FLAG: Two thin diagonal yellow bands flanking a wide black diagonal band separate a green triangle at the hoist from a red triangle at the fly. On the black band are two white five-pointed stars.

ANTHEM: National Anthem, beginning “O land of beauty.”

MONETARY UNIT: The East Caribbean dollar (EC$) of 100 cents is the national currency. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 25 cents and 1 East Caribbean dollar, and notes of 5, 10, 20, and 100 East Caribbean dollars. EC$1 = US$0.37037 (or US$1 = EC$2.7) as of 2004.

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The imperial system is used.

HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Labor Day, 1st Monday in May; Bank Holiday, 1st Monday in August; Independence Day, 19 September; Prince of Wales’s Birthday, 14 November; Christmas, 25 December; Boxing Day, 26 December; Carnival, 30 December. Movable religious holidays include Good Friday and Whitmonday.

TIME: 8 AM = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

Saint Kitts is situated in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean. Nevis lies southeast of Saint Kitts, across a channel called The Narrows. The country has a total area of 261 square kilometers (101 square miles), slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, D.C. Together the islands have a coastline of 135 kilometers (84 miles). The capital city, Basseterre, is located on Saint Kitts.

2 Topography

Saint Kitts and Nevis are of volcanic origin. In the northwest of Saint Kitts is Mount Liamuiga (also called Mount Misery), the island’s highest peak at 1,156 meters (3,792 feet). The lowest point is at sea level (Caribbean Sea). To the south and west of Mount Liamuiga are 210-meter (700-feet) cliffs that drop straight to the sea. On the southern arm of the island lies the Great Salt Pond, the largest lake in the country. Nevis’s highest elevation is the central peak of Nevis Peak (Mount Nevis), at 985 meters (3,232 feet); it is usually capped in clouds. There is a black sand beach on the northwest coast.

GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

Geographic Features

Area: 261 sq km (101 sq mi)

Size ranking: 188 of 194

Highest elevation: 1,156 meters (3,792 feet) at Mount Liamuiga (Mount Misery)

Lowest elevation: Sea level at the Caribbean Sea

Land Use*

Arable land: 19%

Permanent crops: 3%

Other: 78%

Weather**

Average annual precipitation: 109 centimeters (43 inches)

Average temperature in January: 20–29°C (68–84°F)

Average temperature in July: 20–29°C (68–84°F)

* Arable Land: Land used for temporary crops, like meadows for mowing or pasture, gardens, and greenhouses.

Permanent crops: Land cultivated with crops that occupy its use for long periods, such as cocoa, coffee, rubber, fruit and nut orchards, and vineyards.

Other: Any land not specified, including built-on areas, roads, and barren land.

** The measurements for precipitation and average temperatures were taken at weather stations closest to the country’s largest city.

Precipitation and average temperature can vary significantly within a country, due to factors such as latitude, altitude, coastal proximity, and wind patterns.

3 Climate

Temperatures range from 20°c (68°f) to 29°c (84°f) all year long. Northeast tradewinds are constant. Rain usually falls between May and November, averaging 109 centimeters (43 inches) a year. Hurricane season runs from late summer to early fall.

4 Plants and Animals

The upper slopes of Nevis Peak are well wooded. Coconut palms, poincianas, and palmettos are profuse. Lemon trees, bougainvillea, hibiscus, and tamarind are common on both islands. There are some black-faced vervet monkeys on Monkey Hill in Saint Kitts.

5 Environment

Deforestation, erosion, and water pollution are among the most significant environmental problems in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The erosion of the soil produces silt, which affects the living environment for marine life on the coral reefs. Water pollution results from uncontrolled dumping of sewage into the nation’s waters. Another contributing factor is pollution from the cruise ships which support the nation’s tourist trade.

Endangered species in the country include the red-bellied racer, green turtle, leatherback turtle, and the hawksbill turtle. In 2006, threatened species included one type of mammal, two species of birds, three types of reptiles, eleven species of fish, and two species of plants.

6 Population

The population of Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2005 was estimated by the United Nations at 48,000. The estimated population projection for 2025 is 57,000. The estimated population density in 2005 was 131 persons per square kilometer (339 per square mile), with the density of Saint Kitts twice that of Nevis. Basseterre, the capital on Saint Kitts, had an estimated population of 13,000 in 2005.

7 Migration

Emigration has declined since the 1950s, largely because the economy enjoys almost full employment during the tourist and harvest seasons. During the off-season, some people migrate to other islands in search of work. In 2005, the estimated net migration rate was -5.9 migrants per 1,000 population. In 2000, the total number of migrants was 4,000.

8 Ethnic Groups

About 96% of all Kittsians and Nevisians are of black African descent. Only about 5% of the population are mulatto (mixed race), 3% are Indo-Pakistani, and 1.5% are European.

9 Languages

English, sprinkled with local expressions, is the universal language.

10 Religions

Christianity is the dominant religion. The Anglican Church is the largest church on the island and claims about 50% of the population. About 25% are Roman Catholic. Other principal Christian groups are the Methodists, Moravians, Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are a small number of Rastafarians and a small Baha’i community. Religious freedom is guaranteed by the constitution.

11 Transportation

As of 2004, a light, narrow-gauge railway of 50 kilometers (31 miles) on Saint Kitts is operated by the government to transport sugarcane from fields to factory and processed sugar to the coast for export. In 2002 there were 320 kilometers (199 miles) of roads on the island; the main roads circle each island. Basseterre is the principal port. A state-run motorboat service is maintained between Saint Kitts and Nevis. Golden Rock International Airport serves Basseterre;

BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE

Name: Denzil Douglas

Position: Prime minister of a constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

Took Office: 6 July 1995, elected to his third term October 2004

Birthplace: St. Pauls, St. Kitts-Nevis

Birthdate: 14 January 1953

Education: University of the West Indies, bachelor of science degrees in medicine and surgery

Of interest: Douglas was once the president of the St. Kitts and Nevis Medical Association.

several small airlines fly to a landing strip at Newcastle, on Nevis.

12 History

The Arawak Indians, followed by the Caribs, were the earliest known inhabitants of the islands. Christopher Columbus arrived on the islands in 1493. Originally named Saint Christopher, Saint Kitts was the first island of the British West Indies to be settled. Sir Thomas Warner established a settlement on Saint Kitts in 1623 and led a colonial expedition to Nevis in 1628.

By the 1660s, there were some 4,000 Europeans engaged in the sugar trade, using a plantation system with slave labor imported from Africa. The French gained control of the island and held it until it was retaken by the British in 1713. After another French takeover in 1782, the Treaty of Versailles (1783) again returned Saint Kitts to Britain. By the late 18th century, the thermal baths on Nevis were attracting thousands of international tourists. Although the slaves were emancipated in 1834, many of them continued to work on the sugar plantations; consequently, the sugar-based economy did not decline as rapidly as it did elsewhere in the West Indies.

Saint Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla (the most northerly island of the Leeward chain) were incorporated with the British Virgin Islands into a single colony in 1816. The territorial unit of Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla became part of the Leeward Islands Federation in 1871. It belonged to the Federation of the West Indies from 1958 to 1962. In 1967, the three islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy under a new constitution. After the Anguilla islanders rebelled in 1969, British paratroopers intervened. Anguilla was allowed to secede in 1971.

Saint Kitts and Nevis became an independent federated state within the Commonwealth on 19 September 1983. Under the arrangement, Nevis was given its own legislature and the power to secede from the federation. The People’s Action Movement/Nevis Reformation Party coalition won a majority of seats in the 1984 and 1989 elections, but it lost to the Labour Party in 1993. Denzil Douglas was elected prime minister in the 1995, 2000, and 2004 elections.

Beginning in June 1996, officials on Nevis announced plans to secede from the federation. On 11 August 1998, the independence referendum for Nevis received only 62% of the vote, short of the two-thirds majority needed. Prime Minister Douglas has stated that any difference between Nevis and St. Kitts should be resolved through constitutional reform, rather than by secession.

13 Government

Saint Kitts and Nevis is a federation of the two islands. Under the 1983 constitution, the British monarch is head of state and is represented by a governor-general. The nation is governed under a parliamentary system, with legislative power vested in the single-chamber House of Assembly, consisting of the speaker, 3 appointed senators, and 11 elected members. Nevis also has its own legislative assembly and the right to secede under certain conditions. Saint Kitts is divided into nine parishes and Nevis into five.

14 Political Parties

The four political parties holding seats in the House of Assembly following the 2004 election are the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) with seven seats; the Concerned Citizens’ Movement (CCM), two seats; the Nevis Reformation Party, with one seat; and the People’s Action Movement (PAM), with one seat.

15 Judicial System

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, established on Saint Lucia, administers the judicial system. Magistrates’ courts deal with petty criminal and civil cases. An appeal may be taken to the organization of Eastern Caribbean States Court of Appeal.

In 2003, Saint Kitts and Nevis was among the nations joining together to form the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to hear cases formerly taken to the Privy Council in the United Kingdom.

16 Armed Forces

Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines created the Eastern Caribbean Regional Security System in 1985. National and internal security is provided by the

Yearly Growth Rate

This economic indicator tells by what percent the economy has increased or decreased when compared with the previous year.

Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes coast guard) and the Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force.

17 Economy

Sugar was once a mainstay of the economy. However, the industry had been declining fairly steady since the late 1980s. In 2005, the government formally shut down the state-run sugar company and began to focus on ways to attract foreign investment, to diversify the economy, to expand tourism, and to improve local food production. A second cruise-ship dock was under construction as of 2006. The country has had success with the development of its light manufacturing industries, which include data entry and the assembly of garments and electronics.

Components of the Economy

This pie chart shows how much of the country’s economy is devoted to agriculture (including forestry, hunting, and fishing), industry, or services.

18 Income

In 2005, Saint Kitts and Nevis’s gross domestic product (GDP) was us$339 million, or about us$8,800 per person. The annual growth rate of GDP, as low as -1.9% in 2002, was estimated at 5% in 2005. The average inflation rate in 2005 was 8.7%.

19 Industry

A brewery on St. Kitts makes beer for local consumption and cotton is ginned and baled on Nevis. Light industry was under development in the early 2000s. Saint Kitts and Nevis transformed a group of small electronic plants into the largest electronics assembly industry in the Eastern Caribbean. Its apparel assembly industry also has become very successful in recent years.

20 Labor

A 1995 estimate placed the labor force at 18,172, with 69% employed in services and 31% in manufacturing. In 1997, the unemployment rate was 4%.

The minimum working age is 12 years and this law is effectively enforced. The minimum wage varies by job classification and skill level of the wage earner. In 2001, it was us$67.42 per week for a full-time domestic worker and us$166.10 per week for a skilled worker.

21 Agriculture

About 22% of the total land area is devoted to crops. The principal agricultural product of Saint Kitts is sugarcane, followed by rice, yams, and vegetables (including peanuts). On Nevis, sea-island cotton and coconuts are the major commodities. Sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, and breadfruit are grown for local consumption on both islands. In 2004, agricultural products accounted for about 35.2% of total imports by value and 19.6% of exports. Sugar production in 2004 was estimated at 193,000 tons.

22 Domesticated Animals

Pasture areas are small, covering only about 5.6% of the islands. Pangola and Bermuda grasses provide the bulk of the feed stock. In 2005, the livestock population was estimated at 12,500 sheep, 16,000 goats, 4,800 head of cattle, and 2,000 pigs.

Yearly Balance of Trade

The balance of trade is the difference between what a country sells to other countries (its exports) and what it buys (its imports). If a country imports more than it exports, it has a negative balance of trade (a trade deficit). If exports exceed imports there is a positive balance of trade (a trade surplus).

23 Fishing

Fishing is a traditional occupation. The catch in 2003 was 370 tons. Fisheries exports that year totaled us$267,000.

24 Forestry

Both islands have small stands of original tropical forest, with palms, poincianas, and palmettos. About 11% of the land area consists of forests. Imports of forest products reached nearly us$1.8 million in 2004.

25 Mining

The mining sector plays a minor role in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Raking of salt is done from time to time. Local quarrying of some materials supplements the construction industry. In 2001, output for sand and gravel was 215,000 metric tons. Crushed stone output was 121,270 tons.

26 Foreign Trade

Exports of sugar, machinery, food, electronics, and beverages are important. Imports include food, manufactured and consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, and mineral fuels. Most exports go to the United States and Canada. The majority of imports come from the Ukraine and the United States.

27 Energy and Power

In 2002, about 106 million kilowatt-hours of electricity were produced, entirely from conventional thermal sources. Saint Kitts and Nevis have no fossil fuels and all petroleum products must be imported.

28 Social Development

A dual social insurance and social assistance program provides coverage for old-age, disability, survivor, sickness, and maternity benefits. Although there is no overt discrimination against women, tradition prevents women from achieving higher levels of employment. The Department of Gender Affairs was created by the government to promote women’s rights and provide counseling for abused women.

29 Health

In 2000, public-sector health care personnel included 37 physicians, 198 nurses, 4 dentists, and 10 pharmacists. Health care personnel in the private sector included nine doctors, five dentists,

Selected Social Indicators

The statistics below are the most recent estimates available as of 2006. For comparison purposes, data for the United States and averages for low-income countries and high-income countries are also given. About 15% of the world’s 6.5 billion people live in high-income countries, while 37% live in low-income countries.

Indicator	St. Kitts and Nevis	Low-income countries	High-income countries	United States
sources: World Bank. World Development Indicators. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank, 2006; Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2006; World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.
Per capita gross national income (GNI)*	$10,910	$2,258	$31,009	$39,820
Population growth rate	0.5%	2%	0.8%	1.2%
People per square kilometer of land	131	80	30	32
Life expectancy in years: male	70	58	76	75
female	75	60	82	80
Number of physicians per 1,000 people	1.1	0.4	3.7	2.3
Number of pupils per teacher (primary school)	n.a.	43	16	15
Literacy rate (15 years and older)	97%	65%	>95%	99%
Television sets per 1,000 people	271	84	735	938
Internet users per 1,000 people	n.a.	28	538	630
Energy consumed per capita (kg of oil equivalent)	n.a.	501	5,410	7,843
CO2 emissions per capita (metric tons)	2.77	0.85	12.97	19.92
* The GNI is the total of all goods and services produced by the residents of a country in a year. The per capita GNI is calculated by dividing a country’s GNI by its population and adjusting for relative purchasing power.
n.a.: data not available >: greater than <: less than

and eleven pharmacists. The infant mortality rate in 2005 was an estimated 14.5 per 1,000 live births. Average life expectancy in 2005 was 70 years for men and 75 years for women. In 1995, there were 50 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases reported.

30 Housing

The government has placed emphasis on planned housing development in order to conserve agricultural lands. The Central Housing Authority began a program of low-cost home construction in 1977.

In 1998, Hurricane Georges damaged 85% of the housing stock. In 2002, the Minister of Housing announced plans of the Saint Kitts– Nevis Labor Party Administration to build 1,000 low-income homes in 2003.

31 Education

Education is free and compulsory for students between the ages of 5 and 16. Elementary education lasts for seven years, followed by five years of secondary education at the first level and two at the second level. Charlestown Secondary School on Nevis is the only school that offers the full seven years of secondary education. In 2003, primary school enrollment was estimated to be 100% of all age-eligible students. The pupil-teacher ratio at the secondary level was about 10 to 1.

The Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College of Further Education is highly regarded for the quality of its instruction. There is also a local extension site of the University of the West Indies. The adult literacy rate has been estimated at 97%.

32 Media

In 2002, there were 23,500 main telephone lines and 5,000 mobile phones in use nationwide. In 2004, there were three AM and three FM radio stations and one television station. There are about 575 radios and 271 television sets in use per 1,000 people. In 2002, there were 10,000 Internet subscribers.

In 2004, there were four independent weekly newspapers and one independent daily. The St. Kitts/Nevis is the daily. The Labour Spokesman is published twice weekly and had a 2002 circulation of 6,000. The Democrat, which is published weekly, had a circulation of 3,500.

33 Tourism and Recreation

The chief historic attraction on Saint Kitts is Brimstone Hill fortress, which towers 230 meters (750 feet) above the Caribbean. Nevis has many beaches and historic plantations. In 2002, approximately 67,531 tourists arrived on the islands. Over 50% of them were from the United States.

34 Famous Kittsians and Nevisians

Sir Thomas Warner (d. 1649) established the first colony on each island. U.S. statesman Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804) was born in Charlestown. Sir Joseph Nathaniel France (1907–1997) had the longest political career in the English-speaking Caribbean, serving from 1946 until his retirement in 1989.

35 Bibliography

BOOKS

Anthony, Suzanne. West Indies. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1999.

Kozleski, Lisa. The Leeward Islands: Anguilla, St. Martin, St. Barts, St. Eustatius, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, and Montserrat. Philadelphia: Mason Crest Publishers, 2004.

Morgan, Nina. The Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1997.

Walton, Chelle Koster. Caribbean Ways: A Cultural Guide. Westwood, MA: Riverdale, 1993.