Nevis lies across a narrow channel 3 km (2 mi) to the southeast of Saint Kitts. The Caribs called the island Oualie (“land of beautiful water”).  The Island of Nevis was formed in a series of volcanic eruptions over a period of approximately 3 1/2 million years, however, it has been .98 million years since the last eruption.  Nevis is nearly circular in shape and surrounded by coral reefs and beaches of white coral sand.  Its highest point, Nevis Peak (985 m/3,232 ft) at the center of the island, is a dormant volcano usually shrouded in mist. 

Archaeological excavations reveal that the first inhabitants came to Nevis about 4,000 years ago - Arawak and Carib Indians moving up through the islands from South America between five and seven thousand years ago.  These people relied heavily on the sea and traveled between islands in boats crafted from huge trees.  However, by the early 17th century these early inhabitants of Nevis had disappeared - victims of Spanish attacks, European diseases, and, possibly, forced labor on an ill-fated Spanish pearl diving project on Cubagua, an island off the Venezuelan coast.

The written history of Nevis begins with the account recorded by Columbus when he sailed by Nevis in 1493. The name Nevis is derived from "Nuestra Senora de Las Nieves" which is spanish for "Our Lady of the Snows," because the cloud capped mountain reminded Columbus of snow.  It is also commonly believed that he also named Saint Kitts after his patron saint, Christopher (you'll occasionally still see St. Kitts shown on maps as St. Christopher).  Saint Kitts accounts for 176 sq km (68 sq mi) of the country’s total area, and Nevis for 93 sq km (36 sq mi).

Prior to the Columbus saga, Nevis was named Dulcina "Sweet Island" by the Arawaks and later Oualie "land of beautiful waters" by the Caribs.  Evidence of pre-ceramic people abounds with finely crafted stone tools and intricately coloured pottery found.

European colonization began in 1623. The first Europeans raised subsistence crops and cash produce, which consisted of tobacco, ginger, cotton and indigo (for blue dye).  However, the island was quickly transformed into a plantocracy when sugar was introduced in the 1640's.  Raising sugar is very labour intensive, therefore, this need was supplied by African slaves which is responsible for the present demographic and cultural formation of the island.  By the early 18th century, Nevis' sugar industry had made it a fantastically wealthy colony, generating revenues equal to those of a number of North American colonies combined, and earning Nevis the name "Queen of the Caribees".

As St. Kitts & Nevis became increasingly prosperous, intermittent warfare between the French and British took hold. The French exiled the British from St. Kitts in 1664, only to lose it back to them in 1689. France captured the island again in 1706 and lost it once more soon after. Finally, they returned in 1782 to lay seige to the massive British fort on Brimstone Hill, which fell after a heroic defense. St. Kitts was returned permanently to the British in 1783, as part of the Treaty of Versailles.

But with prosperity came problems - chiefly pirates and privateers, who sought to ambush richly-laden merchant ships.   More importantly though, Nevis' sugar wealth made it an attractive target for other countries - Spain, Holland, and France all made attacks on Nevis. The attacks seriously damaged the island, and, all things considered, marked the beginning of Nevis' decline. Sugar production never completely recovered, andp poor crop returns and a significant exodus from the island ended Nevis' reign as the Queen of the Caribbean sugar islands. The abolition of slavery in the mid-18th century further diminshed the once-flourishing sugar industry and with it Nevis' fortunes.

Over the years Nevis has made a number of significant contributions to the Caribbean and the World.  Two men who played part in international history were Alexander Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson.  Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of America and its first Secretary of the Treasury was born on Nevis on January 11, 1757.  Lord Nelson, Britains most famous admiral, used Nevis as a base of operations in the mid 1780's and married a Nevisian, Frances Nisbet, in 1787.

Nevis continued to be part of the British colonial holdings until 1967 when, along with St. Kitts and Anguilla, it achieved Associated Statehood with full internal self-governing autonomy.  Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971.  On September 19, 1983, St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence within the Commonwealth of Nations.  Together they became an independent nation and the sovereign democratic state of St. Christopher and Nevis, currently known as "The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis".  Today, the country is a model of peace and stability in the Caribbean.  In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed, however  Nevis is once more trying to separate from the Saint Kitts.

The present government is now a constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament. Nevis has the unique constitutional arrangement of being part of the Federal Parliament while having a separate parliament and its own Nevis Island Administration headed by a Premier.

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere in area and in population.  The country covers an area of 269 sq km (104 sq mi), and has a population of 39,129 (2006 estimate).  The majority of the people live on the island of Saint Kitts. Nearly all of the country’s people are blacks of African ancestry, descendents of the slaves who were originally brought to the islands to work on sugar plantations.

Today, tourism is a leading industry on the islands.  Lush green rain forests, unusual plants and animals, and sandy beaches draw tourists to Saint Kitts and Nevis.  Cruise ships also make stopovers in the harbor at Basseterre.   Nevis has enjoyed economic growth over the past five years.