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50 free Saint Kitts and Nevis trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Forty-four questions on Saint Kitts and Nevis, the two-island federation that is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere. Geography covers Basseterre, the Narrows, Mount Liamuiga (once Mount Misery), cloud-capped Nevis Peak, the Great Salt Pond and the brown pelican on the coat of arms. History runs from the Kalinago's Liamuiga and Oualie, Columbus, Thomas Warner's 1623 settlement that made St Kitts the 'Mother Colony of the West Indies', the French at Basseterre, the massacre at Bloody Point, sugar and slavery, Brimstone Hill's siege by de Grasse, Alexander Hamilton's Nevisian childhood, Anguilla's walkout, 1983 independence and the 1998 Nevis secession vote. Modern rounds cover the East Caribbean dollar, the world's oldest citizenship-by-investment scheme, the closure of sugar in 2005, the scenic railway, Kim Collins's world title, the Sugar Boyz at the Gold Cup, Culturama, Carnival and a Spice Girl turned tourism ambassador. Every answer was checked against Wikipedia's articles on the federation, its islands, landmarks and people, and the sentence that establishes it is quoted under each explanation. Suits a pub quiz, a Caribbean geography lesson or a cruise-stop warm-up.
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Q 01Saint Kitts and Nevis holds what distinction among the sovereign states of the Western Hemisphere?
Smallest in both area and population
With 261 square kilometres and about 48,000 people it is also the world's smallest sovereign federation.
Q 02What is the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Basseterre
Founded by the French in 1627, it is the main cruise and cargo port and home to about 15,500 people.
Q 03The shallow channel separating Saint Kitts from Nevis is called what?
The Narrows
It is only about 3 km wide; the tiny Booby Island sits in it.
Q 04Which British dependency broke away from its union with Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1967?
Anguilla
Anguillans resented rule from St Kitts and declared independence unilaterally; Britain formally separated it in 1980.
Q 05Saint Kitts is nicknamed the 'Mother Colony of the West Indies' because it hosted what?
The first British and French Caribbean colonies
From St Kitts the British went on to settle Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla and Tortola, and the French settled Martinique and Guadeloupe.
Q 06In which year did Saint Kitts and Nevis, the last British Caribbean territory, become independent?
1983
Kennedy Simmonds became the first prime minister; the country stayed a Commonwealth realm.
Q 07The Kalinago name for Saint Kitts, Liamuiga, roughly translates as what?
Fertile land
Nevis was Oualie, 'land of beautiful waters'; the highest peak now carries the old name.
Q 08The name 'Saint Kitts' comes from a 17th-century nickname for which saint's name?
Christopher
Kit was a common short form of Christopher, so St Christopher's Island became St Kitt's; the constitution still uses both names.
Q 09The name Nevis derives from a Spanish phrase meaning what?
Our Lady of the Snows
The clouds wreathing Nevis Peak apparently recalled a miraculous summer snowfall on Rome's Esquiline Hill; the early English called it Dulcina, 'Sweet Island'.
Q 10Who led the first permanent European settlers to Saint Kitts in 1623?
Thomas Warner
He struck a deal with the Carib chief Tegremante at Old Road Town; the French under d'Esnambuc arrived two years later.
Q 11The 1626 massacre of the Kalinago by the combined European settlers gave its name to which site?
Bloody Point
The two colonial rivals had partitioned the island between them and then joined forces against its original inhabitants.
Q 12France finally renounced its claim to Saint Kitts and Nevis under which 1713 agreement?
Treaty of Utrecht
Spain had recognised Britain's claim at Madrid in 1670; the French grabbed St Kitts once more in 1782 but handed it back at Versailles.
Q 13An earthquake in 1690 destroyed which town, then the capital of Nevis?
Jamestown
Charlestown was built as the replacement; its stone-and-timber Georgian buildings were designed to shrug off later quakes.
Q 21Which 1998 hurricane caused some $458 million of damage to the federation?
Georges
It struck the same month as the Nevis secession referendum and dented growth for years.
Q 22What is the highest peak in Saint Kitts and Nevis, rising to about 1,150 m?
Mount Liamuiga
The dormant volcano once went by a much gloomier name that older islanders still use.
Q 23The country's highest peak was formerly known by what gloomier name?
Mount Misery
The Kalinago name for the whole island was restored to its highest peak.
Q 14Which American Founding Father was born on Nevis in 1755 or 1757?
Alexander Hamilton
He was born in Charlestown and later became the first US Treasury Secretary; the Broadway musical made his Caribbean origins famous.
Q 15Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO site since 1999, earned what nickname by 1780?
The Gibraltar of the Caribbean
Considered impregnable, it nonetheless fell to the French under de Grasse after a 1782 siege; it was designed by British engineers and built by enslaved Africans.
Q 16Slavery was outlawed in Saint Kitts and Nevis, along with the rest of the British Empire, in which year?
1834
A four-year 'apprenticeship' followed; St Kitts freed 19,780 people and Nevis 8,815.
Q 17Nevis may legally secede from the federation if what share of voters approve in a referendum?
Two-thirds
A 1998 vote produced 62 percent for separation, short of the threshold, so the island stays with its own premier and assembly.
Q 18Which labour leader was Premier of the colony from 1966 to 1978 and gives his name to the main airport?
Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw
He founded the Labour Party in the 1940s and sought state control of sugar; Nevis's airport is named for Vance Amory.
Q 19Who became the first prime minister of independent Saint Kitts and Nevis in 1983?
Kennedy Simmonds
The People's Action Movement leader won three more elections before Labour's Denzil Douglas unseated him in 1995.
Q 20The state-owned sugar industry, once the mainstay of the economy, was shut down completely in which year?
2005
Years of losses and subsidies ended it; tourism, offshore banking and citizenship-by-investment took over.
Q 24What is the national bird of Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Brown pelican
Some 176 bird species have been recorded; the national flower is the flamboyant, Delonix regia.
Q 25Which two colours form the upper and lower triangles of the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Green and red
A black diagonal band edged in yellow carries two white stars; the design was chosen from 258 entries in a national competition.
Q 26The winning flag design was submitted by student Edrice Lewis and first hoisted when?
One minute after midnight on independence day
Its layout is nearly identical to the flag of the Republic of the Congo, though the meanings differ.
Q 27Saint Kitts and Nevis uses which currency, shared with five other independent states?
East Caribbean dollar
Issued since 1965 and pegged at EC$2.70 to the US dollar since 1976, it is also used by Anguilla and Montserrat.
Q 28Saint Kitts and Nevis's citizenship-by-investment programme, founded in 1984, is what?
The world's oldest such scheme
It took off after 2006 when Henley & Partners restructured it; applicants may buy US$400,000 of property or donate US$250,000.
Q 29The St Kitts Scenic line, which carries tourists around the island, is described as what?
The last railway in the Lesser Antilles
Its narrow-gauge track was laid from 1912 to carry cane to the Basseterre sugar mill; tourist trains began in 2003 behind Romanian-built locomotives.
Q 30Sprinter Kim Collins won which world title for Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2003?
100 metres
He also took Commonwealth gold in 2002 and, aged over 40, ran 9.93 seconds to become the only man over forty to break 10 seconds.