圣基茨和尼维斯

Saint Kitts and Nevis Capital:Basseterre Country Code: kn

　　圣基茨和尼维斯联邦，或称为圣克里斯多福与尼维斯 (Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis或Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis）位于中美洲加勒比海地区小安地列斯群岛北部，是一个由圣克里斯多福岛（圣基茨岛）与尼维斯岛所组成的联邦制岛国。该国是在1983年9月19日时脱离英国独立，首都为巴斯特尔。
　　
　　历史
　　圣基茨和尼维斯原本的住民为加勒比人（Caribs）。1493年哥伦布在他的第二次航海中登上圣克里斯多福岛（圣基茨岛），并且以自己的守护圣人圣克里斯多福（西班牙文：San Cristóbal，英文：St. Christopher）命名该岛。哥伦布也在同一次的航海中发现比较小的尼维斯岛，其命名则是源自西班牙文里的“雪”（Nieves），因为哥伦布认为该岛状似一座山顶顶着皑皑白雪的山头。然而，哥伦布虽然发现了这两座岛，但它们一直到1623年至1624年间，才开始有首批欧洲殖民者前来。英国人首先抵达，其次是法国人，英国人占领圣克里斯多福岛后将其名称简化为圣基茨（St. Kitts，Kitts是Christopher的简略称法），建立起加勒比海地区第一个英国殖民地，并且以该岛作为跳板，继续扩张该国在加勒比海地区的殖民地版图。
　　
　　地理
　　圣基茨和尼维斯的两个主要岛屿均为火山岛，岛上中部地区丛林密布，有数条河流自此发源流向大海，人迹罕至，居民多居住于沿海地区。
　　
　　行政区划
　　圣基茨和尼维斯全国共划分为14个教区（Parishes），其中9个在圣基茨岛，5个在尼维斯岛。首都巴斯特尔位于圣基茨岛南部沿海。

　　The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis), located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign nation in the Americas, in both area and population.
　　
　　The capital city and headquarters of government for the federated state is Basseterre on the larger island of Saint Kitts. The smaller state of Nevis lies about 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Saint Kitts, across a shallow channel called "The Narrows".
　　
　　Historically, the British dependency of Anguilla was also a part of this union, which was then known collectively as Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla. Saint Kitts and Nevis are geographically part of the Leeward Islands. To the north-northwest lie the islands of Saint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten. To the east and northeast are Antigua and Barbuda, and to the southeast is the small uninhabited island of Redonda, and the island of Montserrat, which currently has an active volcano (see Soufrière Hills.)
　　
　　Saint Kitts and Nevis were amongst the first islands in the Caribbean to be settled by Europeans. Saint Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean.

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