- You are here:
- Home
- › Travel & living abroad
- › Travel advice by country
- › Country profiles
- › North & Central America and Caribbean
- › St Kitts and Nevis
North & Central America and Caribbean
Saint Christopher and Nevis |
|
|
Last reviewed: 14 January 2009 |
Country information
ST KITTS AND NEVIS TODAY
Country Facts
Area: 261 sq km; 104 sq miles
Population: 50,000
Capital City: Basseterre (15 000)
People: More than 90% of the population are of African descent. The rest is predominantly of European, or mixed European and African, descent.
Languages: English
Religion(s): Principally Anglican, with Roman Catholic and Evangelical Protestant minorities
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$) US$1.00 = 5.33 EC$2.70 Major Political Parties: St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP); People's Action Movement (PAM); Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM); Nevis Reformation Party (NRP).
Government: St Kitts and Nevis is a federation. Its Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, is represented in St Kitts and Nevis by a Governor-General, who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. . St Kitts and Nevis has a unicameral parliament: the 14 member House of Assembly comprises 11 elected members and three nominated members (two nominated on the advice of the Prime Minister and one on the advice of the leader of the opposition). Nevis has its own five seat island administration and is guaranteed representation in the House of Assembly.
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General HE Sir Cuthbert Montraville Sebastian GCMG OBE.
Prime Minister/Premier: Dr The Hon Denzil Douglas
Foreign Minister: Dr The Hon Denzil Douglas
Membership of international groupings/organisations: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WTO.
DID YOU KNOW?
People on St Kitts are called Kittitians, while on Nevis they are called Nevisians.
HEALTH
Life Expectancy: 73 years (2008)
Infant Mortality Rate:13 deaths/1,000 live births (2003)
The population enjoys almost 100% immunisation coverage, access to safe water and good sanitation. The Government has placed special emphasis on primary health care services, particularly those targeted toward the prevention of illness and the promotion of healthy lifestyle habits.
HIV/AIDS
The incidence of HIV/AIDS infection in the Caribbean is second only to that of sub-Saharan Africa. The main mode of HIV transmission in the Caribbean is unprotected heterosexual intercourse. The Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis takes the lead on HIV/AIDS and other health issues in the regional grouping, CARICOM.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: (2007 at market prices) US$428.74 million
GDP per head: (2005 at market prices) US$8,695
Annual Growth: (2007 est) 4.7%
Inflation: Consumer Prices 4.3% (2007)
Major industries: Tourism, light manufacturing, agricultural.
Major trading partners: United States, UK, CARICOM countries
Export partners: US 68.5%, UK 22.3%, Caricom countries 5.5% (1995 est.)
Import partners:US 42.4%, Caricom countries 17.2%, UK 11.3%(1995 est.)
St Kitts and Nevis has a small highly open economy. Historically sugar was an important export. In recent years there has been considerable diversification into tourism, financial services and light manufacturing. Although the two islands have been subjected to external shocks, including a number of destructive hurricanes, economic performance has been marked by sustained and almost uninterrupted growth.
Economic growth in 2006 was 4.4% driven mainly by a surge in construction, strong gains in agricultural and manufacturing output, and continued growth in tourism and services. Growth is estimated to have slowed slightly in 2007, to 3.1%, as construction demand slowed following a spike in 2006.
Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange earnings. There were 117,300 stopover arrivals on the two islands in 2007, nearly two-thirds of which were tourists from the US, one-quarter from the rest of the Caribbean, and around 5% from Canada. There were also over 251,000 cruise-ship passenger arrivals in 2007, well above levels in the two previous years. (Source EIU).
The sugar industry, which operated at a loss, was closed in July 2005. Other production of agricultural goods and services is on a comparatively small scale but rose by 3.8% in 2006. The resulting job losses within the sugar industry was a worry for the government. Re-training has been given and alternative employment is available in tourism. International experts have expressed concern about the sizeable budget deficit and the levels of public debt, which represents 168.6 % of GDP, one of the highest ratios in the in the world However, St Kitts services the debt.
HISTORY
At the time of European discovery, the islands of St Kitts and Nevis were inhabited by Carib Indians. Christopher Columbus landed on the larger island in 1493 on his second voyage and named it after St Christopher, his patron saint. Columbus also discovered Nevis on his second voyage, reportedly calling it Nevis because of its resemblance to a snow-capped mountain (in Spanish, Nuesta Senora de las Nieves, or our lady of the snows).
European colonisation did not begin until 1623-24, when first English, then French, colonists arrived on St Christopher's island, whose name the English shortened to St Kitt's island. As the first English colony in the Caribbean, St Kitts served as a base for further colonisation in the region. St Kitts was held jointly by the English and French from 1628-1713. During the 17th century, intermittent warfare between French and English settlers ravaged its economy. Meanwhile Nevis, settled by English settlers in 1628, grew prosperous under English rule. St Kitts was ceded to Great Britain by the treaty of Utrecht in 1713.
Both St Kitts and Nevis were seized by the French in 1782. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 definitively awarded both islands to Britain. They were part of the colony of the Leeward Islands from 1871-1956, and of the West Indies Federation from 1958-62. In 1967, together with Anguilla, they became a self-governing state in association with Great Britain. Anguilla seceded later that year and remains a British dependency. The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis attained full independence on 19 September 1983.
BBC News Country Timeline: St Kitts and Nevis
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Relations with Neighbours
St Kitts and Nevis enjoys close relations with its neighbours. It is an active member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and shares a common currency and common judiciary with the other six full members and two associate members of the organisation. St Kitts and Nevis is also a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which is in the process of establishing a single market and economy. The CARICOM Single Market and Economy intends to provide more opportunities to produce and sell goods and services and also attract investment. It co-ordinates its foreign policy with the member states of CARICOM.
Relations with the International Community
St Kitts and Nevis greatly values its membership of the Commonwealth and of the United Nations Organisation. Within the Commonwealth, St Kitts and Nevis advances the agenda of Small States in the international community.
Relations with the UK
Relations between St Kitts and Nevis and the UK are good.
Cultural Relations with the UK
The British Council in Kingston/Jamaica covers the whole of the Caribbean.
Recent Inward Visits
Dr Timothy Harris, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Education, represented St Kitts and Nevis at the UK/Caribbean Forum in London in May 2004.
Recent Outward Visits
A UK Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Delegation visited St Kitts in June 2004.
GEOGRAPHY
The twin islands of St Kitts-Nevis are located in the northern part of the Leeward Islands, 19 degrees north of the equator, and separated by a channel two miles wide. St Kitts is 23 miles long, encompassing an area of 68 sq miles; Nevis covers 36 sq miles. Most beaches on the islands are of black volcanic sand and the climate is tropical. St Kitts-Nevis lies within the hurricane belt.
TRADE AND INVESTMENT
Trade and Investment with the UK
UK exports are mainly machinery, also foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals and manufactured goods.
UK Trade & Investment Country Profile: St Kitts and Nevis
UK Development Assistance
DfID works in the Caribbean region as a whole in the areas of public sector reform, economic and fiscal management, education and HIV/AIDS. Regional initiatives include technical assistance to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); technical assistance to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM); support to the CARICOM Secretariat with implementation of the regional strategic framework on HIV/AIDS; support to the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) and to the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD).
POLITICS
The St Kitts and Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) has held office since 1995. The SKNLP currently holds eight of assistance to the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB); technical assistance to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (RNM); support to the CARICOM Secretariat with implementation of the regional strategic framework on HIV/AIDS; support to the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC) and to the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD).
Nevis
Elections to the Nevis Island Assembly were held in July 2006. The National Reformation Party won three seats and the Concerned Citizens’ Movement two.. The Premier of Nevis is Mr Joseph Parry. The former Premier, Mr Vance Amory, pursued the constitutional process of taking Nevis out of the Federation with St Kitts from June 1996. But he failed to win the majority required in a referendum which was held in 1998. It was a prominent issue until the election of Mr Joseph in July 2006
