Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis (or the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis), located in the Leeward Islands, is a unitary island nation in the Caribbean and the smallest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The capital city and government for the federated state is mainly on the larger island of Saint Kitts (formerly named Saint Christopher). The smaller state of Nevis (formerly named: Nuestra Señora de las Nieves) lies about 3km southeast of Saint Kitts. Historically the British dependency of Anguilla was also a part of this union, which was then known collectively as Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla.

Although Saint Kitts and Nevis are geographically within the Leeward Islands, they are relatively close to a cluster of several other islands. To the north-north west lie the islands of Saint Eustatius, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, and Saint Martin. To the north-east lie Antigua and Barbuda, and to the south-east lies Montserrat.

Both the names Saint Christopher and Saint Kitts are given in the Constitution of Saint Christopher and Nevis.

History

Former colonies of the United Kingdom, Saint Kitts and Nevis along with Anguilla, became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. Angullians rebelled and their island was allowed to separate from the others in 1971. St. Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. The country remains the newest sovereign nation of the Americas to this day, but will lose that title to Curacao and Sint Maarten (the Dutch part of Saint Martin) in July 2007. In August 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from St. Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused approximately $445 million in damages and limited GDP growth for the year.

Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, was born on Nevis and spent his childhood there and on the island of St. Croix.

Politics

The country is an independent Commonwealth Realm with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, represented in St. Kitts and Nevis by a governor general, who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the cabinet. The prime minister is the leader of the majority party of the house, and the cabinet conducts affairs of state.

St. Kitts and Nevis has a unicameral legislature, known as the National Assembly. It is comprised of fourteen members - eleven elected representatives - three of whom are from the island of Nevis - and three members who are appointed by the Governor-General. The three appointed members are known as Senators, with two being appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, and one on the advice of the leader of the opposition. Though they are referred to as Senators, they do not form a separate house of parliament, as in some other countries. Both representatives and senators serve five-year terms. The prime minister and the cabinet are responsible to the Parliament.

Saint Kitts and Nevis are a full & participating member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).

Parishes

There are fourteen parishes:

N - denotes a parish on the island of Nevis.

Geography

The country has two main islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis. The highest peak is Mount Liamuiga, which tops at 1 156 m.

The islands are of volcanic origin, with large central peaks covered in jungle; the steep slopes leading to these peaks are mostly uninhabited. The vast majority of the population on both islands live close to the sea where the terrain flattens out. There are numerous rivers descending from the mountains of both islands, which provide fresh water to the local population. St. Kitts also has one very small lake.

List of cities in Saint Kitts and Nevis

Economy

Saint Kitts and Nevis was the last sugar monoculture in the Eastern Caribbean. Faced with a sugar industry that was finding it increasingly difficult to earn a profit, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and stimulate the development of other sectors of the economy.

In mid-2005, the sugar economy in St. Kitts was finally shut down by the government, after running continuous losses for many years. As of this writing, the primary industry of St. Kitts is tourism.

Demographics

As of July 2000, there were 42,696 inhabitants; their average life expectancy was 72.4 years. Emigration has historically been very high, and the population is about 25% lower than at its peak of about 51,100 in 1960.

Emigration from St. Kitts & Nevis to the United States:

1986-1990: 3,513
1991-1995: 2,730
1996-2000: 2,101
2001-2005: 1,756

(Source: http://uscis.gov)

Culture

Miscellaneous topics

Gallery

Image:3643_aquaimages.jpg|Downtown Basseterre Image:3649_aquaimages.jpg|Downtown Basseterre Image:3668_aquaimages.jpg|Fishing boat, Basseterre harbor Image:3476_aquaimages.jpg|Flamingo Tongue shell on a Sea Fan Image:3537_aquaimages.jpg|Divers and anemone on the MV River Taw wreck Image:3584_aquaimages.jpg|Juvenile French Angelfish near a sunken van Image:3624_aquaimages.jpg|Diver and fish, MV River Taw wreck Image:3682_aquaimages.jpg|Diver and sponges Image:3757_aquaimages.jpg|Royal Gramma or Fairy Basslet

External links

Government

St. Kitts & Nevis - Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis official website
Ministry of Finance - of the Saint Kitts & Nevis Federation
Nevis Ministry of Finance - for the Nevis Island Administration

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