| GEOGRAPHY |
| 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 |
| Capital: |
Basseterre |
| 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 |
| 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: |
|
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
arable land |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament |
| Administratives
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 and 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] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
38,958 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 28% (male 5,586/female 5,330)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 12,424/female 12,403)
65 years and over: 8.3% (male 1,328/female 1,887) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 27.6 years
male: 26.78 years
female: 28.38 years (2005 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
23,500 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
5,000 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: good interisland and international connections
domestic: inter-island links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004
international: country code - 1-869; international calls are carried by submarine cable or Intelsat |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
1 (plus three repeaters) (2004) |
| Internet country
code: |
.kn |
| Internet hosts: |
51 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
10,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 320 km
paved: 136 km
unpaved: 184 km (1999 est) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Basseterre, Charlestown |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| Airports: |
2 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
|
| Heliports: |
|
