Country Motto: Country Above Self

Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 17 20 N, 62 45 W

Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Population: 38,958 (July 2005 est.)

Capital: Basseterre

There are over 200 heritage sites documented on St. Kitts alone, which at 68 square miles is more than anywhere else in the world.

Liamuiga is the original name of the island given by the native Amerindians. Liamuiga means "Fertile Island".

Christopher Columbus originally named the island St. Christopher (San Cristobal) after his patron saint. It was shortened to St. Kitts under the British in the 17th century.

Basseterre (the capital city) was the first French town in the West Indies.

The Great Siege of Brimestone Hill took place in 1782, when the French and British fought and the British took control of St. Kitts until their independence in 1983.

During the slave period, slave auctions were held in Independence Square. Slaves were kept in tunnels under the Georgian House and brought up to the Square for bidding.

Over 750,000 cases of Carib, SKOL, Guiness, Royal Extra Stout, Giant Malt and Vita Malt are brewed and distributed yearly at the Carib breweries in St. Kitts.