settlers ravaged its economy. Meanwhile Nevis grew prosperous under English rule. St. Kitts was ceded to Great Britain in 1713. Both St. Kitts and Nevis were seized by the French in 1782.

After a decisive British victory over the French at Brimstone Hill, the islands came under permanent British control in 1783. The islands, including nearby Anguilla, were united in 1882. They joined the West Indies federation in 1958 and remained in that association until its dissolution in 1962. St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla became an associated state of the United Kingdom in 1967. Anguilla seceded in 1980, and the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis attained full independence on September 19, 1983.