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Saint Kitts And Nevis travel guides

Saint Kitts And Nevis - General Country Information

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Military
Transnational Issues

Introduction

General Information: Saint Kitts And Nevis

The capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis is Basseterre.

Geography

Location:	Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Coordinates:	17 20 N, 62 45 W
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
Land Boundaries:	0 km
Coastline:	135 km
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
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: 19.44% permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2001)
Irrigated Land:	NA sq km
Natural Hazards:	hurricanes (July to October)
Environment International Agreements:	party to: Biodiversity, Climate 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
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

Population:	38,836 (July 2004 est.)
Age Structure:	total: 27.3 years male: 26.5 years female: 28.1 years (2004 est.)
Population Growth Rate:	0.25% (2004 est.)
Birth Rate:	18.26 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death Rate:	8.65 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Migration Rate:	-7.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate:	total: 14.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Expectancy Birth:	total population: 71.86 years male: 69.03 years female: 74.86 years (2004 est.)
Fertility Rate:	2.35 children born/woman (2004 est.)
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.)

Gouvernment

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) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995) and 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
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
Judicial Branch:	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
Political Parties 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]
International Organization Participation:	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WTO
Diplomatic in 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
Diplomatic from US:	the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados, Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER, 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

Economy Overview:	Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint 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 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks has eroded government finances. The opening of a 1,000+ bed Marriott hotel in February 2003 was expected to bring in much-needed revenue.
GDP:	purchasing power parity - $339 million (2002 est.)
GDP Growth Rate:	-1.9% (2002 est.)
GDP Capital:	purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 est.)
GDP Composition:	agriculture: 3.5% industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001)
Household Income:	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation Rate:	1.7% (2001 est.)
Labor Force:	18,170 (June 1995)
Unemployment Rate:	4.5% (1997)
Budget:	revenues: $89.7 million expenditures: $128.2 million, including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.)
Agriculture Products:	sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish
Industries:	sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages
Electricity Production:	100.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity Consumption:	93.26 million kWh (2001)
Electricity Exports:	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity Imports:	0 kWh (2001)
Oil Production:	0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil Consumption:	710 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil Exports:	NA (2001)
Oil Imports:	NA (2001)
Exports:	$70 million (2002 est.)
Exports Commodities:	machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco
Exports Partners:	US 61.4%, UK 15.7%, Canada 8.6%, Germany 4.3% (2003)
Imports:	$195 million (2002 est.)
Imports Commodities:	machinery, manufactures, food, fuels
Imports Partners:	US 35.7%, Italy 16.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, UK 6.4%, Denmark 5.2%, Canada 4.4% (2003)
Debt External:	$171 million (2001)
Currency:	East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
Currency Code:	XCD
Exchange Rates:	East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000), 2.7 (1999)
Fiscal Year:	calendar year

Communications

Telephones Lines Use:	23,500 (2002)
Mobile Cellular:	5,000 (2002)
Telephone System:	general assessment: good interisland and international connections domestic: inter-island links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHF radiotelephone international: country code - 1-869; 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 Stations:	AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television Stations:	1 (plus three repeaters) (2004)
Internet Code:	.kn
Internet Hosts:	51 (2003)
Internet Users:	10,000 (2002)

Military

Military Branches:	Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (including Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force (including Special Service Unit)
Military Age Obligation:	18 years of age (est.) (2004)

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 Caribbean Sea
Illicit Drugs:	transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity