This Day in History: St. Kitts and Nevis gain Independence - CNW Network

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St. Kitts and Nevis, Independence On this day in history, September 19, 1983, Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially called the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, is an island nation in the West Indies. Most of the people on these islands aredescendants of Africans who were originally brought to the islands as slaves. In 1493, Christopher Columbus landed on Saint Kitts and named the island Saint Christopher, after his patron saint also landed on Nevis. It wasn’t until 1623 that English colonists began to settle on SaintChristopher’s Island. At that time, the English shortened its name to Saint Kitts Island. In 1628, English colonists began to settle on Nevis. For the next 100 years, the British and French formed a rivalry for control over the islands. In 1782, theBritish took permanent control over the islands. The islands, along the nearby island of Anguilla, were united in 1882. They joined the West Indies Federation in 1958 and remained in the association until its dissolution in 1962. Saint Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla became a self-governing state of the United Kingdom in 1967. Saint Kitts and Nevis gained independence on September 19, 1983.