Saint Kitts and Nevis

• tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes;
• little seasonal temperature variation;
• rainy season (May to November)

• smallest country in the Western Hemisphere both in terms of area and population;
• 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 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

noun:

Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)

adjective:

Kittitian, Nevisian

total:

38.6 years (2024 est.)

male:

38.8 years

female:

38.3 years

at birth:

1.02 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.91 male(s)/female

total population:

1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

5.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

10.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

77.6 years (2024 est.)

male:

75.2 years

female:

80.1 years

total:

8.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

3.73 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

1.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

3.89 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total population:

NA

male:

NA

female:

NA

• deforestation;
• soil erosion and silting affects marine life on coral reefs;
• water pollution from uncontrolled dumping of sewage

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes;
• little seasonal temperature variation;
• rainy season (May to November)

urban population:

31.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

1.06% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

8.05 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

0.24 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

0.1 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

200,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

conventional short form:

Saint Kitts and Nevis

former:

Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

etymology:

• Saint Kitts was, and still is, referred to as Saint Christopher and this name was well established by the 17th century (although who first applied the name is unclear);
• in the 17th century a common nickname for Christopher was Kit or Kitt, so the island began to be referred to as "Saint Kitt's Island" or just "Saint Kitts";
• Nevis is derived from the original Spanish name "Nuestra Senora de las Nieves" (Our Lady of the Snows) and refers to the white halo of clouds that generally wreathes Nevis Peak

note: Nevis is pronounced nee-vis

name:

Basseterre

geographic coordinates:

17 18 N, 62 43 W

time difference:

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

• the French name translates as "low land" in English;
• the reference is to the city's low-lying location within a valley, as well as to the fact that the city is on the leeward (downwind) part of the island, and is thus a safe anchorage

history:

several previous (preindependence); latest presented 22 June 1983, effective 23 June 1983

amendments:

• proposed by the National Assembly;
• passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the total Assembly membership and assent of the governor general;
• amendments to constitutional provisions such as the sovereignty of the federation, fundamental rights and freedoms, the judiciary, and the Nevis Island Assembly also require approval in a referendum by at least two thirds of the votes cast in Saint Kitts and in Nevis

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

14 years

chief of state:

King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Marcella LIBURD (since 1 February 2023)

head of government:

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance DREW (since 6 August 2022)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by governor general in consultation with prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• governor general appointed by the monarch;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by governor general;
• deputy prime minister appointed by governor general

description:

unicameral National Assembly (15 seats, including the attorney general; 11 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 3 appointed by the governor general - 2 on the advice of the prime minister and the third on the advice of the opposition leader; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 5 August 2022 (next to be held on 2027)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - SKNLP 44.4%, PLP 16.1%, PAM 16.2%, CCM 12.7%, other 10.6%;
• seats by party - SKNLP 6, CCM 3, PLP 1, CCM 1;
• composition - men 11, women 5, percentage women 31.3%

highest court(s):

• the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (ECSC) is the superior court of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States;
• the ECSC - headquartered on St. Lucia - consists of the Court of Appeal - headed by the chief justice and 4 judges - and the High Court with 18 judges;
• the Court of Appeal is itinerant, traveling to member states on a schedule to hear appeals from the High Court and subordinate courts;
• High Court judges reside in the member states, with 2 assigned to Saint Kitts and Nevis;
• note - the ECSC in 2003 replaced the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) as the final court of appeal on Saint Kitts and Nevis;
• Saint Kitts and Nevis is also a member of the Caribbean Court of Justice

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice of Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court appointed by His Majesty, King Charles III;
• other justices and judges appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission, an independent body of judicial officials;
• Court of Appeal justices appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65;
• High Court judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 62

subordinate courts:

magistrates' courts

• Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM
• Nevis Reformation Party or NRP
• People's Action Movement or PAM
• People's Labour Party or PLP
• Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jacinth HENRY-MARTIN (since 15 September 2023)

chancery:

1203 19 th St. NW, 5 th Floor, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 686-2636

FAX:

[1] (202) 686-5740

email address and website:

[email protected]; Embassy of St.Kitts and Nevis to the USA – and Permanent Mission to the OAS (embassydc.gov.kn)

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles, New York

• divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars;
• the black band is edged in yellow;
• the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red;
• green signifies the island's fertility, red symbolizes the struggles of the people from slavery, yellow denotes year-round sunshine, and black represents the African heritage of the people;
• the white stars stand for the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, but can also express hope and liberty, or independence and optimism

name:

"Oh Land of Beauty!"

lyrics/music:

Kenrick Anderson GEORGES

note: adopted 1983

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park

• high-income, tourism-based Caribbean OECS economy;
• better debt balancing;
• CARICOM and ECCU member;
• growing offshore financial and telecommunications hub;
• environmentally fragile;
• unique citizenship-driven growth model

agriculture:

1.4% (2023 est.)

industry:

19.8% (2023 est.)

services:

64.9% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

general assessment:

• good interisland and international connections;
• broadband access;
• expanded FttP (Fiber to the Home) and LTE markets;
• regulatory development;
• telecom sector contributes greatly to the overall GDP;
• telecom sector is a growth area (2020)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity is 33 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is 120 per 100 persons (2021)

international:

country code - 1-869; landing points for the ECFS, Southern Caribbean Fiber and the SSCS submarine cables providing connectivity for numerous Caribbean Islands (2019)

• the government operates a national TV network that broadcasts on 2 channels;
• cable subscription services provide access to local and international channels;
• the government operates a national radio network;
• a mix of government-owned and privately owned broadcasters operate roughly 15 radio stations (2019)

total:

50 km (2008)

narrow gauge:

50 km (2008) 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists

total:

383 km

paved:

163 km

unpaved:

220 km (2002)

total ports:

2 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

0

small:

0

very small:

2

ports with oil terminals:

2

key ports:

Basseterre, Charlestown

SKNDF's missions include defense of the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty, protecting natural resources, interdicting narcotics trafficking, and providing humanitarian relief as needed

St. Kitts joined the Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS) in 1984; RSS signatories (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) agreed to prepare contingency plans and assist one another, on request, in national emergencies, prevention of smuggling, search and rescue, immigration control, fishery protection, customs and excise control, maritime policing duties, protection of off-shore installations, pollution control, national and other disasters, and threats to national security (2024)

• a transit point for cocaine and marijuana destined for North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the Caribbean;
• some local demand for cocaine and some use of synthetic drugs