Compare Saint Kitts and Nevis (2003) - Switzerland (2002)

Compare Saint Kitts and Nevis (2003) z Switzerland (2002)

	Saint Kitts and Nevis (2003)	Switzerland (2002)

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	26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
Age structure	0-14 years: 29% (male 5,754; female 5,499) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 12,098; female 12,105) 65 years and over: 8.5% (male 1,365; female 1,942) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 16.8% (male 629,513; female 597,472) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 2,512,273; female 2,433,396) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 461,722; female 667,618) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish	grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs
Airports	2 (2002)	66 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)	total: 41 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 14 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 25 under 914 m: 24 (2002)
Area	total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km
Area - comparative	1.5 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
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.	Switzerland's independence and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers and Switzerland was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations, but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.
Birth rate	18.45 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	9.84 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $89.7 million expenditures: $128.2 million, including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.)	revenues: $30 billion expenditures: $30 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital	Basseterre	Bern
Climate	tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)	temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Coastline	135 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	19 September 1983	29 May 1874
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	conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German), Confederation Suisse (French), Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) local short form: Schweiz (German), Suisse (French), Svizzera (Italian)
Currency	East Caribbean dollar (XCD)	Swiss franc (CHF)
Death rate	8.85 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	8.79 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$171 million (2001)	$NA
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	chief of mission: Ambassador Mercer REYNOLDS III embassy: Jubilaeumsstrasse 93, 3001 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44
Diplomatic representation in the US	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	chief of mission: Ambassador Christian BLICKENSTORFER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston
Disputes - international	protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea	none
Economic aid - donor	-	ODA, $1.1 billion (1995) (1995)
Economic aid - recipient	$8 million (2001)	-
Economy - overview	Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Although the crop still dominates the agricultural sector, activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy. As tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange, a decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks has eroded government finances. The opening of a 1,000+ bed Marriott hotel in February 2003 is expected to bring in much-needed revenue.	Switzerland is a prosperous and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Although the Swiss are not pursuing full EU membership in the near term, in 1999 Bern and Brussels signed agreements to further liberalize trade ties. They continue to discuss further areas for cooperation. Switzerland remains a safe haven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth dropped in 2001 to about 0.8% and to about 0% in 2002.
Electricity - consumption	93.26 million kWh (2001)	52.62 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	31.4 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	24.33 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production	100.3 million kWh (2001)	64.182 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	fossil fuel: 4% hydro: 57% nuclear: 37% other: 2% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m	lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m
Environment - current issues	NA	air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity
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	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese	German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Exchange rates	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999), 2.7 (1998)	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.6668 (January 2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997)
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) 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	chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Ruth METZLER (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its own members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for one-year terms that run concurrently; election last held NA December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2003) election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - NA%; Ruth METZLER elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - NA%
Exports	NA (2001)	$100.3 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities	machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco	machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products
Exports - partners	US 66.5%, UK 7.6%, Canada 6.8%, Portugal 6% (2002)	EU 61% (Germany 22.2%, France 9%, Italy 8%, UK 5.3%), US 10.6%, Japan 3.9% (2001)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
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	red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
GDP	purchasing power parity - $339 million (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $231 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 3.5% industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001)	agriculture: 2% industry: 34% services: 64% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $31,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-1.9% (2002 est.)	2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	17 20 N, 62 45 W	47 00 N, 8 00 E
Geography - note	with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-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	landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps
Heliports	-	1 (2002)
Highways	total: 320 km paved: 136 km unpaved: 184 km (1999 est)	total: 71,059 km (including 1,638 km of expressways) paved: 71,059 km unpaved: 0 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25% (1992)
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity	because of more stringent government regulations, used significantly less as a money-laundering center; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin
Imports	NA (2001)	$94.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities	machinery, manufactures, food, fuels	machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles
Imports - partners	US 41.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 16.2%, Canada 9.8%, UK 6.9%, Japan 4% (2002)	EU 79.9% (Germany 32.2%, France 11%, Italy 10.2%, Netherlands 5.9%, UK 4.6%), US 5.1% (2001)
Independence	19 September 1983 (from UK)	1 August 1291 (Founding of the Swiss Confederation)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	3.2% (2001)
Industries	sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages	machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Infant mortality rate	total: 15.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1.7% (2001 est.)	0.5% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WTrO	ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	16 (2000)	44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	250 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)	Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly)
Labor force	18,172 (June 1995)	4 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation	NA	services 69%, industry 26%, agriculture 5% (1998)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
Land use	arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 2.78% other: 80.55% (1998 est.)	arable land: 10.57% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 88.82% (1998 est.)
Languages	English	German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 19.2%, Italian (official) 7.6%, Romansch 0.6%, other 8.9%
Legal system	based on English common law	civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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	bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats - members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of States - last held NA 1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP 7, SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP 22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP 35, Green Party 9, other small parties 18
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 71.57 years male: 68.76 years female: 74.56 years (2003 est.)	total population: 79.86 years male: 76.98 years female: 82.89 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1980 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago	Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Europe
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	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	none (2002 est.)	total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 509,943 GRT/896,309 DWT ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 6, chemical tanker 4, petroleum tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience:, United Kingdom 6, United States 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (including Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force (including Special Service Unit)	Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards, Fortification Guards
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$NA	$2.548 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA%	1% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 1,841,867 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 1,561,689 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 42,597 (2002 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 19 September (1983)	Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
Nationality	noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s) adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian	noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss
Natural hazards	hurricanes (July to October)	avalanches, landslides, flash floods
Natural resources	arable land	hydropower potential, timber, salt
Net migration rate	-8.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	-	crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km
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]	Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Philipp STAEHELIN, president]; Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER and Patrice MUGNY, co-presidents]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Gerold BUEHRER, president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Christiane BRUNNER, president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER, president]; and other minor parties
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	38,763 (July 2003 est.)	7,301,994 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	0.13% (2003 est.)	0.24% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	Basseterre, Charlestown	Basel
Radio broadcast stations	AM 3, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios	-	7.1 million (1997)
Railways	total: 50 km narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season (2002)	total: 4,406 km standard gauge: 3,440 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 900 km 1.000-m gauge; 10 km 0.800-m gauge dual gauge: 56 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (3 rail system) note: Swiss railways are virtually all electrified (2001)
Religions	Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic	Roman Catholic 46.1%, Protestant 40%, other 5%, none 8.9% (1990)
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 (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: good interisland and international connections domestic: inter island 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	general assessment: excellent domestic and international services domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	17,000 (1997)	4.82 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular	205 (1997)	1.967 million (1999)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus three repeaters) (1997)	115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	volcanic with mountainous interiors	mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Total fertility rate	2.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)	1.47 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	4.5% (1997)	1.9% (2002 est.)
Waterways	none	65 km note: The Rhine carries heavy traffic on the Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee stretches; there are also 12 navigable lakes

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