Saint Paul Charlestown is one of 14 administrative parishes

Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is divided into 14 parishes. Nine parishes are located on the island of Saint Kitts and five on Nevis. The parishes are drawn like pie-slices from the ridgeline of the central mountains of both islands....

 that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis , located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population....

. It is located on the island of Nevis

Nevis

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...

, and the parish capital is Charlestown

Charlestown, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Charlestown is the capital of the island of Nevis, in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Leeward Islands, West Indies. Charlestown is situated on the leeward side of the island of Nevis, near the southern end of Pinneys Beach....

, which is also capital of the entire island.

Saint Paul Charlestown is the smallest parish in the federation, being only 4 square kilometers in area, and consisting of barely more than the town of Charlestown, and its portion of Nevis Peak. Despite being the smallest, it is the most important parish on Nevis, and the second most important in the entire country. Home to the capital, it houses all of Nevis' government buildings, as well as many of the island's historic sites.

Land

Nevis being a somewhat round island, it is divided into five parishes somewhat like a sliced pie, with each parish having a portion of coastline, and a small part of Nevis Peak in the centre. Saint Paul Charlestown has a much shorter length of coast than any other parish: only about 1/2 mile. From this developed coastline, which consists almost entirely of the Charlestown port, the parish's boundaries move inland, over gently sloping terrain, until the base of Nevis Peak is reached. From there, the land rises sharply to the peak's summit, at 3,232 feet, just 3 miles inland. The higher parts of the mountain slopes are draped in tropical forests, and the town of Charlestown dominates the coastal plain.

Towns and Villages

The main settlement in Saint Paul Charlestown is the town of Charlestown. The only other settlement within the parish boundaries is a part of the village of Craddocks.

Economy

Saint Paul Charlestown is Nevis' economic headquarters. Most of the island's businesses are located there, and a significant portion of the island's workforce are employed in the town of Charlestown. The parish, and specifically Charlestown, is a major international financial services centre, and financial service is the main business in the parish.

Port

The Charlestown Port is the island's second largest port, and is mainly used for ferrying to Basseterre

Basseterre

Basseterre , estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands...

 and Montserrat

Montserrat

Montserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the West Indies. This island measures approximately long and wide, giving of coastline...

, as well as yacht moorings.