Saint Kitts and Nevis Population: 50,314
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| Background | |
| Carib Indians occupied the islands for hundreds of years before the British began settlement in 1623. The islands became an associated state of the UK 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 separate from Saint Kitts. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
| Area: | total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km Size comparison: one and a half 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% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 0.2 sq km (2008) |
| Natural hazards: | hurricanes (July to October) |
| Current Environment Issues: | NA |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 50,314 (July 2011 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 22.8% (male 5,701/female 5,755) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 17,740/female 17,297) 65 years and over: 7.6% (male 1,681/female 2,140) (2011 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 32 years male: 32.1 years female: 32 years (2011 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.823% (2011 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 14.07 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.1 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 1.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 9.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 74.6 years male: 72.25 years female: 77.01 years (2011 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.79 children born/woman (2011 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| 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 (official) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.8% male: NA female: NA (2003 est.) |
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| Government | |
| 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: | parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital: | name: Basseterre geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| 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 the UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 19 September (1983) |
| Constitution: | 19 September 1983 |
| Legal system: | 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); Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) 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 |
| 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 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 |
| Judicial branch: | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (consisting of a Court of Appeal and a High Court; based on Saint Lucia; two judges of the Supreme Court reside in Saint Kitts and Nevis); member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) |
| 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 |
| International organization participation: | ACP, AOSIS, C, Caricom, CDB, 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Jacinth HENRY-MARTIN 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 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 |
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| Economy | |
| The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis is heavily dependent upon tourism revenues, which has replaced sugar, the traditional mainstay of the 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, such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking. More than 200,000 tourists visited the islands in 2009. Like other tourist destinations in the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis is vulnerable to damage from natural disasters and shifts in tourism demand. The current government is constrained by one of the world's highest public debt burdens equivalent to roughly 185% of GDP, largely attributable to public enterprise losses. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $684 million (2010 est.) $694.6 million (2009 est.) $768.2 million (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $531 million (2010 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | -1.5% (2010 est.) -9.6% (2009 est.) 4.6% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,700 (2010 est.) $14,000 (2009 est.) $15,700 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 2.6% industry: 25.3% services: 72.1% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 18,170 (June 1995) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | |
| Unemployment rate: | 4.5% (1997) |
| Population below poverty line: | NA% |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2010 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $185.2 million expenditures: $185.2 million (2010 est.) |
| Public debt: | 185% of GDP (2009 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish |
| Industries: | tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 130 million kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - consumption: | 120.9 million kWh (2008 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - consumption: | 2,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) |
| Oil - exports: | 0 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - imports: | 1,699 bbl/day (2009 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves: | 0 bbl (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2011 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$140.5 million (2010 est.) -$184.8 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports: | $61.7 million (2010 est.) $57.56 million (2009 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco |
| Exports - partners: | US 56.5%, Canada 9.2%, Azerbaijan 5% (2010) |
| Imports: | $292.7 million (2010 est.) $266 million (2009 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery, manufactures, food, fuels |
| Imports - partners: | US 39.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 17%, Poland 4.7%, Barbados 4% (2010) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $100 million (31 December 2010 est.) $136.4 million (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $252.4 million (31 December 2010 est.) $255.8 million (31 December 2009 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $623.9 million (31 December 2010) $648 million (31 December 2009) $595.2 million (31 December 2008) |
| Exchange rates: | East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2010) 2.7 (2009) 2.7 (2005) 2.7 (2004) 2.7 (2003) |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 20,500 (2009) country comparison to the world: 194 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 83,000 (2009) |
| 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; fixed-line teledensity about 40 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is roughly 160 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 |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .kn |
| Internet hosts: | 51 (2010) |
| Internet users: | 17,000 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 2 (2010) country comparison to the world: 205 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 50 km narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 383 km paved: 163 km unpaved: 220 km (2002) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 160 by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 92, chemical tanker 4, combination ore/oil 1, container 3, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 94 (Bahrain 1, Belgium 1, China 1, Estonia 3, Italy 1, Japan 3, Kuwait 3, Latvia 2, Malaysia 1, Norway 1, Pakistan 3, Russia 11, Singapore 5, Syria 5, Turkey 22, UAE 17, UK 2, Ukraine 10, US 1, Yemen 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Basseterre, Charlestown |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force; for national security, Saint Kitts and Nevis relies on the Regional Security System, headquartered in Barbados (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2010) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 13,506 females age 16-49: 13,089 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 10,742 females age 16-49: 10,923 (2010 est.) |
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