All you need to know about the language, currency, climate and history of the islands and more. Cant find what you are looking for? Ask us anything via our contact form.
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Language
English, often spoken with a strong accent and the frequent use of local and regional idioms. The fact is that if Kittitians and Nevisians don’t want you to know what they’re talking about you won’t understand a word. Some samples of the dialect: ”Don’ feel no way” (don’t worry about it); ”me no know” (I don’t know); ”ah gone to come back” (I’m leaving now and will return later). But don’ feel no way, just about everyone can speak ‘standard’ English and will do so if you look baffled.
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Size
Small and smaller. St. Kitts is 69 square miles; Nevis, 36 square miles.Population: Also tiny (in numbers, that is), totalling a little over 50,000, with about 80 per cent in St. Kitts.
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Topography
Volcanic, with mountainous interior regions and gentle, rolling coastal plains. Highest points are Mount Liamuiga at 3,792 feet in St. Kitts and Nevis Peak at 3,232 feet
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Etiquette
Kittitians and Nevisians of all ages appreciate courtesy and manners. School children will often greet you with a polite ‘good morning’ or ‘good afternoon’ and a general acknowledgement of those around you is appropriate if you enter a waiting room.
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Currency
We’re part of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and use the Eastern Caribbean dollar, which is pegged to the US dollar at EC$2.70000 to US$1. US dollars are accepted just about everywhere on the island, while Euros, Canadian dollars and UK sterling can be changed for EC dollars at banks. Other currencies? Leave them at home, we’re not interested.
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Dress
We’re the Caribbean and we’re mainly casual, but that doesn’t mean swimwear or anything too revealing is appropriate in our towns and villages. We’re also conservative when it comes to going topless on our beaches: it’s a no-no.
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Climate
Perfect year-round, but it can get a bit chilly at night in the winter months and it’s a good idea to bring a light sweater
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Driving
The first thing you’re likely to notice is our lack of traffic lights. We’re the only nation with a seat in the United Nations and not a single traffic light. We also drive on the left-hand side of the road, and the use of seat belts is mandatory.
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Credit cards
All major hotels and the bigger restaurants and stores accept major cards. Happily. So do some smaller establishments, but the smaller the business the less likely they’ll take plastic.
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Coming and going
Valid passports are essential. Visas are required for citizens of a number of nations, with just over 100 being visa-exempt, among them the UK and all other EU countries, Australia, Canada, India, Japan and the United States. All visitors must have a return ticket. Cruise ship passengers staying in St Kitts/Nevis for less than 24 hours do not need a visa.
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Water
Safe to drink. Rather better than safe, actually, our water’s excellent.
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Beer
Also excellent, although not necessarily safe, depending on the amount consumed.
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Rum
Ditto
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History
We’re steeped in it. St. Kitts and Nevis have been fought over by the Brits, the French and the Spanish, while some of history’s most unsavoury pirates once used these islands as home base. St. Kitts was the first Caribbean island to be colonised by England, in 1624, and was also one of the first to grow sugar cane, the industry that was to dominate the Caribbean for centuries. St. Kitts and Nevis were handed over entirely to the Brits at the Treaty of Paris in 1783. We gained full independence on September 19, 1983, becoming the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere.