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).
Medical degrees aside, there is much to distinguish the Sugar City from other idyllic Caribbean islands. There are approximately 45,000 permanent residents who call themselves Kittians. The majority of Kittians are of African ethnicity. The island has its own UNESCO World Heritage site, and that is Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, which happens to be eastern Caribbean's most substantial fortress.
Like many Caribbean islands, St Kitts is built on volcanoes. Here, there are three distinct volcanic mountain ranges. These are Mount Misery, where the highest peak of the volcanoes, Mount Liamuiga, is found, the Olivees, and the Verchilds.
Owing to dwindling profits, the government shut down the sugar cane industry in 2005. Since then, tourism has emerged as the largest sector of the island economy. The trend seems to be toward vacation homes, rather than resorts. This may be one reason why the tourist element is less crowded than it is on other exotic tropical islands. Other industries propping up the economy are construction, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture of things other than sugar cane.
One of the annual events that draws the crowds is the St Kitts Music Festival. In 1996, it was called the Shak Shak Festival. Today, crowds rock to the tunes of Arrow, Crazy and the Lejah Band, and King Konris and Queen Anastasia. The tickets may be purchased with US or East Caribbean dollars.
The island is served by Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. Flights arrive daily from New York and Miami and twice weekly from London. The flight time from London is 11 to 12 hours. From Miami, flights take three to five hours, and a flight from New York will set you back between six and seven hours.
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.
Famous names to arise out of the tiny island nation include singer Joan Armatrading, international footballer Keith Gumbs, and Felix Dexter, actor and comedian. The island provides an ideal for trainee runners, as evidenced from the number of sprinters that hail from St. Kitts. Among them are Kim Collins, Virgil Hodge, Desai Williams, and Tiandra Ponteen. Among the more notorious alumni of St. Kitts are George Astaphan, the doctor who doped Ben Johnson with steroids, and Bertil Fox, professional bodybuilder turned murderer.
Medical degrees aside, there is much to distinguish the Sugar City from other idyllic Caribbean islands. There are approximately 45,000 permanent residents who call themselves Kittians. The majority of Kittians are of African ethnicity. The island has its own UNESCO World Heritage site, and that is Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, which happens to be eastern Caribbean's most substantial fortress.
Like many Caribbean islands, St Kitts is built on volcanoes. Here, there are three distinct volcanic mountain ranges. These are Mount Misery, where the highest peak of the volcanoes, Mount Liamuiga, is found, the Olivees, and the Verchilds.
Owing to dwindling profits, the government shut down the sugar cane industry in 2005. Since then, tourism has emerged as the largest sector of the island economy. The trend seems to be toward vacation homes, rather than resorts. This may be one reason why the tourist element is less crowded than it is on other exotic tropical islands. Other industries propping up the economy are construction, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture of things other than sugar cane.
One of the annual events that draws the crowds is the St Kitts Music Festival. In 1996, it was called the Shak Shak Festival. Today, crowds rock to the tunes of Arrow, Crazy and the Lejah Band, and King Konris and Queen Anastasia. The tickets may be purchased with US or East Caribbean dollars.
The island is served by Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. Flights arrive daily from New York and Miami and twice weekly from London. The flight time from London is 11 to 12 hours. From Miami, flights take three to five hours, and a flight from New York will set you back between six and seven hours.
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.
Famous names to arise out of the tiny island nation include singer Joan Armatrading, international footballer Keith Gumbs, and Felix Dexter, actor and comedian. The island provides an ideal for trainee runners, as evidenced from the number of sprinters that hail from St. Kitts. Among them are Kim Collins, Virgil Hodge, Desai Williams, and Tiandra Ponteen. Among the more notorious alumni of St. Kitts are George Astaphan, the doctor who doped Ben Johnson with steroids, and Bertil Fox, professional bodybuilder turned murderer.
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