| Background: |
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. |
| 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 |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
| 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 |
| Natural
resources: |
arable land |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
22%
permanent crops: 17%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 17%
other: 41% (1993 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
hurricanes (July
to October) |
| Environment
- current issues: |
NA |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Population: |
38,756 (July 2001
est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
29.84% (male 5,909; female 5,654)
15-64 years: 61.37% (male 11,870; female
11,915)
65 years and over: 8.79% (male 1,406; female
2,002) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
-0.11% (2001
est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
18.78
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
9.21 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-10.68 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
16.28
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 71.01 years
male: 68.22 years
female: 73.97 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.41 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
NA% |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
NA |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)
adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
predominantly
black some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese |
| Religions: |
Anglican, other
Protestant, Roman Catholic |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1980 est.) |
| 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: |
constitutional
monarchy with Westminster-style parliament |
| Administrative
divisions: |
14 parishes;
Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint
George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James
Windward, Saint John Capisterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint
Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capisterre, 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 Perlette LOUISY (since
September 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil
DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sam
CONDOR (since 6 July 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general in consultation with the prime minister
elections: none; 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 6 March 2000 (next to be
held by July 2005)
election results: percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - SKNLP 8, CCM 2, NRP 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
[Lindsey GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP
[Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS] |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
NA |
| International
organization participation: |
ACP, C, Caricom,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Dr. Osbert W. LIBURD
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636
FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
the US does not
have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador
in 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
- overview: |
The economy has
traditionally depended on the growing and processing of
sugarcane; decreasing world prices have hurt the industry in
recent years. Tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and
offshore banking activity have assumed larger roles. Most
food is imported. The government has undertaken a program
designed to revitalize the faltering sugar sector. It is
also working to improve revenue collection in order to
better fund social programs. In 1997 some leaders in Nevis
were urging separation from Saint Kitts on the basis that
Nevis was paying far more in taxes than it was receiving in
government services, but the vote on cessation failed in
August 1998. In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges
caused approximately $445 million in damages and limited GDP
growth for the year. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $274 million (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $7,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
5.5%
industry: 22.5%
services: 72% (1996) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
18,172 (June
1995) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
NA |
| Unemployment
rate: |
4.5% (1997) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$64.1 million
expenditures: $73.3 million, including capital
expenditures of $10.4 million (1997 est.) |
| Industries: |
sugar processing,
tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
NA% |
| Electricity
- production: |
90 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
83.7 million kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sugarcane, rice,
yams, vegetables, bananas; fish |
| Exports: |
$53.2 million
(2000 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
machinery, food,
electronics, beverages, tobacco |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 68.5%, UK
22.3%, Caricom countries 5.5% (1995 est.) |
| Imports: |
$151.5 million
(2000 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery,
manufactures, food, fuels |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 42.4%, Caricom
countries 17.2%, UK 11.3% (1995 est.) |
| Debt
- external: |
$115.1 million
(1998) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$5.5 million
(1995) |
| Currency: |
East Caribbean
dollar (XCD) |
| Exchange
rates: |
East Caribbean
dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
17,000 (1997) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
205 (1997) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: good interisland and international
connections
domestic: interisland links to Antigua and
Barbuda and Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands
Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHF radiotelephone
international: international calls are carried
by radiotelephone to Antigua and Barbuda and switched there
to submarine cable or to Intelsat; or carried to Saint
Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) by
radiotelephone and switched to Intelsat |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 3, FM 1,
shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
1 (plus three
repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: |
10,000 (1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.kn |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
16 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
2,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
58 km
narrow gauge: 58 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint
Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations (1995) |
| Highways: |
total:
320 km
paved: 136 km
unpaved: 184 km (2000) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Basseterre,
Charlestown |
| Merchant
marine: |
none (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Royal Saint Kitts
and Nevis Police Force, Coast Guard, Royal Saint Kitts and
Nevis Defense Force |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$NA |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
NA% |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
| Illicit
drugs: |
transshipment
point for South American drugs destined for the US and
Europe |
|
