Information on the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis:
The Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis,
also known as the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis,
located in the Leeward Islands,
is a federal two-island country in the West Indies.
It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas,
in both area and population.
The country is a Commonwealth realm,
with Elizabeth II as its head of state.
The capital city and headquarters of government for the federated state
is Basseterre on the larger island of Saint Kitts.
The smaller island of Nevis lies about two miles southeast of Saint Kitts,
across a shallow channel called The Narrows.
More information can be found HERE
Taxi drivers greet us at the St. Martin Airport.
The gentleman on the right is "Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine"
who also met the Manta Diver's group in April HERE.
This airport is named after JULIANA OF THE NETHERLANDS
who as crown princess landed here in 1944, the year after the airport opened.
There is also an airport on the French side of the island,
called Aéroport de Grand Case or L'Espérance Airport.
Princess Juliana Airport is quite famous for the jets flying in right over the famous Maho Beach.
The thrilling approaches and ease of access for shooting spectacular images
made the airport one of the world's favorite places among plane spotters.
To meet changing international and local regulations,
a 150-metre (490') safety extension was required.
(Watch takeoffs & landings HERE)
[Not exactly a beach for relaxation; can you imagine the NOISE?!]
The other famous airport is the one on Saba
(the shortest airport runway in the world; see it HERE),
which, if the plane had been very late getting to St. Martin,
I'd have had to use to catch the boat on Saba.
Glad THAT didn't happen!
All these islands are volcanic, Saba being the most vertical,
and possess very developed infrastructure.
St. Martin converts seawater to freshwater.
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