1.
[syn: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Christopher-Nevis, St. Christopher-Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Saint Kitts and Nevis
n 1: a country on several of the Leeward Islands; located to the
east southeast of Puerto Rico; achieved independence from
the United Kingdom in 1983 [syn: Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Christopher-
Nevis, St. Christopher-Nevis, St. Kitts and Nevis]
CIA World Factbook 2002:
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Introduction Saint Kitts and Nevis
----------------------------------
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.
Geography Saint Kitts and Nevis
-------------------------------
Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean
Sea, about one-third of the way from
Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 17 20 N, 62 45 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq
km; Nevis 93 sq km)
water: 0 sq km
land: 261 sq km
Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 135 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the
edge of the continental margin
Climate: tropical tempered by constant sea
breezes; little seasonal temperature
variation; rainy season (May to
November)
Terrain: volcanic with mountainous interiors
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156
m
Natural resources: arable land
Land use: arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 2.78%
other: 80.56% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes (July to October)
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international party to: Biodiversity, Climate
agreements: 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
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
People Saint Kitts and Nevis
----------------------------
Population: 38,736 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.4% (male 5,827;
female 5,571)
15-64 years: 61.9% (male 11,980;
female 12,005)
65 years and over: 8.7% (male 1,383;
female 1,970) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.01% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 18.61 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 9.04 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -9.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
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 (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.29 years
female: 74.26 years (2002 est.)
male: 68.49 years
Total fertility rate: 2.39 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)
adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian
Ethnic groups: predominantly black some British,
Portuguese, and Lebanese
Religions: Anglican, other Protestant, Roman
Catholic
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever
attended school
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1980 est.)
Government Saint Kitts and Nevis
--------------------------------
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
Government type: constitutional monarchy with
Westminster-style parliament
Capital: Basseterre
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
Independence: 19 September 1983 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 19 September
(1983)
Constitution: 19 September 1983
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II
(since 6 February 1952), represented
by Governor General Cuthbert
Montraville SEBASTIAN (since 1
January 1996)
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
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
governor general in consultation
with the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister
Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July
1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sam
CONDOR (since 6 July 1995)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (14
seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly
elected from single-member
constituencies; members serve five-
year terms)
election results: percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - SKNLP
8, CCM 2, NRP 1
elections: last held 6 March 2000
(next to be held by July 2005)
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
(based on Saint Lucia; one judge of
the Supreme Court resides in Saint
Kitts and Nevis)
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]
Political pressure groups and NA
leaders:
International organization ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-
participation: 77, IBRD, 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
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
Diplomatic representation from the the US does not have an embassy in
US: Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US
Ambassador in Barbados is accredited
to Saint Kitts and Nevis
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
Economy Saint Kitts and Nevis
-----------------------------
Economy - overview: Sugar was the traditional mainstay
of the St. 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 terrorist attacks
has eroded government finances. The
government revised estimates of 2001
growth down to 1% and faces dim
recovery prospects in 2002, given
the depressed state of the tourism
industry, low sugar prices, and a
growing budget deficit.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $339
million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,700
(2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 25.8%
services: 70.7% (2001)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 18,172 (June 1995)
Labor force - by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 4.5% (1997)
Budget: revenues: $85.7 million
expenditures: $95.6 million,
including capital expenditures of
$NA (2001 est.)
Industries: sugar processing, tourism, cotton,
salt, copra, clothing, footwear,
beverages
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 95 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 88.35 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables,
bananas; fish
Exports: $51.7 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery, food, electronics,
beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners: US 68.5%, UK 22.3%, Caricom
countries 5.5% (1995 est.)
Imports: $141.3 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, manufactures, food, fuels
Imports - partners: US 42.4%, Caricom countries 17.2%,
UK 11.3% (1995 est.)
Debt - external: $140 million (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $5.5 million (1995)
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code: XCD
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar
- 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Saint Kitts and Nevis
------------------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 17,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 205 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: good interisland
and international connections
domestic: interisland 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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 28,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 10,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .kn
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 2,000 (2000)
Transportation Saint Kitts and Nevis
------------------------------------
Railways: total: 58 km
narrow gauge: 58 km 0.762-m gauge on
Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane
plantations (2002)
Highways: total: 320 km
paved: 136 km
unpaved: 184 km (2000)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Basseterre, Charlestown
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
Military Saint Kitts and Nevis
------------------------------
Military branches: Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force
(including Coast Guard), Royal Saint
Kitts and Nevis Police Force
(including Special Service Unit)
Military expenditures - dollar $NA
figure:
Military expenditures - percent of NA%
GDP:
Transnational Issues Saint Kitts and Nevis
------------------------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South
American drugs destined for the US
and Europe