Nevis

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 220 miles (350 km) southeast of Puerto Rico and 50 miles (80 km) west of Antigua. The 36 square-mile (93 km²) island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain, and is located at latitude 17.15°N and longitude 62.58°W. The capital of Nevis is Charlestown. Nevis is federated with Saint Kitts in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The two islands are separated by a shallow 2-mile (3.22 km) wide channel.

Nevis is almost round in outline, and conical in shape, with a volcanic peak, Nevis Peak, at the centre. The island is fringed on three sides by long sand beaches, and has a coastline intermittently protected by coral reefs. The colour of the sand is variable: most of it is a yellowish grey, but some beaches in the south have darker, reddish or even black sand. Under a microscope it becomes clear that the sand is a mixture of tiny fragments of coral, foraminifera, and volcanic rock. The most famous beach is the 4-mile (6.44 km) long Pinney's Beach on the west coast. In the interior, there are no major springs on the mountainside to supply freshwater to the island, so most is now well water from Government wells. After heavy rains, strong rivers of water pour down the numerous ravines (known as Ghauts), and the coastal ponds, both freshwater and brackish, fill to capacity and beyond, spilling over into the sea. The gently sloping coastal plain (0.6 miles/1 km wide) also has its own natural fresh water springs, as well as non-potable hot volcanic springs, especially along the west coast.

The island was named Oualie ("Land of Beautiful Waters") by the Caribs and Dulcina ("Sweet Island") by the early British settlers. The name Nevis is derived from Spanish, Nuestra Señora de las Nieves ("Our Lady of the Snows"), a name given the island in 1493 by Christopher Columbus who thought the clouds over Nevis Peak made the island resemble a snow-capped mountain.

The majority of the approximately 12,000 citizens of Nevis are of primarily African descent. English is the official language and the literacy rate, 98 percent, is one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. Nevis is of particular historical significance to Americans because it was the birthplace and early childhood home of the United States statesman, politician and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.