Data at glance of Saint Kitts And Nevis - average on period

History

Carib Indians occupied the islands of the West Indies for hundreds of years before the British and French began settlement in 1623. During the 17th century, Saint Kitts became the premier base for British and French expansion into the Caribbean. The French ceded the territory to the UK in 1713. At the turn of the 18th century, Saint Kitts was the richest British Crown Colony per capita in the Caribbean, a result of the sugar trade. Although small in size and separated by only 3 km (2 mi) of water, Saint Kitts and Nevis were viewed and governed as different states until the late-19th century, when the British forcibly unified them along with the island of Anguilla. In 1967, the island territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla became an associated state of the UK with full internal autonomy. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. The remaining islands achieved independence in 1983 as Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 1998, a referendum on Nevis to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

Environment

Area: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) km2

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

Natural resources: arable land

Ethnic characteristics

Groups: African descent 92.5%, mixed 3%, White 2.1%, East Indian 1.5%, other 0.6%, unspecified 0.3% (2001 est.)

Languages:

Religions:

Government

Capital: Basseterre

Government type: federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Executive branch

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)

Legislative branch

Description: National Assembly - unicameral

Industries

tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages

GDP by sector: Agriculture: 1.3% (2024 est.), Industry: 21.1% (2024 est.), Services: 65.5% (2024 est.)

Trade

Export partners: Malta 49%, USA 21%, Turkey 7%, St. Vincent & the Grenadines 5%, Guyana 3% (2023)

Export commodities: ships, measuring instruments, beer, electrical transformers, electrical control boards (2023)

Import partners: USA 50%, Italy 11%, China 8%, Japan 2%, UK 2% (2023)

Import commodities: refined petroleum, ships, cars, jewelry, poultry (2023)

Geography

Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago