Editing Nevis

{{Short description|Island in the Caribbean Sea}}
{{hatnote group|
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|Naevis}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}<!-- /Caribbean English -->
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Nevis
| common_name            = Nevis
| native_name            = 
| image_flag             = Flag of Nevis.svg
| alt_flag               = The Nevis flag incorporates the flag of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the top left corner. The golden field stands for sunshine. The central triangle represents the conical shape of Nevis, with the blue being the ocean; the green being the verdant slopes of the island; and the white being the clouds that usually wreathe Nevis Peak
| image_coat             = Seal of the Nevis Island Administration, Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg
| image_map              = [[File:Saint Kitts and Nevis Regions map.png|250px]]<br>[[File:LocationNevis.PNG]]
| map_caption            = Location of Nevis in Saint Kitts and Nevis and among the [[Leeward Islands]].
| capital                = [[Charlestown, Nevis|Charlestown]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|17|20|N|62|45|W|type:city}}
| largest_city           = capital
| official_languages     = English
| demonym                = Nevisian
| government_type        = [[Parliamentary system|Parliamentary democracy]] under a [[federal constitutional monarchy]]
| leader_title1          = [[Monarch of Saint Kitts and Nevis|Monarch]]
| leader_name1           = [[Charles III]]
| leader_title2          = Deputy [[Governor-General]]<ref>The Deputy Governor-General of Nevis is appointed by the [[Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis]], to assent or withhold assent to any bill passed by the Nevis Island Assembly and to perform other functions of the office of Governor-General on His Majesty's behalf relating to Nevis, as the Governor-General may specify. See Chapter III, Sections 23 of the Constitution.</ref>
| leader_name2           = Hyleta Liburd
| leader_title3          = [[Premier of Nevis|Premier]]
| leader_name3           = [[Mark Brantley]]
| leader_title4          = [[Nevis Island Assembly|Assembly President]]
| leader_name4           = [[Farrel Smithen]]
| legislature            = [[Nevis Island Assembly]]
| area_km2               = 93
| area_rank              = 207th
| area_sq_mi             = 35.9
| population_census      = 13,182<ref>{{cite web|url= https://nia.gov.kn/census-shows-a-7-4-percent-increase-in-the-population-on-nevis/#:~:text=“Nevis%20population%20count%20for%20the,2011%20to%2013%2C182%20in%202021.|title= Census shows a 7.4 percent increase in the population on Nevis|website=|access-date=20 May 2025|archive-date=|archive-url=|url-status=live}}</ref>
| population_census_year = 2021
| population_density_km2 = 141
| population_density_sq_mi = 367
| population_density_rank = not ranked
| GDP_PPP                = $726 million<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=361&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=86&pr.y=13 |title=Saint Kitts and Nevis |publisher=International Monetary Fund |access-date=21 April 2010 |archive-date=7 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907123312/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2007&ey=2010&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=361&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=86&pr.y=13 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2009
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = $13,429<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 
| GDP_nominal            = $557 million<ref name=imf2/>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2009
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = $10,315<ref name=imf2/>
| Gini                   = <!--number only-->
| Gini_year              = 
| Gini_change            = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = 
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.825 <!--number only-->
| HDI_year               = 2007
| HDI_change             = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref                = 
| HDI_rank               = 54th
| currency               = [[Eastern Caribbean dollar]]&nbsp;($)
| currency_code          = XCD
| time_zone              = −4
| utc_offset             = −4
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| date_format            = dd-mm-yyyy ([[Common Era|CE]])
| drives_on              = left
| calling_code           = +1 869
| cctld                  = [[.kn]]
| footnotes              = 
}}
[[File:Stkitts-view-lookingatsea.jpg|thumb|upright=1|A view of Nevis from the southeastern peninsula of [[Saint Kitts]] in 2005]]
[[File:Nevis Aerial.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1|The east coast of Nevis, partially protected by [[coral reef]]s with Long Haul Bay visible in the foreground]]
[[File:Nevis Charlestown.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1|Main Street in [[Charlestown, Nevis]]]]
[[File:Nevis 2008.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1|Part of the west coast of Nevis, including the location of [[Monuments and memorials to Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson#Ireland and overseas|Nelson's Spring]]]]
[[File:Vance Amory International Airport, Nevis.JPG|thumb|upright=1|The view looking inland from the Nevis airport in 2008]]
'''Nevis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|iː|v|ᵻ|s}} {{respell|NEE|viss}}) is an island in the [[Caribbean Sea]] that forms part of the inner arc of the [[Leeward Islands]] chain of the [[West Indies]]. Nevis and the neighbouring island of [[Saint Kitts]] constitute the [[Saint Kitts and Nevis|Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis]], a singular nation state. Nevis is located near the northern end of the [[Lesser Antilles]] archipelago about {{convert|350|km}} east-southeast of [[Puerto Rico]] and {{convert|80|km}} west of [[Antigua]]. Its area is {{convert|93|km2}} and the capital is [[Charlestown, Nevis|Charlestown]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-19 |title=Saint Kitts and Nevis {{!}} Culture, History, & People {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=3 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230803155513/https://www.britannica.com/place/Saint-Kitts-and-Nevis |url-status=live }}</ref>

Saint Kitts and Nevis are separated by [[The Narrows (Saint Kitts and Nevis)|The Narrows]], a shallow {{convert|3|km|0|adj=on}} channel. Nevis is roughly conical in shape with a volcano, [[Nevis Peak]], at its centre. The island is fringed on its western and northern coastlines by sandy beaches composed of a mixture of white coral sand with brown and black sand eroded and washed down from the volcanic rocks that make up the island. The gently-sloping coastal plain ({{convert|1|km|abbr=on}} wide) has natural freshwater springs as well as non-potable volcanic [[hot spring]]s, especially along the western coast.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The island was named ''Oualie'', translated as "land of beautiful waters", by the [[Island Caribs|Kalinago]] and ''Dulcina'' ("Sweet Island") by the early [[British people|British]] settlers. The name ''Nevis'' is derived from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] phrase {{lang|es|Nuestra Señora de las Nieves}}, which translates as [[Dedication of Saint Mary Major|Our Lady of the Snows]]; the name was given by the island's [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] discoverers and first appeared on maps in the 16th century.<ref name="Hubbard">Hubbard, Vincent K. (2002). ''Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis''. Corvallis, Oregon: Premiere, {{ISBN|1-891519-05-0}}, pp. 20–23 (Captain Gilbert, Captain Smith), 25 (pearl diving), 41–44 (name Dulcina, treaty with Spain, first settlement), 69–70 (privateers, Captain Francis), 79–85 (Atlantic slave trade, Royal African Company, Queen of the Caribees), 86–102 (Caribs), 113–120 (d'Iberville, buccaneers), 138–139 (profits derived from West Indian sugar and slave trade, 1776 starvation), 194–195 (Alexandra Hospital), 211–223 (electricity, Anguilla in 1967, OECD blacklist).</ref> Nevis is also known by the [[sobriquet]] "Queen of the Caribees", which it earned in the 18th century because of its many sugar plantations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nevis Travel Guide |url=https://travel-vogue.co.uk/destinations/st-kitts-and-nevis/nevis.html |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Travel Vogue |archive-date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316071123/https://travel-vogue.co.uk/destinations/st-kitts-and-nevis/nevis.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nevis is both geographically smaller and less populous than Saint Kitts. It maintains significant autonomy within the federation, including [[Nevis Island Administration|a separate government]] headed by the [[premier of Nevis]] and [[Nevis Island Assembly|a separate legislature]]. Nevis has twice voted – [[1977 Nevis independence referendum|in 1977]], in an unofficial referendum, and in [[1998 Nevis independence referendum|1998]], in an official one – to secede from the federation, but neither attempt succeeded.<ref>{{Citation |last=Corbett |first=Jack |title=Sovereignty |date=2023-05-09 |work=Statehood à la Carte in the Caribbean and the Pacific |pages=35–78 |url=https://academic.oup.com/book/46081/chapter/404582653 |access-date=2024-03-16 |edition=1 |publisher=Oxford University PressOxford |language=en |doi=10.1093/oso/9780192864246.003.0002 |isbn=978-0-19-286424-6|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The majority of the approximately 12,000 Nevisians are of primarily [[Africa]]n descent, with notable British, [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]], and [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] minority communities. [[English (language)|English]] is the official language,<ref name="CIA">{{cite web|title=Saint Kitts and Nevis|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-kitts-and-nevis/|website=The World Factbook|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|access-date=5 February 2016|archive-date=5 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205061139/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sc.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and its literacy rate of 98 per cent is one of the highest in the [[Western Hemisphere]].

==Etymology==

In 1498, [[Christopher Columbus]] gave the island the name ''San Martín'' (Saint Martin). However, the confusion of numerous poorly-charted small islands in the Leeward Island chain meant that this name ended up being accidentally transferred to another island, which is still known as [[Saint Martin (island)|Saint-Martin]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The current name ''Nevis''  was derived from the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name {{lang|es|Nuestra Señora de las Nieves}} by process of abbreviation and [[anglicisation]] or might be named after the highest mountain in Scotland [[Ben Nevis]]. The Spanish name means [[Dedication of Saint Mary Major|Our Lady of the Snows]]. It is not known who chose this name for the island, but it is a reference to the story of a 4th-century [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] miracle related to a snowfall on the [[Esquiline Hill]] in [[Rome]].<ref>{{Cite CE1913|wstitle=Our Lady of the Snow}}</ref> Presumably the white clouds that usually cover the top of [[Nevis Peak]] reminded someone of this story of a miraculous snowfall in a hot climate.<ref name="Hubbard" />

Nevis was part of the [[Spanish West Indies|Spanish claim]] to the [[Caribbean]] islands, a claim pursued until the [[Treaty of Madrid (1670)|1670 Treaty of Madrid]], even though there were no Spanish settlements on the island. According to Vincent Hubbard, author of ''Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis'', the Spanish ruling caused many of the [[Arawak]] groups who were not ethnically Caribs to "be redefined as Kalinago overnight".<ref name="Hubbard"/> Records indicate that the Spanish enslaved large numbers of the native inhabitants on the more accessible of the Leeward Islands and sent them to [[Cubagua]], [[Venezuela]], to dive for pearls. Hubbard suggests that the reason the first European settlers found so few Kalinago on Nevis is that they had already been rounded up by the Spanish and shipped off to be used as slaves.<ref name="Hubbard" />

== History ==
{{Main|History of Saint Kitts and Nevis}}

===Amerindians===
[[File:Nevis FrenchSlavetrade.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Illustration of French [[Atlantic slave trade|slave trade]] from the 1876 book ''The 18th century: Its Institutions, Customs, and Costumes: France, 1700–1789'']]
Nevis had been settled for more than two thousand years by [[Amerindian peoples]] prior to having been sighted by Columbus in 1493.<ref>See for example [http://www.arch.soton.ac.uk/Projects/default.asp?ProjectID=12 Nevis Heritage excavation reports, 2000–2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060708150627/http://www.arch.soton.ac.uk/Projects/default.asp?ProjectID=12 |date=8 July 2006 }}, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> The indigenous people of Nevis during these periods belonged to the Leeward Island Amerindian groups popularly referred to as [[Arawaks]] and [[Island Caribs|Kalinago]], a complex mosaic of ethnic groups with similar culture and language.<ref name="Wilson">Wilson, Samuel (1990). "The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis, West Indies". ''Journal of Field Archaeology'', Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 1989), p. 427-450.</ref> Dominican anthropologist Lennox Honychurch traces the European use of the term "Carib" to refer to the Leeward Island aborigines to Columbus, who picked it up from the [[Taínos]] on [[Hispaniola]]. It was not a name the Kalinago called themselves.<ref name="Honychurch">Honychurch, Lennox (1997). "Crossroads in the Caribbean: A Site of Encounter and Exchange on Dominica". ''World Archaeology'' Vol. 28(3): 291–304.</ref> "Carib Indians" was the generic name used for all groups believed involved in cannibalistic war rituals, more particularly, the consumption of parts of a killed enemy's body.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nevis History |url=https://nevisisland.com/nevis-history/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Nevis Tourism Authority |language=en |archive-date=26 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726032757/https://nevisisland.com/nevis-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Amerindian name for Nevis was ''Oualie'', land of beautiful waters. The structure of the Kalinago language has been linguistically identified as [[Arawakan languages|Arawakan]].<ref name="Honychurch" />

===Colonial era===
{{Infobox country
| demonym                = 
| area_km2               = 
| area_rank              = 
| GDP_PPP                = 
| GDP_PPP_year           = 
| HDI                    = 
| HDI_year               = 
| today                  = 
| conventional_long_name = Colony of Nevis
| common_name            = Nevis
| image_flag             = Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg
| capital                = 
| national_languages     = English, Creole
| government_type        = Colony of [[Kingdom of England|England]], later [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| currency               = 
| life_span              = 1620–1882
| title_leader           = King
| year_leader1           = 1620–1625
| leader1                = [[James VI and I|James I]]
| year_leader2           = 1837–1882
| leader2                = [[Queen Victoria]]
| title_representative   = Governor
| p1                     = Native Amerindians
| s1                     = Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla
| flag_s1                = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
}}

Despite the Spanish claim, Nevis continued to be a popular stop over point for English and Dutch ships on their way to [[North America]]. Captain [[Bartholomew Gilbert]] of [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth]] visited the island in 1603, spending two weeks to cut 20 tons of [[lignum vitae]] wood. Gilbert sailed on to [[Virginia]] to seek out survivors of the [[Roanoke settlement]] in what is now [[North Carolina]]. [[Captain John Smith]] visited Nevis on his way to [[Virginia]] in 1607 on the voyage that founded [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown]], the first permanent English settlement in the New World.<ref name="Hubbard" />

On 30 August 1620, [[James I of England]] asserted sovereignty over Nevis by giving a Royal Patent for colonisation to the [[Earl of Carlisle]]. However, actual English settlement did not happen until 1628, when Anthony Hilton moved from nearby Saint Kitts following a murder plot against him. 80 English settlers accompanied him, soon boosted by a further 100 settlers from London who had initially hoped to settle [[Barbuda]]. Hilton became the first Governor of Nevis.<ref name="Hubbard"/>

After the [[Treaty of Madrid (1670)|Treaty of Madrid]] between Spain and England, Nevis became a major part of the [[British West Indies|English West Indies]] and an [[admiralty court]] also sat in Nevis. Between 1675 and 1730, the island was the headquarters for the slave trade to the Leeward Islands, with approximately 6,000–7,000 enslaved West Africans passing through en route to other islands each year. The [[Royal African Company]] brought all its ships through Nevis.<ref name="Hubbard"/> A 1678 census shows a community of [[Irish immigration to Saint Kitts and Nevis|Irish people]] – 22% of the population – existing as either [[indentured servants]] or freemen.<ref>[http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/irish-indentured-labour-in-the-caribbean/ "Irish indentured labour in the Caribbean"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322013117/http://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/blog/irish-indentured-labour-in-the-caribbean/ |date=22 March 2016 }}. Nationalarchives.gov.uk. 11 March 2013.</ref>

Due to the profitable [[Atlantic slave trade|slave trade]] and the high quality of Nevisian [[sugar cane]], Nevis soon became a dominant source of wealth for the colonial [[slavocracy]]. When the [[Leeward Islands]] were separated from [[Barbados]] in 1671, Nevis became the seat of the [[Leeward Islands colony]] and was given the nickname "Queen of the Caribees". It remained the colonial capital for the Leeward Islands until the seat was transferred to [[Antigua]] for military reasons in 1698. During this period, Nevis was the richest of the English Leeward Islands.<ref name="Hubbard" />

Nevis outranked larger islands like [[Colony of Jamaica|Jamaica]] in sugar production in the late 17th century. The planters' wealth on the island is evident in the tax records preserved at the Calendar State Papers in the [[Colonial Office]]'s Public Records, where the amount of tax collected on the Leeward Islands was recorded. The sums recorded for 1676 as "head tax on slaves", a tax payable in sugar, amounted to 384,600 pounds in Nevis, as opposed to 67,000 each in Antigua and Saint Kitts, 62,500 in [[Montserrat]], and 5,500 total in the other five islands.<ref>''Calendar State Papers'' (1676). Number 1152, 1676. The British Colonial Office Public Records. Qtd. in Hubbard, p. 85.</ref>

The profits on sugar cultivation in Nevis was enhanced by the fact that the [[sugar cane|cane juice]] from Nevis yielded an unusually high amount of sugar. A gallon (3.79 litres) of cane juice from Nevis yielded 24 ounces (0.71 litres) of sugar, whereas a gallon from Saint Kitts yielded 16 ounces (0.47 litres).<ref name="Hubbard" /> Twenty per cent of the [[British Empire|English colonial empire]]'s total sugar production in 1700 was derived from Nevisian plantations.<ref>Watts, David (1987). ''The West Indies: Patterns of Development, Culture and Environmental Change Since 1492''. Cambridge University Press, 1987, p. 285.</ref> Exports from West Indian colonies like Nevis were worth more than all the exports from all the mainland [[Thirteen Colonies]] of North America combined at the time of the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="Hubbard" />

The enslaved families formed the large labour force required to work the sugar plantations. After the 1650s, the supply of white indentured servants began to dry up due to increased wages in England and less incentive to migrate to the colonies. By the end of the 17th century, the population of Nevis consisted of a small, wealthy planter elite in control, a marginal population of poor Whites, a great majority of African-descended slaves, and an unknown number of [[maroons]], escaped slaves living in the mountains. In 1780, 90 per cent of the 10,000 people living on Nevis were Black.<ref name="Hubbard"/> Some of the maroons joined with the few remaining Kalinago in Nevis. Memories of the Nevisian maroons' struggle under the plantation system are preserved in place names such as Maroon Hill, an early centre of resistance.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Surveyor/Mapper |first=Simeon Hill |date=2021-04-28 |title=Nevis Heritage Sites (St. George) |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e85ad1ef2b544eb792af6703264de89e |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |language=en}}</ref>

The great wealth generated by the colonies of the West Indies led to wars among the great powers of Europe. The formation of the United States can be said to be a partial by-product of these wars, and the strategic trade aims that often ignored North America.<ref name="Hubbard"/> Three [[privateers]] ([[William Kidd]] being one of them) were employed by [[the Crown]] to help protect ships in Nevis' waters.<ref name="Hubbard"/>

During the 17th century, the French, based on Saint Kitts, launched many attacks on Nevis, sometimes assisted by the Kalinago, who in 1667 sent a large fleet of canoes along in support. In the same year, a Franco-Dutch invasion fleet [[Battle of Nevis|was repelled]] off Nevis by an English fleet. Letters and other records from the era indicate that colonists on Nevis hated and feared the Kalinago. In 1674 and 1683, they participated in attacks on Kalinago villages in [[Dominica]] and [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines|St. Vincent]], despite a lack of official approval from the Crown for the attack.<ref name="Hubbard"/> On Nevis, the English built [[Fort Charles (Nevis)|Fort Charles]] and a series of smaller fortifications to aid in defending the island. This included Saddle Hill Battery, built in 1740 to replace a [[deodand]] on Mount Nevis.<ref name="Hubbard"/>{{rp|44,62,131}}

===Emancipation===
[[File:Nevis Methodist.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Charlestown Methodist Chapel in 1802. Pro-slavery mobs set the chapel ablaze in 1797, but the building was saved.]]
[[File:Portrait of John Pinney at the Georgian house, Bristol (sq cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1|Slave owner and sugar merchant [[John Pinney]] of Mountravers Plantation]]
In 1706, [[Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville]], the French Canadian founder of [[Louisiana]] in North America, decided to drive the English out of Nevis and thus also stop pirate attacks on French ships; he considered Nevis the region's headquarters for [[piracy in the Caribbean|piracy]] against French trade. During d'Iberville's invasion of Nevis, French [[buccaneer]]s were used in the front line, infamous for being ruthless killers after the pillaging during the wars with Spain where they gained a reputation for torturing and murdering non-combatants.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archive |first=History |title=French Buccaneers {{!}} Francois O'llonais |url=https://goldenageofpiracy.org/buccaneers/french-buccaneers/francois-lollonais |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=History Archive |language=en}}</ref> In the face of the invading force, the English militiamen of Nevis fled.

Some planters burned the plantations, rather than letting the French have them, and hid in the mountains.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} It was the enslaved Africans who held the French at bay by taking up arms to defend their families and the island. The slave quarters had been looted and burned as well, as the main reward promised the men fighting on the French side in the attack was the right to capture as many slaves as possible and resell them in [[Martinique]].{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

During the fighting, 3,400 enslaved Nevisians were captured and sent off to Martinique, but about 1,000 more, poorly armed and militarily untrained, held the French troops at bay, by "murderous fire" according to an eyewitness account by an English militiaman. He wrote that "the slaves' brave behaviour and defence there shamed what some of their masters did, and they do not shrink to tell us so."<ref name="Hubbard"/> After 18 days of fighting, the French were driven off the island. Among the Nevisian men, women and children carried away on d'Iberville's ships, six ended up in Louisiana, the first persons of African descent to arrive there.<ref name="Hubbard" />

One consequence of the French attack was a collapsed sugar industry and during the ensuing hardship on Nevis, small plots of land on the plantations were made available to the enslaved families in order to control the loss of life due to starvation. With less profitability for the absentee plantation owners, the import of food supplies for the plantation workers dwindled. Between 1776 and 1783, when the food supplies failed to arrive altogether due to the [[American Revolution|rebellion in North America]], 300–400 enslaved Nevisians starved to death.<ref name="Hubbard" /> On 1 August 1834, slavery was abolished in the [[British Empire]]. In Nevis, 8,815 slaves were freed.<ref name="Hubbard" /> The first Monday in August is celebrated as [[Emancipation Day]] and is part of the annual Nevis Culturama festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Emancipation Day In Saint Kitts and Nevis {{!}} Loop Caribbean News |url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/emancipation-day-saint-kitts-and-nevis |access-date=2024-01-20 |website=Loop News |language=en}}</ref>

A four-year apprenticeship programme followed the abolishment of slavery on the plantations. In spite of the continued use of the labour force, the Nevisian slave owners were paid over £150,000 in compensation from the British Government for the loss of property, whereas the enslaved families received nothing for 200 years of labour.<ref>Goveia, Elsa H. (1965). ''Slave Society in the British Leeward Islands''. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965. {{ISBN|0-88258-048-5}}</ref> One of the wealthiest planter families in Nevis, the [[John Pinney|Pinneys]] of Mountravers Plantation, claimed £36,396 ({{Inflation|UK|36396|1834|{{Inflation/year|UK}}|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}){{Inflation/fn|UK}} in compensation for the slaves on the family-owned plantations around the Caribbean.<ref name="Bristol">[http://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/showNarrative.php?sit_id=1&narId=214&nacId=822 Personal stories: Traders and Merchants – John Pinney] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927062325/http://www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/showNarrative.php?sit_id=1&narId=214&nacId=822 |date=27 September 2007 }}. In ''Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery'', a project by City Museum and the University of the West of England's Faculty of Humanities. Retrieved 8 May 2007.</ref>

Because of the early distribution of plots and because many of the planters departed from the island when sugar cultivation became unprofitable, a relatively large percentage of Nevisians already owned or controlled land at emancipation.<ref name="Baker">Baker Motley, Constance (1998). ''Equal Justice Under Law. An Autobiography.'' New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. {{ISBN|0-374-14865-1}}. An excerpt from the autobiography, describing her search in Nevis church records for her family's history during the era of slavery, is available online at [http://partners.nytimes.com/books/first/m/motley-equal.html The New York Times Book Review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192223/http://partners.nytimes.com/books/first/m/motley-equal.html |date=4 March 2016 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> Others settled on crown land. This early development of a society with a majority of small, landowning farmers and entrepreneurs created a stronger middle class in Nevis than in Saint Kitts, where the sugar industry continued until 2006. Even though the 15 families in the wealthy planter elite no longer control the arable land, Saint Kitts still has a large, landless working class population.<ref>Simmonds, Keith C. (1987). "Political and Economic Factors Influencing the St. Kitts-Nevis Polity: An Historical Perspective". Phylon, 48:4. 4th Qtr., 1987, pp. 277–286.</ref>

===1800 to the present day===
{{see also|History of Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
[[File:Nevis School1899.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Nevis School in 1899]]
The population had reached 7,470 by 1842.<ref>{{cite book |title=The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge, Vol.IV |date=1848 |publisher=Charles Knight |location=London |page=772}}</ref> Nevis was united with Saint Kitts and [[Anguilla]] in 1882, and they became an [[associated state]] with full internal autonomy in 1967, though Anguilla seceded in 1971. Together, Saint Kitts and Nevis became independent on 19 September 1983. On 10 August 1998, a [[Nevis independence referendum, 1998|referendum on Nevis]] to separate from Saint Kitts had 2,427 votes in favour and 1,498 against, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=St. Kitts and Nevis: 1998 Referendum |url=https://pdba.georgetown.edu/Elecdata/Kitts/ref1998.html |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=pdba.georgetown.edu |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318212058/https://pdba.georgetown.edu/Elecdata/Kitts/ref1998.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=4 October 2022 |title=St Kitts and Nevis profile - Timeline |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63134338 |url-status=live |access-date=June 4, 2024 |archive-date=13 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213183029/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63134338 }}</ref>

Before 1967, the local government of Saint Kitts was also the government of Nevis and Anguilla. Nevis had two seats and Anguilla one seat in the government. The economic and infrastructural development of the two smaller islands was not a priority to the colonial federal government.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

When the hospital in Charlestown was destroyed in a hurricane in 1899, planting of trees in the squares of Saint Kitts and refurbishing of government buildings, also in Saint Kitts, took precedence over the rebuilding of the only hospital in Nevis.<ref name="Hubbard" /> After five years without any proper medical facilities, the leaders in Nevis initiated a campaign, threatening to seek independence from Saint Kitts. The British Administrator in Saint Kitts, Charles Cox, was unmoved. He stated that Nevis did not need a hospital since there had been no significant rise in the number of deaths during the time Nevisians had been without a hospital. Therefore, no action was needed on behalf of the government, and besides, Cox continued, the Legislative Council regarded "Nevis and Anguilla as a drag on St. Kitts and would willingly see a separation".<ref>Qtd. in Hubbard, p. 195.</ref>

A letter of complaint to the metropolitan [[British Foreign Office]] gave result and the federal government in Saint Kitts was ordered by their superiors in London to take speedy action. The Legislative Council took another five years to consider their options. The final decision by the federal government was to not rebuild the old hospital after all but to instead convert the old Government House in Nevis into a hospital, named Alexandra Hospital after Queen Alexandra, wife of King [[Edward VII]]. A majority of the funds assigned for the hospital could thus be spent on the construction of a new official residence in Nevis.<ref name="Hubbard" />

After d'Iberville's invasion in 1704, records show Nevis' sugar industry in ruins and a decimated population begging the [[English Parliament]] and relatives for loans and monetary assistance to stave off island-wide starvation.<ref name="Hubbard"/> The sugar industry on the island never fully recovered and during the general depression that followed the loss of the West Indian sugar [[monopoly]], Nevis fell on hard times and the island became one of the poorest in the region. The island remained poorer than Saint Kitts until 1991, when the fiscal performance of Nevis edged ahead of the fiscal performance of Saint Kitts for the first time since the French invasion.<ref name="Hubbard" />

Electricity was introduced in Nevis in 1954 when two generators were shipped in to provide electricity to the area around Charlestown. In this regard, Nevis fared better than Anguilla, where there were no paved roads, no electricity and no telephones until 1967. However, electricity did not become available island-wide on Nevis until 1971.<ref name="Hubbard" />

An ambitious infrastructure development programme was introduced in the early 2000s which included a transformation of the Charlestown port, construction of a new deep-water harbour, resurfacing and widening the Island Main Road, a new airport terminal and control tower, and a major airport expansion, which required the relocation of an entire village in order to make room for the runway extension.

Modernised classrooms and better-equipped schools, as well as improvements in the educational system, have contributed to a leap in academic performance on the island. The pass rate among the Nevisian students sitting for the [[Caribbean Examination Council]] (CXC) exams, the Cambridge General Certificate of Education Examination (GCE) and the Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examinations is now consistently among the highest in the English-speaking Caribbean.<ref>Brown, Janet (2000). [http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/sk&n/conference/papers/JBrown.html "Early Childhood Investment in St. Kitts and Nevis: A Model for the Caribbean?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903214855/http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/sk%26n/conference/papers/JBrown.html |date=3 September 2006 }}. Caribbean Child Development Centre, School of Continuing Studies, UWI, Mona: "St. Kitts-Nevis has one of the highest levels of CXC passes in the region."</ref><ref>[http://www.queencitynevis.com/NewsArticle.cfm/2277 "Education official calls on students to push beyond their comfort zones"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927173027/http://www.queencitynevis.com/NewsArticle.cfm/2277 |date=27 September 2007 }}. Nevis Government Information Service, 10 January 2007: "In 2002, Nevis captured the award for Most Outstanding School for the year in the Region. [...] In the May/June examinations of 2006, Nevis again recorded its name in the annals of CXC's when it captured two of the eight awards in Business Studies and Technical/vocational Studies. Nevis returned the best performance in Business Studies in the Region in two of the three years that the award had been offered". For results at individual schools, see Caines, Jaedee. [http://www.stkittsnevisobserver.com/oct1305/news13a.htm "Proud Moment For Lyn Jeffers School"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001033024/http://www.stkittsnevisobserver.com/oct1305/news13a.htm |date=1 October 2011 }}. The Observer, 13 October 2005; [http://www.sknvibes.com/News/NewsDetails.cfm?Idz=%24%23!W%3D_%40++%0A "Minister of Education to GSS 2005 graduands: The future of Nevis depends on you"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928122138/http://www.sknvibes.com/News/NewsDetails.cfm?Idz=$%23!W=_@++%0A |date=28 September 2007 }}. ''SKN Vibes'', 24 November 2005; and  [http://www.sknvibes.com/Education/NewsDetails.cfm/1783 Washington Archibald High School obtains highest CXC pass rate among 7 others] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216162821/http://www.sknvibes.com/Education/NewsDetails.cfm/1783 |date=16 February 2007 }}. SKN Vibes, 4 September 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2007.</ref>

===Hurricanes===
* September 1989: there was a considerable amount of damage from [[Hurricane Hugo]].
* September 1998, there was a great deal of damage from [[Hurricane Georges]].
* November 1999: Nevis was hit by [[Hurricane Lenny]], which caused some heavy damage to the island's infrastructure on the western coast, because of the storm's unusual track from west to east.
* October 2008: Nevis was brushed with the edge of [[Hurricane Omar (2008)|Hurricane Omar]]. Among other establishments, The Four Seasons Resort Nevis was forced to close to undergo repairs. Hurricane Omar thus caused the loss of 600 jobs for over 2 years; the resort reopened on 15 December 2010.
* August 2010: there was some damage on Nevis from [[Hurricane Earl (2010)|Hurricane Earl]].
* September 2010, there was some damage from [[Hurricane Igor (2010)|Hurricane Igor]].
* September 2017, there was damage from [[Hurricane Irma]].

== Geography ==
[[File:Nevis Satellite.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Nevis and neighbouring Leeward Islands during the 2002 volcanic eruption in [[Montserrat]] (centre). Top to bottom on left are: [[St. Eustatius]], [[Saint Kitts]], Nevis. On the right are: [[Barbuda]], [[Antigua]], [[Guadeloupe]].]]
The formation of the island began in [[Pliocene|mid-Pliocene]] times, approximately 3.45 million years ago. Nine distinct eruptive centres from different geological ages, ranging from mid-Pliocene to [[Pleistocene]], have contributed to the formation. No single model of the island's [[Geochronology|geological evolution]] can, therefore, be ascertained.<ref>United Nations (2000). "Saint Kitts and Nevis: Executive Summary". ''Country Reports''. Committee on Science and Technology, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, [http://www.unccd.int/cop/reports/lac/national/2000/saint_kitts_and_nevis-summary-eng.pdf pdf file] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804151915/http://www.unccd.int/cop/reports/lac/national/2000/saint_kitts_and_nevis-summary-eng.pdf |date=4 August 2009 }}. Retrieved 7 December 2006.</ref>

[[Nevis Peak]] ({{convert|985|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}} high) is the dormant remnant of one of these ancient [[stratovolcano]]es. The last activity took place about 100,000 years ago, but active [[fumaroles]] and hot springs are still found on the island, the most recent formed in 1953.<ref>{{cite gvp|name=Nevis Peak|vn=360040|access-date=2021-06-27}}</ref> The composite cone of Nevis volcano has two overlapping summit craters that are partially filled by a lava dome, created in recent, pre-Columbian time. [[Pyroclastic flows]] and mudflows were deposited on the lower slopes of the cone simultaneously.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Volcanism Program {{!}} Nevis Peak |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=360040 |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Smithsonian Institution {{!}} Global Volcanism Program |language=en |archive-date=18 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618233609/https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=360040 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Nevis Peak]] is located on the outer crater rim. Four other lava domes were constructed on the flanks of the volcano, one on the northeast flank (Madden's Mount), one on the eastern flank (Butlers Mountain), one on the northwest coast (Mount Lily) and one on the south coast (Saddle Hill, with a height of {{convert|375|m|ft|disp=or}}). The southernmost point on the island is [[Dogwood Point]] which is also the southernmost point of the [[Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

During the [[Quaternary glaciation|last ice age]], when the sea level was {{convert|60|m|ft}} lower, the three islands of Saint Kitts, Nevis and [[Sint Eustatius]] (also known as Statia) were connected as one island. [[Saba (island)|Saba]], however, is separated from these three by a deeper channel.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

There are visible wave-breaking reefs along the northern and eastern shorelines. To the south and west, the reefs are located in deeper water.<ref name="Geospatial Conservation Atlas 2024 j562">{{cite web | title=Coral Reefs (2017) | website=The Nature Conservancy Geospatial Conservation Atlas | date=January 8, 2024 | url=https://geospatial.tnc.org/datasets/TNC::coral-reefs-2017/explore?location=17.166175%2C-62.558380%2C12.91 | access-date=March 5, 2024}}</ref><ref name="The UWI Seismic Research Centre 2000 g219">{{cite web | title=Nevis | website=The UWI Seismic Research Centre | date=October 30, 2000 | url=https://uwiseismic.com/island-profiles/nevis/ | access-date=March 5, 2024 | archive-date=12 January 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112065226/https://uwiseismic.com/island-profiles/nevis/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The most developed beach on Nevis is the {{cvt|4.8|km|mi|adj=mid}}<ref name="Pinney_length">{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pinneys+beach/@17.1631873,-62.6103518,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x8c123d4f235d47b3:0xca8a5737c4396ee1!8m2!3d17.1581896!4d-62.6296306!16s%2Fm%2F03g_dsr?entry=ttu |title=Pinney's Beach, Nevis map |access-date=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="Lonely Planet y152">{{cite web | title=Nevis, St Kitts & Nevis | website=Lonely Planet | url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/st-kitts-nevis/northern-nevis/attractions/pinney-s-beach/a/poi-sig/1396711/1331212 | access-date=March 5, 2024 | archive-date=26 February 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226235404/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/st-kitts-nevis/northern-nevis/attractions/pinney-s-beach/a/poi-sig/1396711/1331212 | url-status=live }}</ref> or {{cvt|6.5|km|mi|adj=mid|long}}<ref name="U.S. News Travel 1970 z745">{{cite web | title=Pinney's Beach (Nevis) Reviews | website=U.S. News Travel | date=January 1, 1970 | url=https://travel.usnews.com/St_Kitts-Nevis/Things_To_Do/Pinney_s_Beach_22304/ | access-date=March 5, 2024 | archive-date=18 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218001332/https://travel.usnews.com/St_Kitts-Nevis/Things_To_Do/Pinney_s_Beach_22304/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Pinney's Beach]],<ref name="Lindsay_2009">{{cite report |author=Island Resources Foundation |date=June 2009 |title=Terrestrial Biodiversity Inventory and Status Assessment for the Proposed Nevis Peak Protected Area |url=http://www.irf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/NevisPeakProtectedAreaTerrestrialBiodiversity_2009.pdf |publisher=Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis |access-date=2024-03-05 |quote=Pinney‘s Beach is now heavily trafficked and the most developed on Nevis. |archive-date=21 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221084326/http://www.irf.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/NevisPeakProtectedAreaTerrestrialBiodiversity_2009.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> on the western or Caribbean coast.<ref name="U.S. News Travel 1970 z745" /> There is sheltered swimming at Pinney, Nisbet, Lovers, and Oualie beaches.<ref name="The Telegraph 2020 o154">{{cite web | title=5 of the best beaches on Nevis, from secluded sands to party spots | website=The Telegraph | date=July 3, 2020 | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/caribbean/saint-kitts-and-nevis/articles/nevis-beaches/ | access-date=March 5, 2024 | archive-date=27 January 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127034236/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/caribbean/saint-kitts-and-nevis/articles/nevis-beaches/ | url-status=live }}</ref> The eastern coast of the island faces into the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name="BBC News 2012 e190">{{cite web | title=St Kitts and Nevis country profile | website=BBC News | date=October 22, 2012 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20032548 | access-date=March 5, 2024 | archive-date=17 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317165000/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-20032548 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Geospatial Conservation Atlas 2024 j562" />

The colour of the [[sand]] on the beaches of Nevis is variable: on a lot of the bigger beaches the sand is a yellow-grey in colour, but some beaches on the southern coast have darker, reddish, or even black sand. Under a microscope it becomes clear that Nevis sand is a mixture of tiny fragments of coral, many [[foraminifera]], and small crystals of the various mineral constituents of the [[volcanic rock]] of which the island is made.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

===Geology===
Seven volcanic centers make up Nevis. These include Round Hill (3.43 [[Myr|Ma]]), Cades Bay (3.22 Ma), Hurricane Hill (2.7 Ma), Saddle Hill (1.8 Ma), Butlers Mountain (1.1 Ma), Red Cliff and Nevis Peak (0.98 Ma). These are mainly [[andesite]] and [[dacite]] [[lava dome]]s, with associated block and [[ash flow]]s, plus [[lahar]]s. Nevis Peak has the highest elevation, at 984 m. Cades Bay and Farm Estate Soufriere are noted areas of [[hydrothermal]] activity.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nevis Geology|url=http://caribbeanvolcanoes.com/nevis-geology/|website=Caribbean Volcanoes|access-date=4 October 2017|archive-date=5 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005000349/http://caribbeanvolcanoes.com/nevis-geology/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Nevis Geological Profile|url=http://uwiseismic.com/ScientificPapers.aspx|website=The University of West Indies|access-date=4 October 2017|archive-date=4 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004191050/http://uwiseismic.com/ScientificPapers.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Water has been piped since 1911 from a [[spring (hydrology)|spring]] called the "Source", located {{convert|1800|ft|m}} up the mountain, to storage tanks at Rawlins Village, and since 1912, to Butler's Village. Additional drinking water comes from Nelson's Spring near Cotton Ground and Bath Spring. [[Groundwater]] has been extracted since the 1990s, and mixed with the Source water.<ref name="Vincent">{{cite book|last1=Hubbard|first1=Vincent|title=Swords, Ships & Sugar|date=2002|publisher=Premiere Editions International, Inc.|location=Corvallis|isbn=9781891519055|page=196}}</ref>

===Colonial deforestation===
[[File:Nevis-lookingtosea.jpg|thumb|upright=1|On the western coastal plain, looking south-southwest towards Charlestown]]
During the 17th and 18th centuries, massive [[deforestation]] was undertaken by the planters as the land was initially cleared for sugar cultivation. This intense land exploitation by the sugar and cotton industry lasted almost 300 years, and greatly changed the island's [[ecosystem]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Frucht |first1=Richard |title=Community and Context in a Colonial Society: Social and Economic Change in Nevis, British West Indies |date=February 1966 }}</ref>

In some places along the windswept southeast or "Windward" coast of the island, the landscape is radically altered compared with how it used to be in pre-colonial times.<ref name="Wilson" /> Due to extreme land erosion, the topsoil was swept away, and in some places at the coast, sheer cliffs as high as {{convert|25|m|ft|abbr=off}} have developed.<ref>Wilson, Samuel (1990). "The Prehistoric Settlement Pattern of Nevis, West Indies". ''Journal of Field Archaeology'', Vol. 16, No. 4 (Winter 1989), p. 428: "The breakup of the fringing reef has itself contributed to extensive and accelerating coastal erosion on the windward coast of the island, where sea cliffs of unconsolidated volcanic gravels as high as 25 m have developed."</ref>

Thick forest once covered the eastern coastal plain, where the Amerindians built their first settlements during the Aceramic period, complementing the ecosystem surrounding the [[coral reef]] just offshore. It was the easy access to fresh water on the island and the rich food source represented by the ocean life sheltered by the reef that made it feasible for the Amerindians to settle this area around 600 BC.<ref name="Wilson" /> With the loss of the natural vegetation, the balance in runoff nutrients to the reef was disturbed, eventually causing as much as 80 per cent of the large eastern fringing reef to become inactive. As the reef broke apart, it, in turn, provided less protection for the coastline.<ref name="Wilson" />

During times of maximum cultivation, sugar cane fields stretched from the coastline of Nevis up to an altitude at which the mountain slopes were too steep and rocky to farm. Nonetheless, once the sugar industry was finally abandoned, vegetation on the leeward side of the island regrew reasonably well, as scrub and secondary forest.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

===Water resources===
[[File:Nevis Hot Spring.jpg|thumb|upright=1|A hot volcanic spring water bathing pool at Bath Spring]]
Nevis has several natural freshwater springs, including [[Horatio Nelson|Nelson's]] Spring. The island also has numerous non-potable volcanic [[hot spring]]s, including most notably the Bath Spring near Bath village, just south of the capital Charlestown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wellness |url=https://nevisisland.com/wellness/ |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Nevis Tourism Authority |language=en}}</ref>

After heavy rains, powerful rivers of rainwater pour down the numerous [[ravine]]s, known as ghauts.<ref name="UNEP 2020 r296">{{cite web | title=Staunching the flow: St. Kitts and Nevis' fight to keep its soil | website=UNEP | date=August 24, 2020 | url=https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/staunching-flow-st-kitts-and-nevis-fight-keep-its-soil | access-date=March 22, 2024 | archive-date=22 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322144301/https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/staunching-flow-st-kitts-and-nevis-fight-keep-its-soil | url-status=live }}</ref> When the water reaches the coastline, the corresponding coastal ponds, both freshwater and brackish, fill to capacity and beyond, spilling over into the sea.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

With modern development, the existing freshwater springs are no longer enough to supply water to the whole island. The water supply now comes mostly from Government wells. The major source of potable water for the island is groundwater, obtained from 14 active wells. Water is pumped from the wells, stored and allowed to flow by gravity to the various locations.<ref name="ECLAC">The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). [http://www.eclac.cl/publicaciones/xml/9/13229/lcarg749-12-Chapter09.pdf "Chapter 9: St. Kitts and Nevis"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926162940/http://www.eclac.cl/publicaciones/xml/9/13229/lcarg749-12-Chapter09.pdf |date=26 September 2007 }}. In Programme of Action for the sustainable development of small island developing States (SIDS POA). United Nations, 2003-09-29. Retrieved 28 August 2007.</ref>

===Climate===
{{See also|Saint Kitts and Nevis#Climate}}
The climate is tropical with little variation, tempered all year round (but particularly from December through February) by the steady north-easterly winds, called the [[trade winds]]. There is a slightly hotter and somewhat rainier season from May to November.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlas |first=Weather |title=Yearly & Monthly weather - Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/saint-kitts-and-nevis/nevis-climate?utm |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Weather Atlas |language=en-us}}</ref>

Nevis lies within the track area of tropical storms and occasional hurricanes. These storms can develop between June 1 and November 30. This time of year has the heaviest rainfalls.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Nevis also experiences many fires, including the devastating Nevisian Fire of 1876.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

== Economy ==
[[File:Nevis montravers2.jpg|thumb|upright=1|An African [[Adansonia digitata|baobab tree]] by a ruin at Mountravers Estate, a former plantation that produced, on average, 110 [[hogshead]]s, about {{convert|30,000|kg|lb|order=flip|disp=or}} of sugar and around {{convert|7,250|impgal|L|abbr=off}} of rum annually<ref name="Bristol" />]]
[[File:Nevis Montravers1.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Nevis Heritage Trail sign at Mountravers Estate]]
The official currency is the [[Eastern Caribbean dollar]] (EC$), which is shared used by the eight member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.<ref name="p684">{{cite web | last=Bank | first=Eastern Caribbean Central | title=Currency | website=Eastern Caribbean Central Bank | url=https://www.eccb-centralbank.org/currency | access-date=2024-09-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chen |first=James |date=13 September 2022 |title=XCD (Eastern Caribbean Dollar): What it Means, How it Works |url=https://www.investopedia.com/terms/x/xcd-eastern-caribbean-dollar.asp#:~:text=XCD%20is%20the%20symbol%20for,Saint%20Vincent%20and%20the%20Grenadines. |access-date=10 August 2024 |website=Investopedia}}</ref>

The [[European Commission|European Commission's Delegation]] in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean estimates the annual per capita [[Gross Domestic Product]] (GDP) on Nevis to be about 10 per cent higher{{When|date=November 2018}} than on St. Kitts.<ref name="EU">[http://www.delbrb.ec.europa.eu/en/eu_and_country/stkitts_overview.htm "EU & the Eastern Caribbean: St Kitts and Nevis Overview"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916125701/http://www.delbrb.ec.europa.eu/en/eu_and_country/stkitts_overview.htm |date=16 September 2007 }}. The European Commission's Delegation in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

===Tourism===
The major source of revenue for Nevis as of 2023 according to [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] is tourism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dept |first=International Monetary Fund Western Hemisphere |date=2023-03-31 |title=St. Kitts and Nevis: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for St. Kitts and Nevis |url=https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2023/130/article-A001-en.xml |journal=IMF Staff Country Reports |language=en |volume=2023 |issue=130 |doi=10.5089/9798400239748.002.A001 |doi-broken-date=2 November 2024 |access-date=16 March 2024 |archive-date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316073503/https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2023/130/article-A001-en.xml |url-status=live }}</ref> During the 2003–2004 season, approximately 40,000 tourists visited the island.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saint-kitts-and-nevis/ CIA Factbook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205061139/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/sc.html |date=5 December 2020 }} (2006). Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> A five-star hotel ''(The Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies)'', four exclusive restored plantation inns, and several smaller hotels including Oualie Beach Resort are currently in operation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oualiebeach.com/ |title=Oualie Beach Resort - Nevis Hotel |publisher=Oualiebeach.com |date= |accessdate=2022-08-06 |archive-date=20 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720002651/https://www.oualiebeach.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Larger developments along the west coast have recently{{When|date=November 2018}} been approved and are in the process of being developed.<ref>[http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000015/001529.htm "Developers pay US$10m installment for Nevis land"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060808184040/http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000015/001529.htm |date=8 August 2006 }}. Caribbean Net News, 9 May 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

===Offshore banking===
The introduction of secrecy legislation has made [[Offshore Financial Centre|offshore financial services]] a rapidly growing economic sector in Nevis. Incorporation of companies, international insurance and reinsurance, as well as several international banks, trust companies, asset management firms, have created a boost in the economy.<ref name="Finance"/> During 2005, the Nevis Island Treasury collected $94.6 million in annual revenue, compared to $59.8 million during 2001.<ref>[http://www.queencitynevis.com/news2.asp?pressId=339 "Employment on Nevis increases"]{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} (2006). Nevis Island Government Press Release, May 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

In 1998, 17,500 international banking companies were registered in Nevis. Registration and annual filing fees paid in 1999 by these entities amounted to over 10 per cent of Nevis' revenues.<ref name="EU" /> The offshore financial industry gained importance during the financial disaster of 1999 when [[Hurricane Lenny]] damaged the major resort on the island, causing the hotel to be closed down for a year and 400 of the 700 employees to be laid off.<ref name="EU" />

In 2000, the [[Financial Action Task Force]], part of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), issued a blacklist of 35 nations which were said to be non-cooperative in the campaign against tax evasion and [[money laundering]]. At the time, the list included the [[Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis]],<ref>See articles in the  [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/806236.stm BBC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222182151/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/806236.stm |date=22 February 2009 }}, [http://www.islandsun.com/archives/2001-January/100101/local1-v4i38.html Island Sun] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019074856/http://www.islandsun.com/archives/2001-January/100101/local1-v4i38.html |date=19 October 2006 }}, and [http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20020422&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=104220017&Ref=AR The Royal Gazette] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630103641/http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20020422&Category=BUSINESS&ArtNo=104220017&Ref=AR |date=30 June 2006 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> although the country was subsequently removed following various reforms.<ref name=FATF2023List>{{cite web|title=Black and Grey Lists|url=https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/black-and-grey-lists.html|website=Fatf-gafi.org|date=2023|publisher=Financial Action Task Force|access-date=30 July 2023|archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701063728/https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/countries/black-and-grey-lists.html}}</ref>

== Politics ==
[[File:Nevis Pier.jpg|thumb|upright=1|The new seawall at [[Charlestown, Nevis]], in 2005. [[Saint Kitts]] is seen in the background across the channel known as The Narrows; the museum of Nevis history is visible in the mid distance.]]
The political structure for the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is based on the [[Westminster Parliament|Westminster Parliamentary system]], but it is a unique structure<ref>Phillips, Fred (2002). ''Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law''. Cavendish Publishing, 2002, {{ISBN|1-84314-429-8}}, p. 136: "St Kitts and Nevis has broken new ground in creating a federal structure that is ''sui generis'': a Federation not between St Kitts and Nevis, but between Nevis on the one hand and St Kitts and Nevis on the other."</ref> in that Nevis has its own unicameral legislature, consisting of [[Charles III of the United Kingdom|His Majesty]]'s representative (the Deputy Governor General) and members of the [[Nevis Island Assembly]]. Nevis has considerable autonomy in its legislative branch. The constitution actually empowers the Nevis Island Legislature to make laws that cannot be abrogated by the National Assembly.<ref name="Georgetown University">See section 3 and 4 about Nevis Island Legislature and Administration in ''The Saint Christopher and Nevis Constitution Order 1983''. Published online by [http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Kitts/kitts83.html Georgetown University] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820122204/http://pdba.georgetown.edu/Constitutions/Kitts/kitts83.html |date=20 August 2017 }} and also by [http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/sk&n/centre/nevis.html University of the West Indies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210085350/http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/bnccde/sk%26n/centre/nevis.html |date=10 December 2008 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

Nevis has a constitutionally protected right to secede from the federation, should a two-thirds majority of the island's population vote for independence in a local referendum. Section 113.(1) of the constitution states: "The Nevis Island Legislature may provide that the island of Nevis shall cease to be federated with the island of Saint Christopher and accordingly that this Constitution shall no longer have effect in the island of Nevis."<ref name="Georgetown University"/>

Nevis has its own [[Premier of Nevis|premier]] and its own government, the [[Nevis Island Administration]]. It collects its own taxes and has a separate budget, with a current account surplus. According to a statement released by the Nevis Ministry of Finance in 2005, Nevis had one of the highest growth rates in gross national product and per capita income in the Caribbean at that point.<ref>Nevis Island Administration – Ministry of Finance (2005).  [http://www.nevisfinance.com/About.cfm?Idz=4 Quick Facts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620104351/http://nevisfinance.com/About.cfm?Idz=4 |date=20 June 2006 }}. ''About Nevis. Tax and Economic System.'' Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

===Elections===
{{main|Politics of Saint Kitts and Nevis}}<!--Please add new information into relevant articles of the series-->
Nevis elections are scheduled every five years. The Nevis elections of 2013, called on 23 January 2013, were won by the party in opposition, the [[Concerned Citizens Movement]] (CCM), led by [[Vance Amory]]. The CCM won three of the five seats in the Nevis Island Assembly, while the incumbent party, the [[Nevis Reformation Party]] (NRP), won two.<ref>[http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/2013/01/18/ccm-defeats-nrp.html "CCM Defeats NRP in Nevis Elections"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127180017/http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/2013/01/18/ccm-defeats-nrp.html |date=27 January 2013 }}. The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer, 23 January 2013.</ref>

In the federal elections of 2010, the CCM won two of the three Nevis assigned Federal seats, while the NRP won one. Of the eight Saint Kitts assigned federal seats, the St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party won six and the People's Action Movement (PAM) two.<ref>[http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2010893355_apcbstkittselection.html?syndication=rss "St. Kitts ruling party wins in early elections"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729122131/http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2010893355_apcbstkittselection.html?syndication=rss |date=29 July 2013 }}. The Seattle Times, 26 January 2010.</ref>

===Movement for constitutional reform===
[[Joseph Parry (politician)|Joseph Parry]], leader of the opposition, has indicated that he favours constitutional reform over secession for Nevis. His party, the NRP, has historically been the strongest and most ardent proponent for Nevis independence; the party came to power with secession as the main campaign issue. In 1975, the NRP manifesto declared that: "The Nevis Reformation Party will strive at all costs to gain secession for Nevis from St. Kitts – a privilege enjoyed by the island of Nevis prior to 1882."<ref>Herbert, Roy (2005). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060718073555/http://www.nevisindependence.com/history.html "A short historical look at the Relationship between St. Kitts & Nevis"]}}. Historical Review. Nevis Independence, 4 February 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

A cursory proposal for constitutional reform was presented by the NRP in 1999, but the issue was not prominent in the 2006 election campaign and it appears a detailed proposal has yet to be worked out and agreed upon within the party.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2004/01/040126_nevis-opposition.shtml  "Nevis: 'Reform before independence'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308043147/http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2004/01/040126_nevis-opposition.shtml |date=8 March 2021 }}. BBC Caribbean, online edition, 26 January 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

In ''Handbook of Federal Countries'' published by [[Forum of Federations]], the authors consider the constitution problematic because it does not "specifically outline" the federal financial arrangements or the means by which the central government and Nevis Island Administration can raise revenue: "In terms of the NIA, the constitution only states (in s. 108(1)) that 'all revenues...raised or received by the Administration...shall be paid into and form a fund styled the Nevis Island Consolidated Fund.' [...] Section 110(1) states that the proceeds of all 'takes' collected in St. Kitts and Nevis under any law are to be shared between the federal government and the Nevis Island Administration based on population. The share going to the NIA, however, is subject to deductions (s. 110(2)), such as the cost of common services and debt charges, as determined by the Governor-General (s.110(3)) on the advice of the Prime Minister who can also take advice from the Premier of Nevis (s.110(4))."<ref name="Griffiths">Griffiths, Ann Lynn and Karl Nerenberg (2002). ''Handbook of Federal Countries''. Ed. Karl Nerenberg. Published McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP, 2002. {{ISBN|0-7735-2511-4}}, p. 274.</ref>

According to a 1995 report by the Commonwealth Observer Group of the [[Commonwealth Secretariat]], "the federal government is also the local government of St Kitts and this has resulted in a perception among the political parties in Nevis that the interests of the people of Nevis are being neglected by the federal government which is more concerned with the administration of St Kitts than with the federal administration."<ref>''General Election in St Kitts and Nevis 3 July 1995: The Report of the Commonwealth Observer Group''. Commonwealth Observer Group, Commonwealth Secretariat, 1995. {{ISBN|0-85092-466-9}}, p.3.</ref>

===Secession movement===
[[Simeon Daniel]], Nevis' first Premier and former leader of the [[Nevis Reformation Party]] (NRP) and [[Vance Amory]], Premier and leader of the [[Concerned Citizens Movement]] (CCM), made sovereign independence for Nevis from the [[Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis]] part of their parties' agenda.<ref>[http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000020/002025.htm "Independence for Nevis still on the agenda, says premier."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060808185131/http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000020/002025.htm |date=8 August 2006 }} ''Caribbean Net News'', 16 June 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> Since independence from the United Kingdom in 1983, the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government have been involved in several conflicts over the interpretation of the new constitution which came into effect at independence. During an interview on [[Voice of America]] in March 1998, repeated in a government-issued press release headlined "PM Douglas Maintains 1983 Constitution is Flawed", [[Prime Minister]] [[Denzil Douglas]] called the constitution a "recipe for disaster and disharmony among the people of both islands".<ref>Office of the Prime Minister (1998). [http://www.stkittsnevis.net/media/march98.html "PM Douglas Maintains 1983 Constitution is Flawed."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031022014943/http://www.stkittsnevis.net/media/march98.html |date=22 October 2003 }} Media Release, 11 March 1998. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

A crisis developed in 1984 when the [[People's Action Movement]] (PAM) won a majority in the Federal elections and temporarily ceased honouring the Federal Government's financial obligations to Nevis.<ref name="CCM" /> Consequently, cheques issued by the Nevis Administration were not honoured by the Bank, public servants in Nevis were not paid on time and the Nevis Island Administration experienced difficulties in meeting its financial obligations.<ref name="CCM">The Concerned Citizens Movement (1996). [http://go.to/nevisisland "The Way Forward For The Island Of Nevis." ''Nevis, Queen of the Caribees''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715181412/http://go.to/nevisisland |date=15 July 2006 }} Nevis Island Administration, September 1996. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

There is also substantial support in Nevis for [[British Overseas Territory]] status similar to [[Anguilla]]'s, which was formerly the third of the tri-state [[Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla]] colony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mondaq.com/x/4365/offshore+financial+centres/Secession+The+Way+Forward+For+Nevis+St+Kitts|title=Secession – The Way Forward For Nevis & St. Kitts – Wealth Management – Nevis|website=mondaq.com|access-date=21 June 2017|archive-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510103822/http://www.mondaq.com/x/4365/offshore+financial+centres/Secession+The+Way+Forward+For+Nevis+St+Kitts|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Legislative motivation for secession====
In 1996, four new bills were introduced in the National Assembly in Saint Kitts, one of which made provisions to have revenue derived from activities in Nevis paid directly to the treasury in Saint Kitts instead of to the treasury in Nevis. Another bill, The Financial Services Committee Act, contained provisions that all investments in Saint Kitts and Nevis would require approval by an investment committee in Saint Kitts. This was controversial, because ever since 1983 the Nevis Island Administration had approved all investments for Nevis, on the basis that the constitution vests legislative authority for industries, trades and businesses and economic development in Nevis to the Nevis Island Administration.<ref name="Phillips">Phillips, Fred (2002). Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law. Cavendish Publishing, 2002, {{ISBN|1-84314-429-8}}.</ref>

All three representatives from Nevis, including the leader of the opposition in the Nevis Island Assembly, objected to the introduction of these bills into the National Assembly in Saint Kitts, arguing that the bills would affect the ability of Nevis to develop its offshore financial services sector and that the bills would be detrimental to the Nevis economy. All the representatives in opposition in the National Assembly shared the conviction that the bills if passed into law, would be unconstitutional and undermine the constitutional and legislative authority of the Nevis Island Administration, as well as result in the destruction of the economy of Nevis.<ref name="CCM"/>

The constitutional crisis initially developed when the newly appointed Attorney General refused to grant permission for the Nevis Island Administration to assert its legal right in the Courts. After a decision of the High Court in favour of the Nevis Island Administration, the Prime Minister gave newspaper interviews stating that he "refused to accept the decision of the High Court".<ref>''St. Kitts and Nevis Observer'' July 16–22, 1995. Qtd. in The Concerned Citizens Movement. "The Way Forward For The Island Of Nevis." ''Nevis, Queen of the Caribees''. Nevis Island Administration, September 1996.</ref> Due to the deteriorating relationship between the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government, a Constitutional Committee was appointed in April 1996 to advise on whether or not the present constitutional arrangement between the islands should continue. The committee recommended constitutional reform and the establishment of an island administration for Saint Kitts, separate from the Federal Government.<ref name="Phillips" />

The Federal Government in Saint Kitts fills both functions today and Saint Kitts does not have an equivalent to the Nevis Island Administration. Disagreements between the political parties in Nevis and between the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government have prevented the recommendations by the electoral committee from being implemented. The problematic political arrangement between the two islands, therefore, continues to date.<ref name="Griffiths" />

Nevis has continued developing its own legislation, such as The Nevis International Insurance Ordinance and the Nevis International Mutual Funds Ordinance of 2004,<ref name="Finance">As reported by the Premier at the official Web site for [http://www.nevisfinance.com/About.cfm?Idz=1 Nevis Financial Services Departments and the Ministry of Finance, Nevis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514180802/http://www.nevisfinance.com/About.cfm?Idz=1 |date=14 May 2006 }}. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> but calls for secession are often based on concerns that the legislative authority of the Nevis Island Administration might be challenged again in the future.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

====Fiscal motivation for secession====
The issues of political dissension between Saint Kitts and Nevis are often centred around perceptions of imbalance in the economic structure.<ref>Anckar, Dag (2001). "Party systems and voter alignments in small island states". In ''Party Systems and Voter Alignments Revisited''. Eds. Lauri Karvonen and Stein Kuhnle. Routledge, 2001. {{ISBN|0-415-23720-3}}. p. 270: "To a historical rivalry between the islands must be added a structural economic imbalance".</ref> As noted by many scholars,<ref>See for example: Duval, David Timothy (2004). ''Tourism in the Caribbean: Trends, Development, Prospects''. Routledge, 2004. {{ISBN|0-415-30361-3}}, p. 102: "Nevis has claimed domination and exploitation by St Kitts and has come to view St Kitts as the 'larger omnipresent looming partner' (Premdas 2000). Such mistreatment (whether real or perceived), combined with the subordinate island's distinctive cultural and historical identity, has fostered an ambivalent relationship between internal core and periphery. These accusations and counter-attacks have been entrenched in the countries' collective memory and have, to some degree, permeated many aspects of society." See also: Phillips, Fred (2002). ''Commonwealth Caribbean Constitutional Law'' Cavendish Publishing, 2002. {{ISBN|1-84314-429-8}}: "In ''Freedom in the Caribbean'', reference was made to the long history of grievance nurtured by Nevis against St Kitts [ever since] imperial legislation brought Nevis into the unitary state of St Kitts/Nevis/Anguilla in 1882."</ref> Nevisians have often referred to a structural imbalance in Saint Kitts' favour in how funds are distributed between the two islands and this issue has made the movement for Nevis secession a constant presence in the island's political arena, with many articles appearing in the local press expressing concerns such as those compiled by Everton Powell in "What Motivates Our Call for Independence":<ref>Powell, Everton (Ed.) (2006). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060614041920/http://www.nevisindependence.com/ "What Motivates Our Call for Independence"]}}. Nevis Independence. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref> 
* Many of the businesses that operate in Nevis are headquartered in Saint Kitts and pay the corporate taxes to Saint Kitts, despite the fact that profits for those businesses are derived from Nevis.<ref name="CCM"/>
* The vast majority of Nevisians and residents of Nevis depart the Federation from Saint Kitts. This meant that departure taxes are paid in Saint Kitts.<ref name="CCM"/>
* The bulk of cargo destined for Nevis enters the Federation through Saint Kitts. Custom duties are therefore paid in Saint Kitts.<ref name="CCM"/>
* The largest expenditure for Nevis, approximately 29 per cent of the Nevis Island Administration's recurrent budget, is education and health services, but the Nevis Island Legislature has no power to legislate over these two areas.<ref name="CCM"/>
* Police, defense and coast guard are a federal responsibility. Charlestown Police Station, which served as the Headquarters for police officers in Nevis, was destroyed by fire in December 1991. Police officers initially had to operate out of the ruin, until the Nevis Island Administration managed to raise the resources to re-house the police.<ref name="CCM"/>
* Nevis experiences an economic disadvantage because of preferential treatment by the federal government for development of Saint Kitts. The division of foreign aid and various forms of international assistance toward development and infrastructure are especially contentious issues. Lists showing the disparities in sharing have been compiled by Dr. Everson Hull, a former Economics professor of Howard University, and are available online.<ref>Hull, E. {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060515134454/http://www.nevisindependence.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1080376868&archive=&start_from=&ucat=& "Part I: Grabbing the Forgiven-debt Money."]}} and {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060515134545/http://www.nevisindependence.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1080376524&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2& "On the Money Trail – PART II"]}}. Nevis Independence. See also Powell, Everton (2006). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060618055453/http://www.nevisindependence.com/disparities.htm "Disparities in sharing"]}}. Nevis Independence. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

====1998 referendum====
{{See also|Nevis independence referendum, 1998}}
A referendum on secession from the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis was held in 1998. Although 62% voted in favor of a secession, a two-thirds majority would have been necessary for the referendum to succeed.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== Administrative divisions ==
{{main|Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
[[File:Gingerland.jpg|300px|thumb|upright=1|Saint George Gingerland Parish]]
The island of Nevis is divided into five administrative subdivisions called [[parish]]es, each of which has an elected representative in the Nevis Island Assembly. The division of this almost round island into parishes was done in a [[circular sector]] pattern, so each parish is shaped like a pie slice, reaching from the highest point of [[Nevis Peak]] down to the coastline.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-26 |title=Census shows a 7.4 percent increase in the population on Nevis |url=https://nia.gov.kn/census-shows-a-7-4-percent-increase-in-the-population-on-nevis/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=NIA - Nevis Island Administration |language=en-CA}}</ref>

Some of the parishes have double names. For example, [[Saint George Gingerland]]'s first part of its name is the name of the [[patron saint]] of the parish church, and the second part of the name is the traditional [[common name]] of the parish. Often the parishes are referred to simply by their common names. The religious part of a parish name is sometimes written or pronounced in the possessive, as follows: Saint George's Gingerland.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The five parishes of Nevis are:
* [[Saint George Gingerland]]
* [[Saint James Windward]]
* [[Saint John Figtree]]
* [[Saint Paul Charlestown]]
* [[Saint Thomas Lowland]]

== Culture ==
{{See also|Music of Saint Kitts and Nevis|Saint Kitts Creole}}
''Culturama'', the annual cultural festival of Nevis, is celebrated during the Emancipation Day weekend, the first week of August. The festivities include many traditional folk dances, such as the [[Masquerade ceremony|masquerade]], the [[Moko jumbie]]s on stilts, Cowboys and Indians, and Plait the Ribbon, a [[May pole]] dance. The celebration was given a more organised form in 1974, including a Miss Culture Show and a [[Calypso music|Calypso]] Competition, as well as drama performances, old fashion Troupes (including Johnny Walkers, Giant and Spear, Bulls, Red Cross and Blue Ribbon), arts and crafts exhibitions and recipe competitions. According to the Nevis Department of Culture, the aim is to protect and encourage indigenous folklore, in order to make sure that the uniquely Caribbean culture can "reassert itself and flourish".<ref>Nevis Department of Culture (2006). [http://www.nevisculturama.net/about_culturama.htm Nevis Culturama] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060713104618/http://www.nevisculturama.net/about_culturama.htm |date=13 July 2006 }}. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>

===Language===
The official language is [[English (language)|English]]. [[Saint Kitts Creole]] is also spoken on Nevis and less so on the neighbouring island.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

===Music, theatre and dance===
Nevisian culture has since the 17th century incorporated [[Africa]]n, [[Europe]]an, and [[East India]]n cultural elements, creating a distinct [[Afro-Caribbean people|Afro-Caribbean]] culture. Several historical anthropologists have done field research Nevis and in Nevisian [[Immigration|migrant]] communities in order to trace the creation and constitution of a Nevisian cultural community. Karen Fog Olwig published her research about Nevis in 1993, writing that the areas where the Afro-Caribbean traditions were especially strong and flourishing relate to [[kinship]] and [[subsistence farming]]. However, she adds, Afro-Caribbean cultural impulses were not recognised or valued in the colonial society and were therefore often expressed through Euro-Caribbean cultural forms.<ref>Olwig, Karen Fog (1993). ''Global Culture, Island Identity: continuity and change in the Afro-Caribbean community of Nevis''. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1993.</ref>

Examples of European forms appropriated to express Afro-Caribbean culture are the Nevisian and Kittitian ''Tea Meetings'' and ''Christmas Sports''. According to anthropologist [[Roger D. Abrahams]], these traditional performance art forms are "Nevisian approximation of British performance codes, techniques, and patterns". He writes that the Tea Meetings were staged as theatrical "battles between decorum and chaos", [[decorum]] represented by the ceremony chairmen and chaos the hecklers in the audience, with a diplomatic King or a Queen presiding over the battle to ensure fairness.<ref>Abrahams, Roger D. (1983). ''Man of Words in the West Indies: Performance and the Emergence of Creole Culture''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins U P, 1983.</ref>

The Christmas Sports included a form of comedy and satire based on local events and gossip.<ref name="Abrahams1" /> They were historically an important part of the Christmas celebrations in Nevis, performed on Christmas Eve by small troupes consisting of five or six men accompanied by string bands from different parts of the island. One of the men in the troupe was dressed as a woman, playing all the female parts in the dramatisations. The troupes moved from yard to yard to perform their skits, using props, face paint and costumes to play the roles of well-known personalities in the community.<ref name="Abrahams1"/>

Examples of gossip about undesired behaviour that could surface in the skits for comic effect were querulous neighbours, adulterous affairs, planters mistreating workers, domestic disputes or abuse, crooked politicians and any form of stealing or cheating experienced in the society. Even though no names were mentioned in these skits, the audience would usually be able to guess who the heckling message in the troupe's dramatised portrayals was aimed at, as it was played out right on the person's own front yard. The acts thus functioned as social and moral commentaries on current events and behaviours in Nevisian society. This particular form is called "Bazzarding" by many locals. Abrahams theorises that Christmas Sports are rooted in the pre-emancipation Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations, when the enslaved population had several days off.<ref name="Abrahams1">Abrahams, Roger D. (1973). "Christmas Mummings on Nevis." North Carolina Folklore Journal (1973): pp. 120–31.</ref>

American folklorist and musicologist [[Alan Lomax]] visited Nevis in 1962 in order to conduct long-term research into the black folk culture of the island. His field trip to Nevis and surrounding islands resulted in the anthology ''Lomax Caribbean Voyage'' series.<ref>Cowley, John. [http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/nevis.htm "Caribbean Voyage: Nevis & St Kitts Tea Meetings, Christmas Sports, & the Moonlight Night"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070506220528/http://www.mustrad.org.uk/reviews/nevis.htm |date=6 May 2007 }}. ''Musical Traditions'', 1 November 2002. Retrieved 8 May 2007.</ref> 
Among the Nevisians recorded were [[chantey]]-singing fishermen in a session organised in a rum shop in Newcastle; Santoy, the Calypsonian, performing [[Calypso music|calypsos]] by Nevisian ballader and local legend Charles Walters<ref>Abrahams, Roger D. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1498145 "Charles Walters – West Indian Autolycus'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227062618/http://www.jstor.org/stable/1498145 |date=27 February 2017 }}. Western Folklore, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Apr. 1968), pp. 77–95.</ref> to guitar and [[Cuatro (instrument)|cuatro]]; and [[string band]]s, [[fife (instrument)|fife]] players and drummers from Gingerland, performing [[quadrilles]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The island is also known for "Jamband music", which is the kind of music performed by local bands during the "[[Culturama]] Festival" and is key to "Jouvert" dancing. The sounds of the so-called "Iron Band" are also popular within the culture; many locals come together using any old pans, sinks, or other kits of any sort; which they use to create sounds and music. This form of music is played throughout the villages during the Christmas and carnival seasons.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

===Architecture===
[[File:The Museum of Nevis History - Alexander Hamilton birthplace.jpg|thumb|upright=1|The [[Museum of Nevis History]] in Charlestown is housed in the restored [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] stone building which is near the mostly wooden building where [[Alexander Hamilton]] was born.]]
A series of earthquakes during the 18th century severely damaged most of the colonial-era stone buildings of Charlestown. The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] stone buildings in Charlestown that are visible today had to be partially rebuilt after the earthquakes, and this led to the development of a new architectural style, consisting of a wooden upper floor over a stone ground floor; the new style resisted earthquake damage much more effectively.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beat |first=Caribbean |date=2018-07-01 |title=Charlestown, Nevis {{!}} Neighbourhood |url=https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-152/charlestown-nevis-neighbourhood |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=Caribbean Beat Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Two important Nevisian buildings from the 18th century are Hermitage Plantation, built of [[lignum vitae]] wood in 1740, the oldest surviving wooden house still in use in the Caribbean today, and the Bath Hotel, the first hotel in the Caribbean, a luxury hotel and spa built by John Huggins in 1778. The soothing waters of the hotel's [[hot spring]] and the lively social life on Nevis attracted Europeans including Antigua-based [[Admiral Nelson]], and Prince William Henry, [[Duke of Clarence]], (future [[William IV of the United Kingdom]]), who attended balls and private parties at the Bath Hotel. Today, the building serves as government offices, and there are two outdoor hot-spring bathing spots which were specially constructed in recent years{{When|date=November 2018}} for public use.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

According to local [[folklore]], a destructive 1680 or 1690 earthquake and [[tsunami]] destroyed the buildings of the original capital Jamestown on the west coast. Folk tales say that the town sank beneath the ocean, and the tsunami is blamed for the escape of (possibly fictional) pirate [[Red Legs Greaves]].<ref name="Gosse - Who's Who">{{cite book|last1=Gosse|first1=Philip|title=The Pirates' Who's Who by Philip Gosse|date=1924|publisher=Burt Franklin|location=New York|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19564/19564-h/19564-h.htm|access-date=23 June 2017|archive-date=16 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216221651/http://www.gutenberg.org/files/19564/19564-h/19564-h.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> However, archaeologists from the [[University of Southampton]] who have done excavations in the area have found no evidence for such a tsunami. They state that this story may originate with an over-excited Victorian letter writer sharing somewhat exaggerated accounts of his exotic life in the tropical colony with a British audience back home.<ref>Machling, Tessa (2002). "Jamestown, Morton's Bay and James Fort: Myth, Port and Fort". ''Interim Report for the 2002 Season, Theme Two.'' University of Southampton.</ref>

One such letter recounts that so much damage was done to the town that it was completely evacuated, and was engulfed by the sea. Early maps do not, however, actually show a settlement called "Jamestown", only "Morton's Bay", and later maps show that all that was left of Jamestown/Morton's Bay in 1818 was a building labelled "Pleasure House". Very old bricks that wash up on Pinney's Beach after storms may have contributed to this legend of a sunken town; however, these bricks are thought to be dumped ballast from 17th and 18th century sailing ships.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

==Notable people==
* [[Arthur Anslyn]], marine expert
* [[Keith Arthurton]], [[cricket]] player<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/51110.html |title=Keith Arthurton |website=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date=6 January 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303040035/https://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/51110.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Bertram L. Baker]], Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly (1966–1970)
* [[John Cleese]], actor/comedian, founding member of the British comedy group [[Monty Python]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/jul/11/so-disappointed-john-cleese-to-quit-uk-for-caribbean |title='So disappointed': John Cleese to quit UK for Caribbean |first=Jessica |last=McKay |work=The Guardian |date=11 July 2018 |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-cleese-uk-leave-brexit-nevis-caribbean-politics-a8442321.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-cleese-uk-leave-brexit-nevis-caribbean-politics-a8442321.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=John Cleese says he is leaving UK and moving to Caribbean in protest over 'awful' Brexit debate |first=Maya |last=Oppenheim |work=The Independent |date=11 July 2018 |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref>
* [[Frances Coker|Frances "Fanny" Coker]] (1767 – 1820) freed slave in Bristol
* [[Rupert Crosse]], first African American to be nominated for an [[Academy Award]] as Best Supporting Actor
* [[Alexander Hamilton]], statesman and one of the [[Founding Fathers of the United States]]
* [[Runako Morton]], cricket player
* [[Frances Nelson]], wife of [[Admiral Nelson|Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=White |first=Colin |title=The Wife's Tale: Frances, Lady Nelson and the break-up of her marriage |journal=Journal for Maritime Research |date=October 2003 |volume=5 |pages=121–142 |issn=1469-1957 |publisher=National Maritime Museum |location=Greenwich, London |doi=10.1080/21533369.2003.9668331 |s2cid=161384767 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
* [[Eulalie Spence]], pioneer playwright of the [[Harlem Renaissance]]<ref name=lupino>{{cite book |last=Donati |first=William |title=Ida Lupino: A Biography |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Whjb4eJKkHYC&pg=PT244 |year=2013 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-4352-1 |page=244}}</ref><ref name=whipping>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Braconi |first=Adrienne Macki |title=Eulalie Spence |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=09Kn02VI6z4C&pg=PA134 |encyclopedia=The Cambridge Companion to African American Theatre |editor-first=Harvey |editor-last=Young |location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] |publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2013 |isbn=978-1107017122|pages=117–134|via=Google Books|access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Parascandola |first=Louis J. |title=Look for Me All Around You: Anglophone Caribbean Immigrants in the Harlem Renaissance |publisher=[[Wayne State University]] Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-8143-2987-X}}</ref>
* [[Elquemedo Willett]], cricket player, inducted into the Nevis Sports Museum Hall of Fame in 2005<ref>CMC (2005). [http://www.windiescricket.com/article.asp?ID=258732  "Willett for Nevis Sports Hall of Fame"]{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''West Indies Cricket Board'', 27 February 2005. Retrieved 8 August 2006.</ref>
* [[Kieran Powell]], cricket player

== See also ==
* [[Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands]]
* [[Nevis Historical and Conservation Society]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin}}
* Michener, James, A. 1989. ''Caribbean''. Secker & Warburg. London. {{ISBN|0-436-27971-1}} (Especially Chap. VIII. "A Wedding on Nevis", pp.&nbsp;289–318). The book is a fictionalised account of Caribbean history, but according to the publisher, "...everything said about Nelson and his frantic search for a wealthy life is based on fact."
* Ordnance Survey, Government of the United Kingdom, 1984. ''Nevis, with part of St. Christopher (Saint Kitts). Series E803 (D.O.S. 343), Sheet NEVIS, Edition 5 O.S.D. 1984''. Reprinted in 1995, published by the Government of the United Kingdom (Ordnance Survey) for the Government of Saint Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis.
* Robinson, David and Jennifer Lowery (Editors), 2000. ''The natural history of the island of Nevis''. [[Nevis Historical and Conservation Society]] Press, Ithaca, New York.
* Keith C. Simmonds. "Political and Economic Factors Influencing the St. Kitts-Nevis Polity: An Historical Perspective."  Phylon Vol. 48, No. 4 (4th Qtr., 1987), pp.&nbsp;277–286 
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Nevis}}
{{AmCyc poster|Nevis}}
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Nevis |volume= XVII | page= 369 |short=1}}
* [http://www.nia.gov.kn/ Nevis Island Administration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507062841/http://www.nia.gov.kn/ |date=7 May 2012 }}
* [http://www.nevisisland.com/ Nevis Island Tourism Authority] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717074342/http://www.nevisisland.com/ |date=17 July 2012 }}

{{Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
{{Nevis elections}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|17|09|N|62|35|W|type:isle|display=title}}

[[Category:Nevis| ]]
[[Category:Autonomous regions]]
[[Category:Islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis]]
[[Category:Pleistocene stratovolcanoes]]
[[Category:Subduction volcanoes]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Saint Kitts and Nevis]]
[[Category:Volcanic islands]]