Editing Saint Kitts and Nevis (section)

== Etymology ==<!--redirected from 'Etymology of Saint Kitts and Nevis'-->
[[File:Nevispeak1.jpg|thumb|Clouds covering Nevis Peak]]
The [[Kalinago]], the pre-European inhabitants of Saint Kitts, called the island {{lang|crb|Liamuiga}}, roughly translating as 'fertile land'.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Peoples of the Caribbean: an encyclopedia of archeology and traditional culture |last=Saunders |first=Nicholas J. |date=2005 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=1576077012 |location=Santa Barbara, California |pages=260–261 |oclc=62090786 }}</ref>

It is thought that [[Christopher Columbus]], the first European to see the islands in 1493, named the larger island {{lang|es|San Cristóbal}}, after [[Saint Christopher]], his [[patron saint]] and that of travellers. New studies suggest that Columbus named the island {{lang|es|Sant Yago}} ([[James the Great|Saint James]]), and that the name {{lang|es|San Cristóbal}} was in fact given by Columbus to the island now known as [[Saba (island)|Saba]], {{cvt|20|mi|km|order=flip}} northwest. Saint Kitts was well documented as {{lang|es|San Cristóbal}} by the 17th century.<ref name="cia.gov"/> The first English colonists kept the English translation of this name, and dubbed it ''St. Christopher's Island''. In the 17th century, a common nickname for Christopher was ''[[Kit (given name)|Kit(t)]]''; hence, the island came to be informally referred to as ''Saint Kitt's Island'', later further shortened to ''Saint Kitts''.<ref name="cia.gov"/>

Columbus gave Nevis the name {{lang|es|San Martín}} ([[Martin of Tours|Saint Martin]]).<ref name=":0" /> The current name ''Nevis'' is derived from a Spanish name {{lang|es|Nuestra Señora de las Nieves}}, meaning "[[Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major|Our Lady of the Snows]]", a reference to the 4th-century [[Miracle|Catholic miracle]] of a summertime snowfall on the [[Esquiline Hill]] in [[Rome]].<ref name="cia.gov"/> It is not known who chose this name for the island, but it is thought that white clouds which usually wreath the top of Nevis Peak reminded someone of the miracle.<ref>{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Our Lady of the Snow }}</ref><ref name="cia.gov"/>

Today, the [[Constitution of Saint Kitts and Nevis|Constitution]] refers to the state as both ''Saint Kitts and Nevis'' and ''Saint Christopher and Nevis'';  the former is the one most commonly used, but the latter is generally used for diplomatic relations. Passports list the nationality of citizens as ''St. Kitts and Nevis''.<ref name="samplepassportpic1">https://web.archive.org/web/20220810105128/https://best-citizenships.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/skn.jpg<br/>https://archive.today/20230729090230/https://best-citizenships.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/skn.jpg</ref>