Saint Peter Basseterre is one of 14 administrative

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

that make up

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

. It is located on the main island of

Saint Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, 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 constitute one ...

and the parish capital is Monkey Hill.

Land

The parish's consists of forest-covered rugged hills and mountains in the North west and interior, climaxing at the near Olivee's Mountain. Another notable feature is Monkey Hill, which rises to over above sea level. It lies just South-East of Olivee's Mountain. The ridge of hills in the North continues Eastward to the Canada hills before breaking to the Conaree Hills. South of this Northern ridge lies the flat and fertile

Basseterre Valley The Basseterre Valley is a low-lying valley on the island of Saint Kitts, surrounded by the Canada Hills and Olivees Mountain. It contains Basseterre, the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of ...

, home to the Monkey Hill Village and most of the other settlements of the parish. It is also home to many peasant farms and also the

Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport Robert L. Bradshaw Airport , formerly known as ''Golden Rock Airport'', is an international airport located just northeast of Basseterre, on the island of Saint Kitts, serving the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It was named after the first Pr ...

, which serves the island. The coastline is marked by a long continuous strip of sand that stretches from Saint Mary Cayon, into

Saint Peter Basseterre Saint Peter Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Monkey Hill. Land The parish's consists of forest-covered rugged hills a ...

and eventually into

Saint George Basseterre Saint George Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the largest parish on Saint Kitts and the second largest parish in Saint Kitts and Nevis (after Saint James Windward). It is by far the most p ...

, the sands lightening in hue as one descends southward. Notable areas along the stretch are Barker's Point and Conaree Beach. The beaches of Saint Peter Basseterre are used by Leatherback turtles to lay their eggs and have large reef formations offshore.

Villages

Capital – Monkey Hill Other Villages: *Bayford's *Canada *Conaree *John England Village *La Fontaine *Morgan Heights *New Road *Saint Peter's *Ogee's *Parry's *Stapleton The parish capital is Monkey Hill and is located in the center of the parish. Other villages located in the central area are New Road, St. Peter's, Parry's, Ogee's, Stapleton, Bayford's and John England Village. Also, Conaree is near the seashore. The fertile lands are in the central area and also on the hillsides of the South East Range mountains.

Economy

Saint Peter's parish's economy is highly industrial. The Canada Estate area is home to the island's quarry site, and many subsidiary industries which manufacture blocks and ready-mixed concrete. Many of the island's trucking and heavy-equipment services are also headquartered there. The parish is also home to the island's waste disposal area, located North of the village of Conaree. The parish is also home to the island's airport, the larger of the two in the federation. Near the village of Conaree also lies two of the island's best-kept sporting facilities, used for

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. The Conaree area was once home to many small inns, which hugged Conaree beach, though many have been deserted. It also once housed a gospel radio station but it was moved to Nevis in 1990. Agriculture dominates the Basseterre Valley, and peasant farmers rear livestock and grow various fruits and vegetables for local consumption on their small holdings. Tourism is not a particularly key industry in the parish, though it is home to the White House Inn and the ruins of the Château de la Montagne at La Fontaine, once the elaborate and lavish home of St.Kitts' famous former French governor,

Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy Phillippe de Longvilliers de Poincy (; 1584–1660) was a French nobleman and Bailiff Grand Cross of the Knights of Malta. He governed the island of Saint Christopher from 1639 to his death in 1660, first under the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amér ...

Ports

The parish is home to the

, which serves the island of Saint Kitts, and is often credited as being the finest mid-sized airport in the Caribbean. There are no seaports in the parish due to the harsh

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

waves along the coast and the many dangerous reef formations.

Community festivals

There is but one community festival: the St. Peter's Fest, which is celebrated in October. Many persons from outlying villages such as Monkey Hill and Ogee's watches the splendour in this riveting festival. This festival features calypso shows, queen shows, parties, street jam sessions and late night limes (hang outs).

References

{{Authority control Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts (island)