Saint George Gingerland, also known as St. George's Gingerland, is a parish in the southeastern part of the island of Nevis

Nevis

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, located near the northern end of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, about 350 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico and 80 km west of Antigua. The 93 km² island is part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies...

, Leeward Islands

Leeward Islands

The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...

, West Indies. It is one of five parishes on the island, and has a total population of about 2,500. The five parishes, in combination with the nine parishes of St. Kitts, make up the fourteen administrative parishes

Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is divided into 14 parishes. Nine parishes are located on the island of Saint Kitts and five on Nevis. The parishes are drawn like pie-slices from the ridgeline of the central mountains of both islands....

 of the two-island Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis , located in the Leeward Islands, is a federal two-island nation in the West Indies. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in both area and population....

.

The parish is commonly referred to as Gingerland, and is named after the valuable ginger crop that used to be grown there. The Anglican parish church of Saint George is located within the main village of Market Shop, and Gingerland also encompasses numerous villages such as Chicken Stone, Zetlands and Zion. Gingerland is one of the most populous parishes on Nevis, primarily because the higher parts of the parish have fertile soil and good rainfall. The parish is on the windward side of the island (meaning that it faces into the trade winds). Many of the villages in Gingerland are situated at an altitude of nearly 1,000 feet (over 300 meters), making them considerably cooler than coastal villages (especially at night).

Gingerland supplies most of Nevis with fresh fruits and vegetables. The farms are mostly small holdings, where crops are grown for private consumption and for sale. The livestock include sheep and goats which wander and graze freely; and pigs, cows and horses which are fenced or tethered. On the coast around Indian Castle, fishing is important economically.

Tourism is an important industry in Gingerland. The main buildings (hotels such as Old Manor and Golden Rock Estate) were originally sugarcane plantation "great house

Great house

A great house is a large and stately residence; the term encompasses different styles of dwelling in different countries. The name refers to the makeup of the household rather than to any particular architectural style...

s", and some of the other plantation buildings, including the old windmills, have been turned into guest suites. The island's racetrack is located in the area near Red Cliff, and the well-attended Nevis horse races take place at approximately monthly intervals.