1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
261 km2; 40% arable, 10% pasture, 17% forest, 33% wasteland and built on WATER
Coastline
135 km
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
3 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
mainly of African Negro descent
Labor force
30,000 (1979 est.)
Language
English
Literacy
about 88-90%
Nationality
noun—Kittsian(s), Nevisian(s); adjective—Kittsian, Nevisian
Organized labor
6,700
Population
52,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.8%
Religion
Church of England, other Protestant sects, Roman Catholic
Government
Branches
legislative, 10-member popularly elected House of Assembly; executive, Cabinet headed by Premier
Capital
Basseterre
Communists
none known
Elections
at least every five years; most recent 18 February 1980 Political parties and leaders: St. Christopher-Nevis Labor Party (SKLP), Lee Moore; People's Action Movement (PAM), Kennedy Simmonds; Nevis Reformation Party (NRP), Simeon Daniel Voting strength (February 1980 election): SKLP won 4 seats in the House of Assembly, PAM won 3, NRP won 2
Government leaders
Premier Kennedy A. SIMMONDS; Governor Clement A. ARRINDELL
Legal system
based on English common law; constitution of 1960; highest judicial organ is Court of Appeal of Leeward and Windward Islands
Member of
CARICOM, ISO
Official name
State of St. Christopher-Nevis
Political subdivisions
10 districts
Suffrage
universal adult suffrage
Type
dependent territory with full internal autonomy as a British "Associated State"; Anguilla formally seceded in May 1967 and reverted to British crown colony status on 19 December 1980
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—sugar on St. Christopher, cotton on Nevis
Aid
economic—bilateral commitments including Ex-Im (1970-79) from Western (non-US) countries, $14.6 million; no military aid
Budget
(1980 prelim.) revenues, $20 million; expenditures, $24 million
Electric power
12,000 kW capacity (1981); 30 million kWh produced (1981), 603 kWh per capita
Exports
$20 million (f.o.b., 1980 est.); sugar
GDP
$33 million (1980 est.), $672 per capita; 3.3% real growth in 1980
Imports
$43 million (c.i.f., 1980 est.); foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel
Major industries
sugar processing, tourism
Major trade partners
exports—50% US, 35% UK; imports—21% UK, 17% Japan, 11% US (1973)
Monetary conversion rate
2.70 East Caribbean dollars=US$1
Communications
Airfields
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
no major transport aircraft
Highways
300 km total; 125 km paved, 125 km otherwise improved, 50 km unimproved earth
Ports
2 minor (1 on each island)
Railroads
57 km, narrow gauge (0.760 m) on St. Christopher for sugarcane
Telecommunications
good interisland VHF/UHF/SHF radio connections and international link via Antigua and St. Martin; about 2,400 telephones (5.0 per 100 popl.); 2 AM and 5 TV stations