then partitioned the island, with the English colonists in the middle and the French on either end. In 1629, a Spanish force sent to clear the islands of foreign settlement seized St. Kitts. The English settlement was rebuilt following the 1630 peace between England and Spain. The island alternated repeatedly between English (then British) and French control during the 17th and 18th centuries, as one power took the whole island, only to have it switch hands due to treaties or military action. Parts of the island were heavily fortified, as exemplified by the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Brimstone Hill and the now-crumbling Fort Charles. Since 1783, Saint Kitts has been affiliated with the Kingdom of Great Britain, which became the United Kingdom. Slavery The island originally produced tobacco, but farmers switched to sugar cane in 1640 because of stiff competition from the colony of Virginia. The labour-intensive cultivation of sugar cane was the reason for the large-scale importation of African slaves. The importation began almost immediately upon the arrival of Europeans to the region even though sugarcane wasn't cultivated for another two hundred years on the island, leading some to discredit the earliest claims of imported African labour. The purchasing of enslaved Africans was outlawed in the British Empire by an Act of Parliament in 1807. Slavery was abolished by an Act of Parliament which became law on 1 August 1834. This emancipation was followed by four years of forced enslavement, put in place to protect the "planters" (plantation owners) from losing their free labour force. 1 August is now celebrated as a public holiday and is called Emancipation Day. In 1883, Saint Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla were all linked under one presidency, located on Saint Kitts, to the dismay of the Nevisians and Anguillans. Anguilla left this arrangement in 1971, after an armed raid on Saint Kitts in 1967. Sugar production continued to dominate the local economy until 2005, when, after 365 years of having a monoculture, the government closed the sugar industry. This decision was made because of huge losses and European Union plans to greatly cut sugar prices. Government For purposes of governing, the island is divided into nine parishes: Christ Church Nichola Town Saint Anne Sandy Point Saint George Basseterre Saint John Capisterre Saint Mary Cayon Saint Paul Capisterre Saint Peter Basseterre Saint Thomas Middle Island Trinity Palmetto Point Economy Saint Kitts & Nevis uses