Think Caribbean islands and you think about lazing on sunny, sandy beaches, sipping on exotic beverages with umbrellas and munching on fresh pineapple slices. The last things you want to think about are noses and grindstones. How do the locals get any work done? And yet, they do. On the island of St Christopher, the primary language is English and the literacy rate is 98 percent. The island is also home to a veterinary school and two schools of Medicine. Although the island is only 18 miles long and five miles across, one of the best ways to learn your way around is by taking advantage of welcome tours St Kitts (the informal, affectionate name of the island).
What other features distinguish St Kitts, nicknamed the Sugar City, from other tropical paradises in the Caribbean Sea. It is the only place where the local residents can legitimately refer to themselves as Kittians. It has most magnificent fortress in the eastern Caribbean, Brimstone Hill, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The Kittians also hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2007, held at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium.
If you are into dormant volcanoes, this is the place for you. There are three separate groups of volcanic mountains. These are the Olivees, Verhilds, and Mount Misery ranges. The Mount Misery range contains the highest peak, which is conveniently named Mount Misery.
From about 1812 to 2005, cane sugar was the driving force behind the island's economy. In competition with European producers, the Kittian sugar cane industry became less profitable, the government decided it was no longer viable and closed the industry down. Now tourism is the main industry. Native islanders also make their living in construction, other forms of agriculture, manufacturing and transportation.
In an effort to boost tourism, the Shak Shak Festival was held in 1996. Renamed the St. Kitts Music Festival, it is now an annual event held in June. The event has hosted such attractions as the Royaltiez Band, Better Band, and Machel Montano. The unit of currency on the island is the East Caribbean dollar, although American dollars are also welcome.
Visitors to the island normally arrive at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. Two flights weekly, lasting roughly 12 hours, arrive from London. Daily flights serve the island from New York (6 or 7 hours) and Miami (3-5 hours). The tarmac can accommodate as many as six commercial jumbo jets. It handles regular non-stop flights from Europe and North America and also serves commuters from other islands in the area.
On terra firma, a narrow gauge railway that was formerly used to transport sugar cane to the factory from the farms, offers today's tourists a 30-mile, 3.5 hour circular tour of the island. There is also a ferry service that shuttles passengers between St. Kitts and its nearest neighbor, the island of Nevis. Between these services and the international airport, it is little wonder that transportation is a major employer on the island.
For a tiny island, St. Kitts has produced a number of notable names. Many of these are sprinters and include Tiandra Ponteen, Desai Williams, Virgil Hodge, and Kim Collins. Felix Dexter, actor, writer, and comedian, Calypso musician Konris Maynard, and Lord Hercules George Robert Robinson, governor of the island from 1830, are among the other Kittian luminaries. The island is not without its black sheep, and is responsible for producing professional boxer, Bertil Fox, who was ultimately convicted for murder, and the nefarious George Astaphan, the physician who prescribed steroids for Ben Johnson.
What other features distinguish St Kitts, nicknamed the Sugar City, from other tropical paradises in the Caribbean Sea. It is the only place where the local residents can legitimately refer to themselves as Kittians. It has most magnificent fortress in the eastern Caribbean, Brimstone Hill, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The Kittians also hosted the Cricket World Cup in 2007, held at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium.
If you are into dormant volcanoes, this is the place for you. There are three separate groups of volcanic mountains. These are the Olivees, Verhilds, and Mount Misery ranges. The Mount Misery range contains the highest peak, which is conveniently named Mount Misery.
From about 1812 to 2005, cane sugar was the driving force behind the island's economy. In competition with European producers, the Kittian sugar cane industry became less profitable, the government decided it was no longer viable and closed the industry down. Now tourism is the main industry. Native islanders also make their living in construction, other forms of agriculture, manufacturing and transportation.
In an effort to boost tourism, the Shak Shak Festival was held in 1996. Renamed the St. Kitts Music Festival, it is now an annual event held in June. The event has hosted such attractions as the Royaltiez Band, Better Band, and Machel Montano. The unit of currency on the island is the East Caribbean dollar, although American dollars are also welcome.
Visitors to the island normally arrive at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. Two flights weekly, lasting roughly 12 hours, arrive from London. Daily flights serve the island from New York (6 or 7 hours) and Miami (3-5 hours). The tarmac can accommodate as many as six commercial jumbo jets. It handles regular non-stop flights from Europe and North America and also serves commuters from other islands in the area.
On terra firma, a narrow gauge railway that was formerly used to transport sugar cane to the factory from the farms, offers today's tourists a 30-mile, 3.5 hour circular tour of the island. There is also a ferry service that shuttles passengers between St. Kitts and its nearest neighbor, the island of Nevis. Between these services and the international airport, it is little wonder that transportation is a major employer on the island.
For a tiny island, St. Kitts has produced a number of notable names. Many of these are sprinters and include Tiandra Ponteen, Desai Williams, Virgil Hodge, and Kim Collins. Felix Dexter, actor, writer, and comedian, Calypso musician Konris Maynard, and Lord Hercules George Robert Robinson, governor of the island from 1830, are among the other Kittian luminaries. The island is not without its black sheep, and is responsible for producing professional boxer, Bertil Fox, who was ultimately convicted for murder, and the nefarious George Astaphan, the physician who prescribed steroids for Ben Johnson.
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