Basseterre
Basseterre was founded in 1627 by the French. In 1636 the town turned into a successful French port in the Caribbean commanding Eastern Caribbean trade and colonization.
Harbors
- Deep Water Harbor: located to the extreme East of Basseterre Bay, deep water is able to berth large cargo ships
Places
- St. George's Anglican Church: taken over from the Jesuits to become an Anglican church in 1720.
- The Square: an area owned by the French government used to sell slaves
Demographics
Large French European presence, but also mostly made up of those of African or Islander descent. Mixed or bi-racial people were common. The Kalinago were native to the area and they had a reputation as warriors who raided neighboring islands. They practiced cannibalism.
Government
The British and French briefly united to massacre the local Kalinago (preempting a Kalinago plan to massacre the Europeans), and then partitioned the island, with the English in the middle and the French on either end. In May 13, 1627 and until July 16, 1702, the Island of St. Kitts is divided into separate English (Center) and France's Saint-Christopher. During those years, the island was occupied by British and French often. However, during the Second Anglo-Dutch War (4 March 1665 - 31 July 1667), the relationship between the French and English settlers soured, as their home countries warred. So, warfare soon broke out on the island itself and the overwhelming French troops attacked the English settlements and gained control of the whole island from 1665–1667. Many wars and treaties fluctuated the ownership of the Island from one country to another.
History
The city of Basseterre has one of the most tragic histories of any Caribbean capital, destroyed many times by colonial wars, fire, earthquakes, floods, riots, and hurricanes. Discovered by the Spanish and owned between the English and the French, it flourished as a trade capital among the Leeward Islands.
Geography
The city of Basseterre skirts a 2-mile (3.2 km) bay on the southwestern shore of St. Kitts, Basseterre Bay. The city lies within the large Basseterre Valley, almost completely surrounded by lush green hills and mountains. It is primarily low-lying, which is one explanation for the name which the French gave unto it, as Basseterre translates to "low land" in English. However, the name Basseterre is also due to the fact that the island is on the lee of winds of the island, and is thus a safe anchorage.
Basseterre is surrounded by the Olivees Mountains to the north and the Conaree-Morne peaks to the east. The city is drained by the College River and the Westbourne River, which are locally known as "ghauts" and are dry most of the year.
Basseterre features a tropical rainforest climate. As is the characteristic of such a climate, temperatures remain constant throughout the course of the year, with temperatures averaging 27 °C (81 °F) year-round. Basseterre has no dry season.
Natural Resources
Sugar, wood, rum
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