St. Kitts (St. Christopher), a West Indian island located in the Leeward Islands southeast of Puerto Rico, is the principal component of a British associated state composed of the islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla. The associated state has an area of 104 sq. mi. (269 sq. km.). Capital: Basseterre, St. Kitts. ,St. Kitts was discovered by Columbus in 1493 and was settled by Thomas Warner, an Englishman, in 1623. The island was ceded to the British by the Treaty of Utrecht, 1713. France protested British occupancy, and on three occasions between 1866 and 1782 seized the island and held it for short periods.,, Rulers:,,, ,British,, Monetary System:,,, ,1 Dollar = 100 Cents,,