St. Christopher Air & Sea Ports Authority | 3
To the north of the West Indies’ island chain
known as the Lesser Antilles, the Federation
of St. Kitts and Nevis occupies an oceanic ex-
panse where the balmy Caribbean Sea meets
the boisterous Atlantic. In addition to being
distinguished as the smallest nation in the
Americas (in terms of population and land
mass), these islands are also regarded as “The
Mother Colony of theWest Indies” by virtue
of being among the very first of Caribbean
Islands to be settled by Europeans. Howev-
er, its history dates back much further than
the day of discovery from Christopher Co-
lumbus when he bestowed the name of St.
Christopher in homage to the patron saint
of mariners (Kitts is a common abbreviation
