As Spanish power went into decline, Saint Kitts became the premier base for English and French

expansion into the Caribbean. From St. Kitts, the British settled the islands of Antigua,
Montserrat, Anguilla and Tortola, and the French settled Martinique, the Guadeloupe archipelago
and St. Barts. During the late-seventeenth century, France and England fought for control over St
Kitts. The French ceded the territory to the UK in 1713.

At the turn of the eighteenth century, St. Kitts was the richest British Crown Colony per capita in
the Caribbean, a result of the sugar trade.[13]

Although small in size and separated by only 2 miles (3 km) of water, the two islands were
viewed and governed as different states until the late-nineteenth century, when they were
forcibly unified along with the island of Anguilla, by the British. To the present day, relations are
strained, with Nevis accusing Saint Kitts of neglecting their needs.

Saint Kitts and Nevis along with Anguilla, became an associated state with full internal
autonomy in 1967. Anguillians rebelled and separated from the others in 1977. St. Kitts and
Nevis achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1983.[14] It is also the newest
sovereign state in the Americas. In August 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate
from St. Kitts fell short of the required two-thirds majority.[15] In late-September 1998, Hurricane
Georges caused approximately $458,000,000 in damages and property and limited GDP growth
for the year and beyond. Georges was the worst hurricane to hit the region during the twentieth
century.