Nevis

For other uses, see Nevis (disambiguation).

Nevis
Queen of the Caribees

Location of Nevis in Saint Kitts and Nevis and among the Leeward Islands.
Capital
and largest city
Charlestown
17°20′N 62°45′W / 17.333°N 62.750°W / 17.333; -62.750
Official languagesEnglish
Demonym(s)Nevisian
GovernmentParliamentary democracy under a federal constitutional monarchy
• Monarch
Charles III
• Deputy Governor-General[1]
Hyleta Liburd
• Premier
Mark Brantley
Farrel Smithen
LegislatureNevis Island Assembly
Area
• Total
93 km2 (36 sq mi) (207th)
Population
• 2011 census
12,277[2]
• Density
130/km2 (336.7/sq mi) (not ranked)
GDP (PPP)2009 estimate
• Total
$726 million[3]
• Per capita
$13,429[3]
GDP (nominal)2009 estimate
• Total
$557 million[3]
• Per capita
$10,315[3]
HDI (2007)Decrease 0.825
very high (54th)
CurrencyEastern Caribbean dollar ($) (XCD)
Time zoneUTC−4 (−4)
Date formatdd-mm-yyyy (CE)
Drives onleft
Calling code+1 869
Internet TLD.kn
A view of Nevis from the southeastern peninsula of Saint Kitts in 2005
The east coast of Nevis, partially protected by coral reefs with Long Haul Bay visible in the foreground
Main Street in Charlestown, Nevis
Part of the west coast of Nevis, including the location of Nelson's Spring
The view looking inland from the Nevis airport in 2008

Nevis (/ˈniːvɪs/ NEE-viss) 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.[4]

Saint Kitts and Nevis are separated by The Narrows, a shallow 3-kilometre (2 mi) channel. Nevis is roughly conical in shape with a volcano, Nevis Peak, at its centre. The island is fringed on its western and northern coastlines by sandy beaches composed of a mixture of white coral sand with brown and black sand eroded and washed down from the volcanic rocks that make up the island. The gently-sloping coastal plain (1 km (0.62 mi) wide) has natural freshwater springs as well as non-potable volcanic hot springs, especially along the western coast.[citation needed]

The island was named Oualie, translated as "land of beautiful waters", by the Kalinago and Dulcina ("Sweet Island") by the early British settlers. The name Nevis is derived from the Spanish phrase Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, which translates as Our Lady of the Snows; the name was given by the island's Spanish discoverers and first appeared on maps in the 16th century.[5] Nevis is also known by the sobriquet "Queen of the Caribees", which it earned in the 18th century because of its many sugar plantations.[6]

Nevis is both geographically smaller and less populous than Saint Kitts. It maintains significant autonomy within the federation, including a separate government headed by the premier of Nevis and a separate legislature. Nevis has twice voted – in 1977, in an unofficial referendum, and in 1998, in an official one – to secede from the federation, but neither attempt succeeded.[7]

The majority of the approximately 12,000 Nevisians are of primarily African descent, with notable British, Portuguese, and Lebanese minority communities. English is the official language,[8] and its literacy rate of 98 per cent is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere.

  1. ^ 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 His Majesty's behalf relating to Nevis, as the Governor-General may specify. See Chapter III, Sections 23 of the Constitution.
  2. ^ "St. Kitts and Nevis: Islands, Parishes & Major Towns – Population Statistics in Maps and Charts". citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Saint Kitts and Nevis". International Monetary Fund. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Saint Kitts and Nevis | Culture, History, & People | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 19 January 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  5. ^ Hubbard, Vincent K. (2002). Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis. Corvallis, Oregon: 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 (Atlantic slave trade, Royal African Company, Queen of the Caribees), 86–102 (Caribs), 113–120 (d'Iberville, buccaneers), 138–139 (profits derived from West Indian sugar and slave trade, 1776 starvation), 194–195 (Alexandra Hospital), 211–223 (electricity, Anguilla in 1967, OECD blacklist).
  6. ^ "Nevis Travel Guide". Travel Vogue. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ Corbett, Jack (9 May 2023), "Sovereignty", Statehood à la Carte in the Caribbean and the Pacific (1 ed.), Oxford University PressOxford, pp. 35–78, doi:10.1093/oso/9780192864246.003.0002, ISBN 978-0-19-286424-6, retrieved 16 March 2024
  8. ^ "Saint Kitts and Nevis". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2016.