St. Kitts and Grenada – Two Lovely Caribbean Islands

St Kitts and Nevis are two islands in the Caribbean and constitute one country. In fact, during the last ice age the sea level was 300' lower than it is today, and the two islands were connected. The west side of the islands faces the Caribbean Sea while the east side is on the Atlantic Ocean.

St Kitts is 18 miles long and 5 miles wide, and is about 1,300 miles south east of Miami. The population of the island is about 40,000 and most are of African descent. They are known as Kittitians and have English as their first language, and a literacy rate of about 98%.

The largest town, which is also a port, is Bassetere, and there is a ring road which goes around the outside of the island with smaller roads branching off it, but the centre of the island is too steep for human habitation. There are three groups of volcanic peaks, Mount Misery in the north west, The Verchilds range in the middle, and the Olivees range in the south east. The highest peak is Mount Liamuiga which was formerly Mount Misery and is 3,792 feet high. It is just over three miles wide and has a crater in the centre which is 250 yards wide and 800 feet deep.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus arrived in St Kitts and claimed it for the Spanish. However, the first English colony didn't settle until 1623 followed by the French in 1625. In 1626 they briefly joined forces and massacred 2,000 of the local Caribs and then partitioned the island with the English in the middle and the French in the north and south. Then in 1629 a Spanish force arrived to clear out the settlers and seized the island. Following the 1630 peace between England and Spain, the English settlement was rebuilt. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the island switched hands repeatedly between British and French control as a result of military action or treaties.

The major contributor to the economy of St Kitts is tourism, with around 600,000 visitors every year. You can also become a citizen of St Kitts provided you pass their strict scrutiny tests and make an investment into an approved real estate development of at least $400,000 USD.

The island of Grenada is another in the Caribbean and is 370 miles south of St, Kitts. Grenada consists of the main island and half a dozen other small ones to the north of it. It has a tropical climate which is hot and humid in the rainy season and is cooled by the trade winds in the dry season. It is on the southern edge of the hurricane belt and has only had three hurricanes over the last fifty years. Grenada is of volcanic origin and has very rich soil. The interior of the island is mountainous, with Mount St Catherine being 2,760 feet high.

Grenada is an important exporter of several spices, notably nutmeg and mace of which it produces 20% of the world total. It also produces cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, and citrus and orange peels. However, as with many other Caribbean islands, tourism is the main foundation of the economy. A large cruise ship pier and esplanade has recently been constructed in the capital of St George's and is visited by up to four cruise ships a day. The island is divided into parishes and in the south west is the parish of St George which has Grand Anse beach which is two miles long and is frequently listed in the top ten beaches in the world. Inland, there are several beautiful waterfalls which are also a tourist attraction.

Sailing also attracts many visitors and the island holds the annual Island Water World Sailing Week which is similar to the Americas Cup.

If you are a manufacturer or distributor and wish to export to the Caribbean, there are specialist companies who can help you with shipping to Grenada and shipping to St. Kitts. Some of these companies can help you to ship small loads by consolidating into a container, which is the best approach if you wish to keep costs to a minimum.

W. I. Freight is a specialist in shipping to St Kitts and Grenada and can ship FCL's (Full Container Loads) or part loads as required. The company can also send goods by air freight if you need to get them there quickly.

W.I. Freight has been shipping goods to the Caribbean for over 50 years and has expert knowledge of everything required to move abroad.