Kitts is a constituent republic of Kalina Region.
| Kitts Republic | |
|---|---|
| Island of Saint Christopher (Saint Kitts) | |
| Constituent Republic of Vekllei | |
 |
|
| Part of the Kalina Region | |
| The capital is renowned for the colonial buildings around Independence Square. | |
| Population | 61,203 |
| Demographics |
82% Afro-Kalinago 12% Caribbean mixed 6% Scattered communities
|
| Economy | Arable farming Plantations & spices, Orchards & fruit |
| Produces | Vegetables, Root Vegetables, Mangoes, Papaya, Avocado |
| Working week | 19.0 hours |
| Specialisation | Agriculture, Land & Sea |
| Accession | 1978, as part of final Antilles accession |
| Area | 174 km² |
| Capital | Basseterre |
| Languages | English, Kittitian Creole |
The Kitts Republic is a constituent republic of Vekllei in the northern Kalina Region. It lies northwest of Antigua and south of Barbary, and its smaller neighbour Oualie is just across a straight called The Narrows. It comprises a single island of 174 square kilometres, with a narrow peninsula of salt ponds and scrubland running out from it to the southeast. The capital, Basseterre, is situated on the southwest coast of the island.
Kitts is volcanic in origin, and its interior is mountainous, culminating in Mount Kitts, an extinct volcano rising 1,156 metres at the northwestern end. The capital has expanded port facilities and is renowned for the colonial buildings around Independence Square. The crater of Mount Kitts holds a lake that provides some fresh water to its municipalities. Kitts was settled early in the British Caribbean’s colonial period, and like much of the Vekllei Caribbean, about nine tenths of Kittitians are descended from slaves brought there to work its sugar estates. They speak English in formal settings and Kittitian Creole among themselves, and are mostly Anglican. Stewed saltfish with spicy plantains is the national dish, and “liming”, which is gathering with friends to drink and play dominoes, remains central to social life. They have a tropical climate with a dry season from January to April, and the interior mountains are much wetter than the coast.
By Vekllei standards, life on Kitts is quite agrarian, and vegetables and root crops make up most of the republic’s exports to the rest of Kalina. After accession in 1978, many of the old sugar estates were portioned off to smallholders, some of whom now run vertical hydroponic farms. The rest of the estates are kept as a belt of municipal farms, a handful of which operate as working museums using traditional methods. Cocoa, coconuts and spices are grown on the mountain slopes, and sea island cotton in the drier Southeast Peninsula. Manufacturing, found mostly in the capital, is dominated by rum and cottonseed oil.
The island of Kitts is home to the Kitts School of Teaching, a campus of CUWI that trains the primary and secondary teachers of the Kalina Region. Its students make up about a twelfth of the republic’s population, and the island’s schools serve as their practicum sites. Kitts is linked by hydrofoil to Oualie, Aloi and Saba. The Basseterre Sugar Railway runs from the capital around the coast to the northern settlements, with a branch line serving the agricultural interior. The major employers on Kitts are the School of Teaching, the teaching hospital in Basseterre and the Commonwealth Central Archives. The Archives also operate Brimstone Hill Fortress, the 18th-century British fortification on the northwest coast that the French besieged in 1782, as an archive and research centre for Caribbean colonial history.
Climate
Tropical with a dry season from January to April and a wet season from May to November. The interior mountains receive more rainfall than the coasts, and the Southeast Peninsula is notably drier than the rest of the island.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 29° 23° 29° 23° 29° 23° 30° 24° 30° 25° 31° 26° 31° 26° 31° 26° 31° 25° 31° 25° 30° 25° 29° 24°
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun 29° 23° 29° 23° 29° 23° 30° 24° 30° 25° 31° 26° Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 31° 26° 31° 26° 31° 25° 31° 25° 30° 25° 29° 24°
Public Holidays
- New Year’s Day 1 Jan
- Carnival Last Lap 2 Jan
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Commonwealth Day 1 May
- Whit Monday
- Emancipation Day 1 Aug
- Republic Day 19 Sep
- Christmas Day 25 Dec
- Boxing Day 26 Dec
- Molasses
- Sea Island Cotton
- Sugar
- Mount Kitts: Extinct volcano with hiking trails to the crater rim and lake, offering panoramic views across the northern Caribbean.
- Brimstone Hill Fortress: Massive 18th-century British fortification, now a regional archive and research centre operated by the [[Commonwealth Central Archives]].
- Kitts School of Teaching: Regional teacher training campus of [[CUWI]], specialising in primary and secondary education pedagogy.
- Romney Manor: Historic sugar estate with preserved colonial buildings and botanical gardens, now operating as an agricultural museum and working farm.
- Southeast Peninsula Nature Reserve: Protected salt ponds and scrubland serving as migratory bird habitat and dryland agriculture research station.
- Independence Square: Historic centre of Basseterre with colonial-era buildings, including the old Treasury and St George’s Anglican Church.
- Black Rocks: Dramatic volcanic rock formations on the northern coast, formed by ancient lava flows meeting the sea.
- Basseterre Teaching Hospital: Modern medical facility serving the northern Kalina republics, with specialist departments in tropical medicine and emergency care.
- Agriculture, Land & Sea 17.3%
- Education 17.1%
- Healthcare 11.4%
- Domestic 7.4%
All 19 groups
Hide table
- Agriculture, Land & Sea 17.3%
- Education 17.1%
- Healthcare 11.4%
- Domestic 7.4%
| Occupation | Share | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Land & Sea | 17.3% | 11,700 |
| Education | 17.1% | 11,500 |
| Healthcare | 11.4% | 7,680 |
| Domestic | 7.4% | 5,000 |
| Skilled Trades & Construction | 6.7% | 4,540 |
| Government & Civil Administration | 5.0% | 3,380 |
| Arts & Media | 4.6% | 3,090 |
| Industry | 4.2% | 2,830 |
| Security & Defence | 3.6% | 2,450 |
| Transport | 3.6% | 2,450 |
| Retail, Distribution & Logistics | 3.5% | 2,340 |
| Economic Planning | 2.8% | 1,890 |
| Hospitality & Participatory Trades | 2.6% | 1,740 |
| Sport & Recreation | 2.5% | 1,680 |
| Information & Communications | 2.1% | 1,450 |
| Science & Research | 1.9% | 1,260 |
| Law & Justice | 1.6% | 1,110 |
| Energy & Resources | 1.1% | 720 |
| Religious & Ceremonial | 1.0% | 690 |
Register estimates of posts located in the republic, rounded; figures under 50 suppressed. Includes 60 posts held by non-residents.