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| Capital (and largest city) |
Basseterre (Saint Christopher Island) | |||||||
| Language Official |
English | |||||||
| Others | Spanish, Gaelic Irish and Jamaican Creole | |||||||
| Religion Main |
Church of England | |||||||
| Others | Congregational churches, Quakers, other Protestants, Catholicism, Judaism. | |||||||
| Ethnic Group | European (English, Scots, Welsh and Irish) | |||||||
| Government | Commonwealth Colony of the Commonwealth | |||||||
| Legislature | General Assembly of the Leeward Islands | |||||||
| Lord Protector | Charlotte Hastings-Rawle | |||||||
| Governor | James Macaulay Higginson | |||||||
| Established | 1664 | |||||||
| Currency | Pound sterling | |||||||
The Leeward Islands Colony is a Commonwealth territory in the Lesser Antilles, in the Americas.
Established by the Act for Leeward Caribbee Island Government of 1664 that consolidated the defunct Carlisle proprietorship of the West Indies under a single authority. From its colonization to 1664 each island had its governor and its trade partner was Barbados, which also provided military assistance.
Government[]
the Leeward Islands have an appointed Governor by the Protector, seat in Saint Christopher, has responsibility for the Leewards and appoints the Lieutenants Governors for each island (Island lieutenancies) of the colony. Each island as a a Council of six or twelve representatives. The Governor names the members of the Council that assist him.
The General Assembly of the Leeward Islands, half of its members elected and the rest being the Council of the governor, legislates for the Colony.
Territories[]
The island lieutenancies are:
- Saint Christopher (colonized 1623)
- Nevis (1628)
- Antigua (1632)
- Montserrat (1632)
- Anguilla (1650)
- Barbuda (1666)
- Tortola (1672)
- Anegada (1680) administered by Tortola
- Virgin Gorda (1680) administered by Tortola
- Jost Van Dyke (?), administered by Tortola
Economy[]
The Leeward Islands have a plantation system, production and export of sugar on land and large planter holdings. Its production rivals that of Barbados. The development of the plantation system was eased by importation of black slaves. Piracy and smuggling are the most common problems the Leeward Colony has.
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