2008 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2008 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
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.
Geography
Area
total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
Coastline
135 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m
Environment - current issues
NA
Environment - international agreements
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
Geographic coordinates
17 20 N, 62 45 W
Geography - note
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
Irrigated land
NA
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 19.44% permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005)
Location
Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
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
Natural hazards
hurricanes (July to October)
Natural resources
arable land
Terrain
volcanic with mountainous interiors
Total renewable water resources
0.02 cu km (2000)
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 5,439/female 5,186) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 13,018/female 12,968) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 1,334/female 1,872) (2008 est.)
Birth rate
17.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate
8.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Education expenditures
9.3% of GDP (2005)
Ethnic groups
predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
total: 14.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Languages
English
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 72.94 years male: 70.08 years female: 75.98 years (2008 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.)
Median age
total: 28.4 years male: 27.7 years female: 29.1 years (2008 est.)
Nationality
noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s) adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian
Net migration rate
-2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Population
39,817 (July 2008 est.)
Population growth rate
0.723% (2008 est.)
Religions
Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2005)
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: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Government
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
Capital
name: Basseterre geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
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
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: 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
FAX
[1] (202) 686-5740 consulate(s) general: New York
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
Government type
parliamentary democracy
Independence
19 September 1983 (from UK)
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, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
Judicial branch
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Legal system
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 19 September (1983)
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture - products
sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish
Budget
revenues: $89.7 million expenditures: $128.2 million (2003 est.)
Central bank discount rate
6.5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
9.28% (31 December 2007)
Currency (code)
East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency code
XCD
Current account balance
-$163 million (2007 est.)
Debt - external
$314 million (2004)
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.
Electricity - consumption
120.9 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production
130 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Exchange rates
East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
Exports
$84 million (2006)
Exports - commodities
machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners
US 66.3%, Canada 4.9%, Turkey 3.3% (2007)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 3.5% industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$13,900 (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
3.3% (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$527 million (2007 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$721 million (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$383 million (2006)
Imports - commodities
machinery, manufactures, food, fuels
Imports - partners
US 47.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.3%, UK 5.6% (2007)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force
18,170 (June 1995)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Oil - consumption
950 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports
917.8 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Stock of domestic credit
$782.4 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of money
$97.31 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money
$688.6 million (31 December 2007)
Unemployment rate
4.5% (1997)
Communications
Internet country code
.kn
Internet hosts
45 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
16 (2000)
Internet users
10,000 (2002)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2003)
Radios
28,000 (1997)
Telephone system
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 international: country code - 1-869; connected internationally by the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables
Telephones - main lines in use
25,000 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular
10,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations
1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2003)
Televisions
10,000 (1997)
Transportation
Airports
2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Merchant marine
total: 159 by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 109, chemical tanker 7, container 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 121 (Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 3, Finland 1, Greece 3, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 3, Kuwait 1, Latvia 5, Malaysia 1, Pakistan 3, Romania 1, Russia 19, Singapore 1, Spain 1, Syria 7, Turkey 35, Ukraine 9, UAE 18, UK 3, Yemen 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals
Basseterre
Railways
total: 50 km narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2006)
Roadways
total: 320 km paved: 163 km unpaved: 220 km (2002)
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 10,095 females age 16-49: 10,081 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 8,064 females age 16-49: 8,464 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 367 female: 352 (2008 est.)
Military branches
Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force
Military expenditures
NA
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Transnational Issues
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
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008