Saint Kitts and Nevis (2007) | Bahrain (2001) | |
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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 | 12 municipalities (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 27.2% (male 5,472/female 5,218)
15-64 years: 64.9% (male 12,779/female 12,752) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 1,300/female 1,828) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
29.6% (male 96,697; female 94,330) 15-64 years: 67.43% (male 257,360; female 177,839) 65 years and over: 2.97% (male 9,721; female 9,414) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish | fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish |
Airports | 2 (2007) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
total:
2 over 3,047 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
620 sq km land: 620 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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. Nevis continues in its efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts. | Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Possessing minimal oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining, and has transformed itself into an international banking center. The new amir is pushing economic and political reforms, and has worked to improve relations with the Shi'a community. In 2001, the International Court of Justice awarded the Hawar Islands, long disputed with Qatar, to Bahrain. |
Birth rate | 17.89 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 20.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $89.7 million
expenditures: $128.2 million (2003 est.) |
revenues:
$1.8 billion expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) |
Capital | name: Basseterre
geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Manama |
Climate | tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) | arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers |
Coastline | 135 km | 161 km |
Constitution | 19 September 1983 | adopted late December 2000 (new constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary) |
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:
State of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Dawlat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun |
Currency | - | Bahraini dinar (BHD) |
Death rate | 8.16 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 3.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $314 million (2004) | $2.7 billion (2000) |
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 | chief of mission:
Ambassador Johnny YOUNG embassy: #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 321, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: American Embassy Manama, PSC 451, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 273-300 FAX: [973] 272-594 |
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 (vacant) chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-0741 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York |
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 | in March of 2001, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Hawar Islands to Bahrain and also adjusted Bahrain's maritime boundary with Qatar |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA (2005) | $48.4 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. The government closed the sugar industry following the 2005 harvest after decades of losses at the state-run sugar company. To compensate, 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. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis in 2005. Additional tourist facilities, including a second cruise ship pier, hotels, and golf courses are under construction. | In Bahrain, petroleum production and refining account for about 60% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Bahrain is dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil revenue granted as aid. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made from imported crude. Construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of both oil and underground water resources are major long-term economic problems. |
Electricity - consumption | 116.3 million kWh (2005) | 5.752 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 125 million kWh (2005) | 6.185 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m |
lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; no natural fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water are the only sources for all water needs |
Environment - international agreements | 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 |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese | Bahraini 63%, Asian 19%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8% |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002) | Bahraini dinars per US dollar - 0.3760 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) |
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: 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:
Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969) head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since NA 1971) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco | petroleum and petroleum products 61%, aluminum 7% |
Exports - partners | US 61.9%, Canada 9.4%, Netherlands 6.6%, Azerbaijan 5% (2006) | India 14%, Saudi Arabia 5%, US 5%, UAE 5%, Japan 4%, South Korea 4% (1999) |
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 with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $10.1 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001) |
agriculture:
1% industry: 46% services: 53% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $15,900 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.9% (2005 est.) | 5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 17 20 N, 62 45 W | 26 00 N, 50 33 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 | close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf which much of Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | - | total:
3,164 km paved: 2,433 km unpaved: 731 km note: there is a paved causeway connecting Bahrain to Saudi Arabia (1997) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity | - |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | machinery, manufactures, food, fuels | nonoil 59%, crude oil 41% |
Imports - partners | US 49.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.3%, UK 4.5% (2006) | France 20%, US 14%, UK 8%, Saudi Arabia 7%, Japan 5% (1999) |
Independence | 19 September 1983 (from UK) | 15 August 1971 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 2% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages | petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | total: 13.74 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
19.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.7% (2005 est.) | 2% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO | ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 10 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis) | High Civil Appeals Court |
Labor force | 18,170 (June 1995) | 295,000 (1998 est.)
note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | industry, commerce, and service 79%, government 20%, agriculture 1% (1997 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005) |
arable land:
1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 0% other: 92% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English | Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on Islamic law and English common law |
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 |
unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975 and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet; appointed Advisory Council established 16 December 1992; the National Action Charter created a bicameral legislature on 23 December 2000; approved by referendum of 14 February 2001 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 72.66 years
male: 69.81 years female: 75.69 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
73.2 years male: 70.81 years female: 75.67 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.2% male: 89.1% female: 79.4% (1995 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago | Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Middle East |
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 |
contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined territorial sea: 12 NM |
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) |
total:
7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 175,609 GRT/207,652 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 3, container 2 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force | Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $318 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 5.2% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
222,141 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
121,833 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 15 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
5,926 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 19 September (1983) | National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 is the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 is the date of independence from British protection |
Nationality | noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)
adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian |
noun:
Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (July to October) | periodic droughts; dust storms |
Natural resources | arable land | oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls |
Net migration rate | -3.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 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 [Lindsay GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS] | political parties prohibited |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Shi'a activists fomented unrest sporadically 1994-97, demanding the return of an elected National Assembly and an end to unemployment; several small, clandestine leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active |
Population | 39,349 (July 2007 est.) | 645,361
note: includes 228,424 non-nationals (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.623% (2007 est.) | 1.73% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2003) | AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 338,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2006) |
0 km |
Religions | Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic | Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.049 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.002 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.711 male(s)/female total population: 0.988 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.45 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.29 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none |
Telephone system | general assessment: good inter-island and international connections
domestic: inter-island links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004 international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried by submarine cable or Intelsat |
general assessment:
modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones international: tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (1997) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 25,000 (2004) | 152,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 10,000 (2004) | 58,543 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2003) | 4 (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic with mountainous interiors | mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment |
Total fertility rate | 2.29 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 2.79 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.5% (1997) | 15% (1998 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |