An Introduction to St. Kitts and Nevis
The Leeward island state of St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in terms of both area and population. Both islands are volcanic with large central peaks covered by tropical rainforest. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Latin America
GOVERNMENT: Federal parliamentary democracy
AREA: 261 sq km
POPULATION: 50,314 (2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: English
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The Leeward island state of St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, in terms of both area and population. Both islands are volcanic with large central peaks covered by tropical rainforest.
England, France and Spain disputed control over the islands at different times in the 17th century until they were ceded to the British in 1713. 'Though separated by only 2 miles of water, the two islands were for long regarded as separate territories and relations between the peoples remain strained. Independence (within the Commonwealth) in 1983 was followed by a referendum to separate the two in 1998 - but the required two thirds majority was not achieved.
GDP: $925m (2011 est.); per capita $16,218
Religions Mainly Christian.
Currency: East Caribbean dollar. 2.7 XCD = $US 1
Telephone Code: +1 869
The economy is dominated by tourism, agriculture and light manufacturing industries. Sugar was the primary export from the 1640s on, but a programme of diversification of the agricultural sector and the closure in 2005 of the state-owned sugar company have diluted this. Many cane fields are being burned to make room for land development, especially on the northern side of the island.
Export-oriented manufacturing and offshore banking are growing, but tourism is the main foreign exchange earner. Hurricanes in 1998 and 1999 contributed to a sharp slowdown but otherwise tourism is growing apace - by as much as 40% between 2007 and 2009.
Exports are small compared to imports - $42m vs $383m in 2998. Exports including machinery, foodstuffs and electronics go mostly to the US (61.9%), while imports of machinery, manufactures, foodstuffs and fuels come from the US (49.5) and others including Trinidad and Tobago (13.3%).
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