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40-699: Two of its core mandates are to maintain price and financial sector stability, by acting as a stabilizer and safe-guard of the banking system in the Eastern Caribbean Economic and Currency Union (OECS/ECCU). The bank is headquartered in Basseterre , St. Kitts . In 1946, a West Indian Currency Conference saw Barbados , British Guiana, the Leeward Islands , Trinidad and Tobago and the Windward Islands agree to establish

80-629: A British colony in 1671, with William Stapleton as its first governor. Although comparatively much smaller than the surrounding islands in the Caribbean, the Leeward Islands posed the most significant rebellion to the British Stamp Act , though it was decidedly less severe in comparison to that of the mainland North American colonies. In 1660, there were about 8,000 white settlers and approximately 2,000 enslaved Africans in

120-495: A 2 cent piece. Basseterre Basseterre ( / b æ s ˈ t ɛər / ; Saint Kitts Creole : Basterre ) is the capital and largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis with an estimated population of 14,000 in 2018. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at 17°18′N 62°44′W  /  17.300°N 62.733°W  / 17.300; -62.733 , on the south-western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it

160-742: A financial centre in the Eastern Caribbean. It is home to the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank , as well as the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange , which lists securities for companies and corporations in the region. The city is also headquarters for the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank , the largest bank in the Eastern Caribbean, in terms of assets. The city is also

200-608: A large number of Christian churches in the city for its size. Most are Protestant , due to British colonization, but the cathedral in Basseterre is Catholic . The Anglican , also called the "Church of England", has the largest number of members, followed by the Methodist . Other Protestant denominations include Moravian , Church of God , Baptist , Seventh-day Adventist , Jehovah's Witness , Rivers of Living Water and Pentecostal . Afro-Christian syncretic sects are also widespread. The city of Basseterre has established itself as

240-492: A major Eastern Caribbean industrial centre; its main exports being bass, electronics, beverages, apparel, and salt. The once dominating sugar industry closed in 2005. This was due to overwhelming debts and further predicted hardships from major price cuts planned by the EU . There are specified industrial estates which carry out sub-sonic technology, food processing, light engineering, bass engineering, and rum distilling. Basseterre

280-515: A pre-calculated price. The Deep Water Harbour in Basseterre is capable of both hosting and berthing of cruise ships or the handling of cargo. It is located to the extreme East of Basseterre Bay. Port Zante, in the centre of the Bay, is for cruise ships only. The port can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world. It also has a marina . The bay is also home to the bustling ferry operation which takes place between Basseterre and Charlestown,

320-591: A trip 5 to 10 miles (16 km), and $ 3.75 for a trip over 10 miles (16 km). (EC dollars. 1 US = 2.7 EC) No public buses travel southwards to the main resort areas in Frigate Bay and the South East Peninsula. Taxis have yellow license plates starting with the letter "T" or "TA". The taxi station in Basseterre is located at the Circus (466 6999). The taxis will take you just about anywhere for

360-630: A unified decimal currency system based on a West Indian dollar to replace the earlier arrangement of having three different Boards of Commissioners of Currency for Barbados (which also served the Leeward and Windward Islands), British Guiana, and Trinidad & Tobago. in 1950, the British Caribbean Currency Board (BCCB) was set up in Trinidad , with the sole right to issue notes and coins of the new unified currency and given

400-402: Is a hub for all major roads on the island of St. Kitts. Driving is done on the left. The speed limit in the city is 40 km/h (25 mph) everywhere, with special caution to be taken around school zones. Public buses have a green license plate starting with the letter "H". There are 5 main bus routes on St. Kitts: All bus fees are $ 2.50 for a trip 5 miles (8.0 km) and under, $ 3.00 for

440-585: Is geared towards tourism, and the Independence Square , which contains the cathedral, courthouse, and most of the older buildings. Basseterre is the main commercial and industrial centre of St. Kitts. It is also the country's main port of entry for both sea and air travel, as well as the road and rail transport hub. It houses the administration buildings for the federal government (those for the island of Nevis are in Charlestown ). It also houses

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480-606: Is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands . The city lies within Saint George Basseterre Parish . Basseterre is one of the oldest towns in the Eastern Caribbean . Basseterre was founded in 1627 by the French, under Sieur Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc . It served as the capital of the French colony of Saint-Christophe, which consisted of the northern and southern extremities of

520-599: The British Windward Islands in 1940. The name of this island group, Leeward Islands , dates from previous centuries, when sailing ships were the sole form of transportation across the Atlantic Ocean. In sailing terminology, " windward " means towards the source of the wind (upwind), while " leeward " is the opposite direction (downwind). In the West Indies , the prevailing winds, known as

560-878: The Lesser Antilles subduction zone . Some are still active. Notable eruptions occurred in Montserrat in the 1990s and in 2009 to 2010. At 1,467 metres or 4,813 feet, the highest point is La Grande Soufrière in Guadeloupe . The Caribs , after whom the Caribbean is named, are believed to have migrated from the Orinoco River area in Venezuela in South America to settle in the Caribbean islands about 1200 AD, according to carbon dating . Over

600-564: The Virgin Islands east of Puerto Rico , they extend southeast to Guadeloupe and its dependencies. In English, the term Leeward Islands refers to the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. The more southerly part of this chain, starting with Dominica , is called the Windward Islands . Dominica was initially considered a part of the Leeward Islands but was transferred from the British Leeward Islands to

640-554: The trade winds , blow predominantly out of the northeast. Therefore, a sailing vessel departing from the British Gold Coast and the Gulf of Guinea , driven by the trade winds, would usually first encounter Dominica and Martinique, islands most to windward, in their west-northwesterly heading to the final destinations in the Caribbean , Central America , and Northern America . This location, Dominica and Martinique, becomes

680-623: The ECCB in the supervision of offshore banks, however, varies across OECS countries, leading the International Monetary Fund to observe in 2013 the persistence of "gaps in the regulatory framework" applicable to offshore banks. In early 2015, the bank announced plans to phase out the production of the 1 and 2 cent pieces. The date was finalised as July 1, 2015. When a motive was sought, it was stated that it takes about six cents to make one cent pieces and about eight cents to make

720-441: The Leeward Islands. However, that ratio narrowed over succeeding years. In 1678, there were 10,408 white settlers and 8,449 enslaved Black people. By 1708, there was a huge disparity between the number of white settlers, which had declined to 7,311, and the number of enslaved Black people was estimated at 23,500. In 1816, the colony was dissolved as a federation of islands, and the individual islands were ruled individually. However,

760-869: The Lesser Antilles from the Virgin Islands to Trinidad and Tobago are known as the Windward Islands ( Bovenwindse Eilanden in Dutch, Îles du Vent in French, and Islas de Barlovento in Spanish). The ABC islands and the other islands along the Venezuelan coast, known in English as the Leeward Antilles , are known in languages other than English as an equivalent of the Leeward Islands. The islands were created mostly by volcanoes in

800-579: The Trinidad and Tobago dollar from 1964, rejoined the common currency arrangement in 1968. Barbados withdrew from the currency union in 1972, following which the ECCA headquarters were moved to Basseterre in St. Kitts. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Agreement, signed at Port of Spain on 5 July 1983, established the ECCB as the successor entity of the ECCA, tasked with maintaining the stability and integrity of

840-484: The United States and Canada during tourist season. The also nearby Vance W. Amory International Airport is located on the neighboring island of Nevis. The airport serves regional destinations, primarily in the Caribbean. St. Kitts' 58 km of narrow (0.762m)-gauge railway terminates in Basseterre, and encompasses the island in a circular pattern. The railway lines, originally built to transport sugar cane to

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880-558: The capital of Nevis. There are numerous trips daily, served by as many as six different ferry boats. Ferry service also exists between Basseterre and Oranjestad , Statia as well as to St. Maarten , but the trips are irregular and infrequent. The Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport serves the city of Basseterre and is located in the city's most North Eastern area. It has direct flights to London , New York , and Miami and seasonal flights to Charlotte, North Carolina , Atlanta , and Philadelphia in addition to other major cities in

920-487: The central sugar factory in Basseterre, are now used to transport tourists via the St. Kitts Scenic Railway , which currently runs from Sandy Point to Basseterre. Basseterre is twinned with: Famous people born in Basseterre include: Leeward Islands The Leeward Islands ( / ˈ l iː w ər d / ) are a group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean. Starting with

960-441: The centre of Basseterre. Most of the city structures were built after the great fire of 1867. The Circus was modelled after Piccadilly Circus , and the fountain in the centre was built in 1883, and dedicated to The Honourable Thomas Berkeley Hardtman Berkeley, the father of Henry Spencer Berkeley . The city of Basseterre skirts a 2-mile (3.2 km) bay on the southwestern shore of St. Kitts, Basseterre Bay. The city lies within

1000-658: The century leading up to Columbus ' arrival in the Caribbean archipelago in 1492, the Caribs mostly displaced the Maipurean -speaking Taínos , who settled the island chains earlier in history, by warfare, extermination, and assimilation. The islands were among the first parts of the Americas to fall under the control of the Spanish Empire . European contact commenced with Christopher Columbus 's second voyage; many of

1040-427: The city annually. Basseterre is a small city that is laid out in a grid pattern. It has four main streets running west to east, and they are listed here in sequence from south to north: Bay Road, Liverpool Row, Central Street, and Cayon Street. The main street running north to south is Fort Street/Bank Street, which is home to the bulk of the island's main shops and banks. The city has two centres, at The Circus , which

1080-744: The colony of the Leeward Islands was re-established in 1833. There are two countries and eleven territories in the Leeward Islands. From the northwest to the southeast, the main islands are: These three form the SSS islands that with the ABC islands comprise the Dutch Caribbean , of which the BES islands are not direct Kingdom constituents but subsumed with the country of the Netherlands . Physiographically , these continental islands are not part of

1120-741: The currency union (adopting the Trinidad and Tobago dollar ) forcing the movement of the headquarters of the BCCB to Barbados . Under the Eastern Caribbean Currency Agreement 1965, the British West Indies dollar was replaced at par by the Eastern Caribbean dollar and the BCCB was replaced by the Eastern Caribbean Currency Authority (ECCA). British Guiana withdrew from the currency union in 1966. Grenada , which had used

1160-490: The headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank , as well as the headquarters for many other regional financial institutions. Despite its small size, Basseterre played host to Carifesta VII (the Caribbean Festival of Arts) in 2000, outbidding rivals many times its size. The city was able to outbid the United States of America to host matches for the 2007 World Cricket Cup . The Warner Park Sporting Complex

1200-455: The island of St. Kitts (the centre was yielded to Britain). When Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy was made the French governor of St. Kitts in 1639, the town turned into a large, successful port, commanding Eastern Caribbean trade and colonisation. De Poincy then quickly made Basseterre capital of the entire French West Indies colony, which included the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique , and remained so until his death in 1660. The city

1240-445: The islands to the north as the Leeward Islands. Guadeloupe and the islands to the south were designated as the Windward Islands. Later on, all islands north of Martinique became known as the Leeward Islands. Dominica was transferred to the British Windward Islands in 1940 and is now considered part of the Windward Islands . However, even in modern usage in languages other than English, notably Dutch, French, and Spanish, all of

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1280-652: The islands' names originate from this period: Montserrat was named in honour of Santa Maria de Montserrat (Our Lady of Montserrat), after the Blessed Virgin of the Monastery of Montserrat , which is located on the Mountain of Montserrat , the national shrine of Catalonia . Mont serrat in Catalan means " saw mountain", referring to the serrated appearance of the mountain range. The Leeward Islands became

1320-405: The large Basseterre Valley , almost completely surrounded by lush green hills and mountains. It is primarily low-lying, which is one explanation for the name which the French gave it, as Basseterre translates to "low land" in English. However, the name Basseterre is also due to the fact that the island is on the lee of winds of the island, and is thus a safe anchorage. The name Capesterre, given to

1360-590: The mandate of keeping full foreign exchange cover to ensure convertibility at $ 4 .80 per pound sterling. In 1951, the British Virgin Islands joined the arrangement, but this led to discontent because that territory was more naturally drawn to the currency of the neighbouring U.S. Virgin Islands . In 1961, the British Virgin Islands withdrew from the arrangement and adopted the U.S. dollar as its currency. In 1964, Trinidad and Tobago withdrew from

1400-696: The region to the north, was dubbed so as it was facing the wind. Basseterre is surrounded by the Olivees Mountains to the north and the Conaree-Morne peaks to the east. The city is drained by the College River and the Westbourne River, which are locally known as "ghauts" and are dry most of the year. They even form streets in downtown Basseterre. This engineering folly has proven quite disastrous though, as College River has been

1440-461: The rough dividing line between the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands. The early Spanish explorers called Puerto Rico and the islands to the west Sotavento , meaning "leeward". The islands south and east of Puerto Rico were called Islas de Barlovento , meaning "windward islands". When the British gained control of many of the Lesser Antilles , they designated Antigua , Montserrat , and

1480-677: The scene of many disastrous floods in Basseterre history. Port Zante, located in the centre of the bay, lies on 15 acres (61,000 m ) of land reclaimed from the sea in 1995. Under the Köppen climate classification , Basseterre features a tropical rainforest climate . As is the characteristic of cities with this climate, temperatures remain constant throughout the course of the year, with temperatures averaging 27 °C (81 °F) year-round. Basseterre has no dry season ; all 12 months on average see more than 60 mm (2.36 in.) of precipitation. On average, 1700 mm (66.93 in.) of rain falls on

1520-565: The subregion's currency and banking system in order to facilitate the balanced growth and development of its member states. Unlike the ECCA, the ECCB's competencies include banking supervision jointly with the member states' finance ministries, making it the first-ever supranational banking supervisor ahead of the Central Bank of West African States and Bank of Central African States (which both became banking supervisors in 1990) and European Central Bank (in 2014). The specific role of

1560-415: Was made capital of the island of St. Kitts in 1727, following the expulsion of the French from the island and the establishment of full British control. The city of Basseterre has one of the most tragic histories of any Caribbean capital, destroyed many times by colonial wars, fire, earthquakes, floods, riots, and hurricanes. Despite all of this, a considerable number of well-restored buildings still exist in

1600-543: Was the site of the allocated first round matches of the tournament. This made St. Kitts and Nevis the smallest country in the world ever to host a World Cup event. Basseterre is home to two private, for-profit medical institutions founded by Robert Ross : Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and the International University of Nursing . The city has four secondary schools, two of which are government-owned, and two are private schools. There are

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