Nevis and St Kitts were discovered by Columbus in 1493 and settled by the English in 1625. For 200 years the considerable sugar production made them one of the riches places in the world. They remained British colonies until they gained their independence in 1983, s the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis The legal system is based on English common law. It is a part of the West Indies court system with the British Privy Council being the court of last resort. Both the Federation Government and the locally elected Assemblies are based on the British parliamentary system. The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis holds a position similar to a US State Governor or a Premier of a Canadian province.
Nevis and St Kitts are vigorous, conservative democracies and have an excellent education system with a literacy rate of 96% - the highest in the Western hemisphere. The Freedom Foundation (based in the US) has declared the Islands' as one of the top ten free nations in the world. The Islands are
