Saint Kitts and Nevis (2008) | Baker Island (2005) | |
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 | - |
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.) |
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Agriculture - products | sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish | - |
Airports | 2 (2007) | 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m, completely covered with vegetation and unusable (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
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Area | total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 1.4 sq km
land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in 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. | The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast. |
Birth rate | 17.89 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $89.7 million
expenditures: $128.2 million (2003 est.) |
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Capital | name: Basseterre
geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
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Climate | tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) | equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun |
Coastline | 135 km | 4.8 km |
Constitution | 19 September 1983 | - |
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: none
conventional short form: Baker Island |
Death rate | 8.16 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $314 million (2004) | - |
Dependency status | - | unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system |
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 | - |
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 |
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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 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $3.52 million (2005) | - |
Economy - overview | Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4% of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, 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 and have contributed to the recent robust growth. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis in 2005. The current government is constrained by a high debt burden, public debt reached 190% of GDP by the end of 2005, largely attributable to public enterprise losses. | no economic activity |
Electricity - consumption | 116.3 million kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 125 million kWh (2005) | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 8 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | no natural fresh water resources |
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 |
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Ethnic groups | predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese | - |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) | - |
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 |
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Exports | 0 bbl/day (2004) | - |
Exports - commodities | machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco | - |
Exports - partners | US 62%, Canada 9.4%, Netherlands 6.6%, Azerbaijan 5% (2006) | - |
Fiscal 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 | the flag of the US is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001) |
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GDP - real growth rate | 6% (2007 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 17 20 N, 62 45 W | 0 13 N, 176 31 W |
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 | treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity | - |
Imports | 871.6 bbl/day (2004) | - |
Imports - commodities | machinery, manufactures, food, fuels | - |
Imports - partners | US 48.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.1%, Spain 4.6%, UK 4.5% (2006) | - |
Independence | 19 September 1983 (from UK) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
Industries | tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages | - |
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.) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 8.7% (2005 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 | - |
Irrigated land | NA | 0 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) | - |
Labor force | 18,170 (June 1995) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | English | - |
Legal system | based on English common law | the laws of the US, where applicable, apply |
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 |
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Life expectancy at birth | total population: 72.66 years
male: 69.81 years female: 75.69 years (2007 est.) |
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Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.) |
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Location | Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago | Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
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 |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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) |
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Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard |
Military branches | Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 19 September (1983) | - |
Nationality | noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)
adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian |
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Natural hazards | hurricanes (July to October) | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | arable land | guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife |
Net migration rate | -3.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
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 pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
Population | 39,349 (July 2007 est.) | uninhabited
note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 0.623% (2007 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | - | none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one small boat landing area along the middle of the west coast |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2003) | - |
Railways | total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2006) |
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Religions | Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic | - |
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.) |
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Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | - |
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; with the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables providing connectivity, international calls are carried either by submarine cable or Intelsat |
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Telephones - main lines in use | 25,000 (2004) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 10,000 (2004) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2003) | - |
Terrain | volcanic with mountainous interiors | low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef |
Total fertility rate | 2.29 children born/woman (2007 est.) | - |
Transportation - note | - | there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast |
Unemployment rate | 4.5% (1997) | - |