Above: St Kitts (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Kitts and Nevis celebrated its 30th anniversary of independence on Thursday.

The twin-island federation officially became independent from the United Kingdom on Sept. 19, 1983, and it remains the Western Hemisphere’s youngest (and tiniest) sovereign state.

St Kitts and Nevis Governor General Sir Edmund Lawrence received well wishes from heads of state around the globe, from German President Joachim Gauck and Israeli President Shimon Peres to South Korea’s Park Geun-Hye and Cuba’s Raul Castro.

The country’s quest for independence was led by Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, beginning during his time as Chief Minister when St Kitts and Nevis was an associated state.

He was the country’s first Prime Minister, serving from 1967 to 1978.

The country marked the day with a series of concerts and parties, highlighted by the Independence Super Concert (which actually began late Wednesday night).

The concert included an appearance by Jamaican reggae group Morgan Heritage, among others.

The festivities will continue through the weekend in St Kitts and in Nevis.