Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain ...

is an

island country An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

in the Leeward Islands, consisting of the islands of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

and

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and ...

. In 1883, St. Kitts, Nevis and

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The terr ...

were united into one

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

. Anguilla formally separated from the union in 1980.

First stamps

The first stamps for Nevis were issued in 1861. The first stamps for Saint Kitts, inscribed ''Saint Christopher'', were issued in 1870 .

General issues

Between 1890 and 1903, stamps of the Leeward Islands were used on the islands. Saint Kitts and Nevis started issuing stamps in 1903. These were used concurrently with the stamps of the Leeward Islands until July 1, 1956. Starting in 1952, stamps were inscribed ''St. Christopher Nevis and Anguilla''. On February 27, 1967, St. Christopher–Nevis–Anguilla achieved Associated Statehood . However, Anguilla proclaimed independence from Saint Kitts and Nevis in July of the same year, and began issuing its own stamps. Stamps inscribed ''St. Christopher Nevis and Anguilla'' were issued for Saint Kitts and Nevis until 1980.

Separate issues

On June 23, 1980, separate postal administrations were established, one for

, the other for

and different stamps were produced for each. Saint Kitts and Nevis continue to issue separate stamps after independence from the United Kingdom in 1983.

First stamps

General issues

Separate issues

See also

References

Further reading