Saint Kitts and Nevis

§1. Saint Kitts and Nevis Introduction

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.

§2. Saint Kitts and Nevis Geography

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 kmē (Saint Kitts 168 kmē; Nevis 93 kmē)
  land: 261 kmē
  water: 0 kmē

Area - comparative:
  1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
  0 km

Coastline:
  135 km

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.)

Irrigated land:
  NA kmē

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

§3. Saint Kitts and Nevis People

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  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

Languages:
  English

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
  total population: 97%
  male: 97%
  female: 98% (1980 est.)

§4. Saint Kitts and Nevis Government

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

Capital:
  Basseterre

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

§5. Saint Kitts and Nevis Economy

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)

Currency code:
  XCD

Exchange rates:
  East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Saint Kitts and Nevis Communications

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)

Radios:
  28,000 (1997)

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)

§7. Saint Kitts and Nevis Transportation

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)

Waterways:
  none

Ports and harbors:
  Basseterre, Charlestown

Merchant marine:
  none (2000 est.)

Airports:
  2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
  914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

§8. Saint Kitts and Nevis Military

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%

§9. Saint Kitts and Nevis Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  none

Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
