Carib Indians occupied the islands of the West Indies for hundreds of years before the British began settlement in 1623. In 1967, the island territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla became an associated state of the UK with full internal autonomy. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. The remaining islands achieved independence in 1983 as Saint Kitts and Nevis. 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 separate from Saint Kitts.

Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago

17 20 N, 62 45 W

Central America and the Caribbean

total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
country comparison to the world: 212
land: 261 sq km
water: 0 sq km

one and a half times the size of Washington, DC

0 km

135 km

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

tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

volcanic with mountainous interiors

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m

arable land

arable land: 19.23%
permanent crops: 0.38%
other: 80.38% (2011)

0.18 sq km (2003)

0.02 cu km (2011)

hurricanes (July to October)

NA

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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

with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a 3-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

noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)
adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian

predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese

English (official)

Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic

51,134 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210

0-14 years: 21.9% (male 5,596/female 5,589)
15-24 years: 15.6% (male 3,940/female 4,042)
25-54 years: 45.2% (male 11,782/female 11,353)
55-64 years: 9.5% (male 2,464/female 2,401)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 1,771/female 2,196) (2013 est.)

total: 33 years
male: 33.1 years
female: 32.9 years (2013 est.)

0.8% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136

13.79 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132

1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53

urban population: 32% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization: 1.8% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

BASSETERRE (capital) 13,000 (2009)

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

total: 9.2 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 148
male: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

total population: 75.07 years
country comparison to the world: 98
male: 72.67 years
female: 77.5 years (2013 est.)

1.78 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155

4.4% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 152

1.17 physicians/1,000 population (2001)

4.8 beds/1,000 population (2011)

NA

NA

NA

40.7% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 11

4.2% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 103

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97.8%
male: NA
female: NA (2003 est.)

total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2008)

conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis
former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm

name: Basseterre
geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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

19 September 1983 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 19 September (1983)

several previous; latest presented 22 June 1983, effective 23 June 1983 (2011)

English common law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Edmund LAWRENCE (since 2 January 2013)
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: the monarchy is hereditary; the governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member constituencies; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 25 January 2010 (next to be held by 2015)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SKNLP 6, CCM 2, PAM 2, NRP 1

highest court(s): the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the itinerant superior court of record for the 9-member Organization of Eastern Caribbean States which includes Saint Kitts and Nevis; the ECSC - with its headquarters on St. Lucia - is headed by the chief justice and comprised of the Court of Appeal with 3 justices and the High Court with 16 judges; sittings of the Court of Appeal and High Court rotate among the member states; 2 High Court judges reside on Saint Kitts and Nevis
judge selection and term of office: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court chief justice appointed by Her Majesty, Queen ELIZABETH II; other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission; Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65; High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62
subordinate courts: magistrates' courts

Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]

NA

ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, Petrocaribe, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

chief of mission: Ambassador Jacinth Lorna HENRY-MARTIN (since 14 February 2011)
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636
FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis

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; green signifies the island's fertility, red symbolizes the struggles of the people from slavery, yellow denotes year-round sunshine, and black represents the African heritage of the people; the white stars stand for the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, but can also express hope and liberty, or independence and optimism

brown pelican

name: "Oh Land of Beauty!"
lyrics/music: Kenrick Anderson GEORGES
note: adopted 1983

The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis depends on tourism; since the 1970s tourism has replaced sugar as the traditional mainstay of the economy. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry, after several decades of losses. To compensate for lost jobs, the government has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and to stimulate other sectors of the economy, such as export-oriented manufacturing and offshore banking. Roughly 200,000 tourists visited the islands in 2009, but reduced tourism arrivals and foreign investment led to an economic contraction in 2009-2012, and the economy has not yet returned to growth. Like other tourist destinations in the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis is vulnerable to damage from natural disasters and shifts in tourism demand. Furthermore, the government is constrained by one of the world's highest public debt burdens - equivalent to roughly 140% of GDP in 2012 - largely attributable to public enterprise losses.

$921 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

$724.1 million (2012 est.)

-0.9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194

$16,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
note: data are in 2012 US dollars

household consumption: 72.7%
government consumption: 10.6%
investment in fixed capital: 28.3%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 33.5%
imports of goods and services: -45%

agriculture: 1.9%
industry: 23.4%
services: 74.7% (2012 est.)

sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish

tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages

NA%

18,170 (June 1995)
country comparison to the world: 210

4.5% (1997)
country comparison to the world: 40

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

revenues: $223.3 million
expenditures: $197 million (2012 est.)

30.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89

3.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15

144% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4

calendar year

1.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24

6.5% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 55

8.73% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94

$200.4 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

$964.1 million (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170

$809.6 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

$598.4 million (31 December 2011)
country comparison to the world: 110

$-70.8 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71

$68.6 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193

machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco

US 56%, Canada 9.8%, Bangladesh 6.2% (2012)

$225.6 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202

machinery, manufactures, food, fuels

US 31.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 19.9%, Italy 7%, Germany 6%, Barbados 4.7% (2012)

$189.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

135 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192

125.6 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125

0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128

55,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185

100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 119

0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116

0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 180

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125

1,496 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126

1,784 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 182

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186

0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175

0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125

0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 188

302,700 Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188

20,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 186

84,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 196

general assessment: good interisland and international connections
domestic: interisland links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004; fixed-line teledensity about 40 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 170 per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-869; connected internationally by the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables (2010)

the government operates a national TV network that broadcasts on 2 channels; cable subscription services provide access to local and international channels; the government operates a national radio network; a mix of government-owned and privately owned broadcasters operate roughly 15 radio stations (2007)

.kn

54 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 213

17,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 197

2 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 204

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

total: 50 km
country comparison to the world: 130
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2008)

total: 383 km
country comparison to the world: 200
paved: 163 km
unpaved: 220 km (2002)

total: 152
country comparison to the world: 38
by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 81, chemical tanker 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, liquefied gas 3, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 27, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 73 (Belgium 1, China 1, Egypt 1, Greece 2, India 2, Japan 2, Malaysia 1, Norway 3, Pakistan 1, Russia 13, Singapore 10, Turkey 18, UAE 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8, US 1) (2010)

major seaport(s): Basseterre, Charlestown

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Security, Labour, Immigration, and Social Security: Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force (2013)

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

males age 16-49: 13,506
females age 16-49: 13,089 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49: 10,742
females age 16-49: 10,923 (2010 est.)

male: 380
female: 422 (2010 est.)

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which permits Venezuela to extend its Economic Exclusion Zone/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea