First settled by the British in
1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy
in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in
1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote
in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the
two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its efforts to try and
separate from Saint Kitts.
Geography
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Location:
Caribbean, islands in the
Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and
Tobago
Geographic coordinates:
17 20 N, 62 45 W
Map references:
Central America and the
Caribbean
Area:
total: 261 sq km (Saint
Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
1.5 times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
135 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200
nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
Climate:
tropical, tempered by constant
sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to
November)
Terrain:
volcanic with mountainous
interiors
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean
Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m
party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements
Geography - note:
with coastlines in the shape of
a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a
3-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long,
baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits
in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape
complements that of its sister island
total: 28.3 years
male: 27.6 years female: 29 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.745% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
17.77 births/1,000 population
(2008 est.)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (2008
est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.32 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64
years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71
male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008
est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.36
deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.04 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.93
years male: 70.06 years female: 75.96 years (2008
est.)
predominantly black; some
British, Portuguese, and Lebanese
Religions:
Anglican, other Protestant,
Roman Catholic
Languages:
English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and
over has ever attended school total population: 97.8%
male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.)
Government
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Country name:
conventional long form:
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional short form:
Saint Kitts and Nevis former: Federation of Saint Christopher
and Nevis
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Basseterre
geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time
difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
Administrative divisions:
14 parishes; Christ Church
Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint
George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John
Figtree, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown,
Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island,
Trinity Palmetto Point
Independence:
19 September 1983 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 19 September
(1983)
Constitution:
19 September 1983
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen
ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General
Cuthbert Montraville SEBASTIAN (since 1 January 1996) head of
government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995);
Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995) cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime
minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor
general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the
leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister
appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly
(14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member
constituencies; members serve five-year terms) elections: last
held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009) election
results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SKNLP 7, CCM
2, NRP 1, PAM 1
Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
(based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint
Kitts and Nevis)
Political parties and leaders:
Concerned Citizens Movement or
CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis Reformation Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's
Action Movement or PAM [Lindsay GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party
or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS]
chief of mission:
Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS chancery: 3216 New
Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202)
686-2636 FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740 consulate(s)
general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy
in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Flag description:
divided diagonally from the
lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed
stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the
lower triangle is red
Economy
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Economy - overview:
Sugar was the traditional
mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005
harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses
of 3-4% of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, the
government has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector
and to stimulate other sectors of the economy. Activities such as tourism,
export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger
roles in the economy and have contributed to the recent robust growth.
Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign
exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis in 2005. The current
government is constrained by a high debt burden, public debt reached 190%
of GDP by the end of 2005, largely attributable to public enterprise
losses.
US 62%, Saint Kitts and Nevis 9.4%,
Netherlands 6.6%, Azerbaijan 5% (2006)
Imports:
$383 million (2006)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, manufactures, food,
fuels
Imports - partners:
US 48.9%, Trinidad and Tobago
13.1%, Spain 4.6%, UK 4.5% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
$3.52 million (2005)
Debt - external:
$314 million (2004)
Currency (code):
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code:
XCD
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars per US
dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Telephones - main lines in use:
25,000 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
10,000 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: good
interisland and international connections domestic: interisland
links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced
wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004
international: country code - 1-869; connected internationally
by the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean
fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2003)
Radios:
28,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2003)
Televisions:
10,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.kn
Internet hosts:
45 (2007)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
16 (2000)
Internet users:
10,000 (2002)
Transportation
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Airports:
2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2 1,524 to
2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Railways:
total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists
(2006)
Roadways:
total: 320 km
Merchant marine:
total: 104 ships (1000
GRT or over) 465,056 GRT/663,511 DWT by type: bulk carrier 3,
cargo 66, chemical tanker 8, container 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum
tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 76 (Belgium 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 1, Greece 2,
India 1, Iran 1, Latvia 4, Monaco 1, Romania 1, Russia 14, Spain 1, Syria
5, Tanzania 1, Turkey 13, Ukraine 5, UAE 22, Yemen 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Basseterre
Military
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Military branches:
Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense
Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary
military service; no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,095
females age 16-49: 10,081 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,064
females age 16-49: 8,464 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 16-49: 366
females age 16-49: 354 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Disputes - international:
joins other Caribbean states to
counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a
criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its
EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South
American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering
activity
