The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, comprising the larger island of Saint Kitts and Nevis, is situated in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Saint Kitts is the seat of government. The nearest islands and nations of Saint Kitts and Nevis are Saint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint-Martin islands, the island of Redonda, the island of Montserrat, Antigua, and Barbuda. It is one of the smallest islands to host such big events like 2007 Cricket World Cup. Basseterre is the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

HISTORY:- The Caribs inhabited the islands before Christopher Columbus explored the land in 1493. The British colonized saint Kitts in 1623 and Nevis in 1628. But when the French started settling in the saint Kitts in 1627, Anglo-French rivalry was erupted. More than 100-years prolonged conflict was ended when the British defeated the French in 1782 at Brimstone Hill. The entire region came under the British control. In 1882, the islands were merged with Anguilla. The entire territory joined the Federation of West Indies in 1958 and remained under the federation until its fall in 1962. They became a state of the United Kingdom in 1967. Anguilla withdrew from the Kitts–Nevis-Anguilla bond in 1980. In 1983, St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence.

GEOGRAPHY:- Saint Kitts and Nevis is an island nation located at 17 20 N, 62 45 W in the Caribbean region. Saint Kitts possess 168 sq km area and Nevis possesses 93 sq km in totality. The coastline is 135 km long along with the Caribbean Sea. The lowest point is the Caribbean Sea (0 m) and the highest point is Mount Liamuiga (1,156 m). The inlands are volcanic while the interiors are mountainous.

CLIMATE:- Saint Kitts and Nevis has a tropical climate which is tempered by constant sea breezes with little seasonal temperature variation. It has a rainy season from May to November.

GOVERNMENT:- Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis has a parliamentary democracy. The constitution was adopted on 19th September 1983. The legal system is designed after the English common law. The three major branches of the government and their higher officials are as follows:

Executive branch comprise the Queen Elizabeth II (chief of state), the Governor General, the Prime minister (head of government), the Deputy Prime Minister, and the cabinet. The governor general is appointed by the monarch and the governor general represents the monarch in the federation. The monarch is hereditary. The leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is normally appointed the prime minister by the governor general. The deputy prime minister is also appointed by the governor general. The cabinet ministers are appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister.

Legislative branch comprises the unicameral National Assembly (14 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

The ruling political party of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party. Other major political parties include People's Action Movement (PAM), Concerned Citizens Movement, and Nevis Reformation Party. Suffrage is universally imposed at the age of 18.

Monarch                               Queen Elizabeth II

Governor-General                 Sir Cuthbert Sebastian

Prime Minister                       Dr. Denzil Douglas

Deputy Prime Minister           Sam Condor

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:-  Saint Kitts and Nevis is divided into 14 parishes. Saint Kitts has 9 parishes (Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint John Capesterre, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Middle Island, and Trinity Palmetto Point) while Nevis has 5 parishes (Saint George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Thomas Lowland, and Saint John Figtree).

CULTURE:- Saint Kitts and Nevis is popular for its various musical events like Carnival, the St Kitts Music Festival, Culturama etc. These festivals are throughout designed with parades, street dances and salsa, jazz, soca, calypso and steelpan music. Cricket is the most popular sport of the nation.

ECONOMY:- To make up the losses, caused by the collapsing sugar industry of the islands in the past few years, the government has undertaken measures to grow with tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking as the main economic activities of the nation.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $721 million; per capita $13,900.

Real growth rate: 3.3%.

Inflation: 4.5%.

Unemployment: 4.5% (1997).

Arable land: 19%.

Agriculture: Sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish.

Labor force: 18,170 (June 1995).

Industries: Sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages.

Natural resources: Arable land.

Budget:  

Revenues: $89.7 million

Expenditures: $128.2 million (2003 est.)

Debt - external: $314 million (2004)

Exports: $84 million (2006 est.): machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco.

Imports: $383 million (2006 est.): machinery, manufactures, food, fuels.

Major trading partners: U.S., Canada, Portugal, UK, Ukraine, Trinidad and Tobago (2004).

Monetary unit: East Caribbean dollar

LANGUAGE:- English is the official language of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

CITIES:- Basseterre is the capital and the largest city of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

POPULATION:- The estimated population of Saint Kitts and Nevis is 39,349 with an average growth rate of 0.6%.

Density per sq mi: 283

Literacy rate: 97.8% (2003 est.)

RACE:- Black people constitute the majority of the population along with some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese peoples.

RELIGION:- Anglican, other Protestant, and Roman Catholic are the major religions of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 17.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 13.36 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.93 years

Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 579

UNICEF:- UNICEF in the nation is focusing on the child protection on the issues like adoption of children, the legal status of children, advocacy and juvenile justice. UNICEF is rigorously working to set back teenage mothers to school to complete their education. Awareness campaigns are organized to make the youth aware on the HIV as well as sample lessons are tested in pilot schools of the schools of the island. UNICEF also fights against child labour, and violence against children. The Eastern Caribbean region is free from Measles, polio and smallpox.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 50 km (2002).

Highways: total: 320 km; paved: 136 km; unpaved: 184 km (2006 est.).

Ports and harbors: Basseterre, Charlestown.

Airports: 2 (2007).