Background: First settled by the British in 1623, the islands, together with Anguilla, became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. Unrest in Anguilla led to its separation in 1971. St. Kitts and Nevis gained independence in 1983. In 1998 d. in a referendum on secession from St. Kitts, held on the island of Nevis, failed to gain the required two-thirds of the vote.
Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago.
Geographic coordinates: 17° 20′ N. latitude, 62° 45′ W e.
Reference map: Central America and the Caribbean.
Area: total: 261 sq. km. (Saint Christopher Island 168 sq. km; Nevis Island 93 sq. km); land surface area: 261 km2; water surface area: 0 km2
Comparative area: 1.5 times the area of Washington, DC.
Land borders: 0 km.
Coastline: 135 km.
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nautical miles or to the outer limits of the continent; territorial waters: 12 nautical miles; neutral waters: 24 nautical miles; exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles.
Climate: tropical, moderated by constant sea breezes; small seasonal temperature variations; rainy season from May to November.
Terrain: volcanic, mountains in the interior of the islands.
Maximum and minimum heights: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m; highest point: Mount Layamuja 1,156 m.
Natural resources: arable land.
Land use: arable land: 22%; cultivated land: 17%; pastures: 3%; forests and plantations: 17%; others: 41% (1993 est.).
Irrigated lands: no data.
Natural Hazards: Hurricanes (July to October).
Current environmental issues: no data available.
International environmental conventions: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling; signed but not ratified: no.
Note to the section “Geography”:
Population
Population: 38,756 (July 2001 est.).
Age structure: under 14: 29.84% (male 5,909; female 5,654); 15 to 64 years old: 61.37% (men 11,870; women 11,915); over 65: 8.79% (male 1,406; female 2,002) (2001 est.).
Population growth: -0.11% (2001 est.).
Birth rate: 18.78 newborns / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Mortality: 9.21 deaths / 1000 people. (2001 est.).
Migration: -10.68 people / 1000 people (2001 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male/female; under 15: 1.05 male/female; from 15 to 64 years old: 1 male/female; over 65: 0.7 male/female; for the general population: 0.98 male/female (2001 est.);
Child mortality: 16.28 deaths/1000 births (2001 est.).
Life expectancy: for the general population: 71.01 years; men: 68.22 years; women: 73.97 years (2001 est.).
Total fertility rate: 2.41 children/wives. (2001 est.).
Proportion of the adult population infected with HIV: no data available.
Number of people infected with HIV: no data.
Mortality due to AIDS: no data available.
Nationality: noun: resident of Saint Kitts, Nevis; adjective: referring to Saint Kitts, Nevis.
Ethnic groups: predominantly black, some English, Portuguese and Lebanese.
Believers: Anglicans, other Protestants, Catholics.
Language(s): English.
Literacy: definition: persons aged 15 and over who have ever attended school; for the general population: 97%; men: 97%; women: 98% (1980 est.).
Politics
Common long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis;
Common short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis; former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
State structure: constitutional monarchy with an English-style parliament. See politicsezine.com to know more about Saint Kitts and Nevis Political System.
Capital: Basseterre.
Administrative divisions: 14 districts: Christ Church-Nikola Town, St. James Windworth, St. John Capister, St. John Figtree, St. George’s Buster, St. George’s Gingerland, St. Mary Cayon, St. Peter Buster, St. Paul Capister, St. Paul Charlestown, St. Thomas Lowland, St. Thomas Middle Island, St. Ann Sandt Point, Tri-Thread Palmetto Point.
Dependent Territories:
Independence: since September 19, 1983 (until 1983 – a state associated with Great Britain).
National holiday: Independence Day, September 19 (1983).
Constitution: adopted September 19, 1983
Legal system: based on English common law.
Suffrage: from 18 years old; universal.
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Perlette LOUISY (since September 1997);
head of government: Prime Minister Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995), Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995);
government: the Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General in consultation with the Prime Minister; elections: no; hereditary monarchy; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the governor general usually appoints the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition as prime minister; The Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor General.
Legislature: unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies; term of office is five years); elections: elections last held 6 March 2000 (next to be held in July 2005); election results: distribution of votes between parties: no data; distribution of seats among parties: SKNLP 8, SCM 2, NRP 1.
Judiciary: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (located in Saint Lucia), one of the judges permanently resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens’ Movement (CCM) (Vance AMORY); Nevis Reform Party (NRP) (Joseph PARRY); Popular Action Movement (PAM) (Lindsey GRANT); Labor Party of Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKNLP) (Denzil DOUGLAS).
Political influence groups and their leaders:
Participation in international organizations: 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 USA: Chief of Mission: Ambassador Osbert W. LIBURD; office: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016; phone: [1] (202) 686-2636; fax: [1] (202) 686-5740.
US Diplomatic Mission: The US does not have an embassy in St. Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Description of the flag: Divided diagonally from the lower left corner by a wide black stripe on which are two white five-pointed stars; black stripe bordered in yellow; the top triangle of the flag is green, the bottom red.
