Our World by Ron Good

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I am a small two-island nation (104 square miles). The two islands lie about 2 miles apart and are separated by a shallow channel called “The Narrows”. I received my independence from the United Kingdom in 1983. The official language is English and my capital and largest city is Basseterre. My smaller island was once called “Oulie” meaning “land of beautiful waters”. Today its name means “snow”. My larger island is sometimes called St. Christopher named after Christopher Columbus. Today I am a Parliamentary democracy and an independent commonwealth with Queen Elizabeth as my head of state. I am divided into 14 parishes. My highest peak is Mount Liamuiga at 3,580 feet above sea level. The islands are of volcanic origin with central peaks covered by tropical rainforests. The majority of the population of 51,300 live close to the coasts, near the sea. Numerous rivers flowing from the mountains provide fresh water for drinking and bathing. My economy is characterized by a dominant tourism, agriculture, and light manufacturing. Sugar production was once the primary export but in 2005 the government closed the state-owned sugar company. Foreigners may obtain status of citizen by means of a government sponsored investment program called Citizenship-by-Investment. The ethnic mix is as follows: Black African 90%, Mulatto 5%, East Indian 3%, and all others 2%. The average life expectancy is 72.4 years. I am known for a number of music celebrations including Carnival, my larger island Music Festival, and the week-long Culturama. Cricket is our most popular sport. I became the smallest country to host a Cricket World Cup event in 2007. Soccer is also loved by many. Kim Collins is my foremost track and field athlete. My people are devoutly religious. Nearly 50% of my people practice the Anglican form of Christianity, whereas 1.5% practices Hinduism. Goat water stew, perhaps my most well-known dish, mixes goat, breadfruit, papaya, and dumplings called “droppers” in a tomato-based stew. The national drink is Cane Spirits Rothschild, distilled from fresh sugar cane, but the most popular drink is probably rum. Who am I?

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