| GEOGRAPHY |
St Kitts (officially
known as St Christopher) lies in the northern
part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern
Caribbean. The high central body of the
island is made up of three groups of rugged
volcanic peaks split by deep ravines. The
vegetation on the central mountain range
is rainforest, thinning higher up to dense
bushy cover. From here the island's volcanic
crater, Mount Liamuiga, rises to almost
1200m (4000ft). The foothills, particularly
to the north, form a gently rolling landscape
of sugar-cane plantations and grassland,
while uncultivated lowland slopes are covered
with thick tropical woodland and exotic
fruits such as papaya, mangoes, avocados,
bananas and breadfruit. To the southeast
of the island, a low-lying peninsula, on
which there are many excellent beaches,
stretches towards Nevis. 3km (2 miles) to
the south and only minutes away by air or
ferry across The Narrows channel is the
smaller island of Nevis, which is almost
circular in shape. The island is skirted
by miles of silver-sand beaches, golden
coconut groves and a calm, turquoise sea
in which great brown pelicans dive for the
rich harvest of fish. The central peak of
the island, Nevis Peak, is 985m (3000ft)
high and its tip is usually capped with
white clouds. The mountain is flanked on
the north and south sides by two lesser
mountains, Saddle Hill and Hurricane Hill,
which once served as look-out posts for
Nelson's fleet. Hurricane Hill on the north
side commands a view of St Kitts and Barbuda.
On the island's west side, massed rows of
palm trees form a coconut forest. There
are pleasant coral beaches on the island's
north and west coasts. |
