Saint Kitts and Nevis (GPS: 17 20 N, 62 45 W) is located in the Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago. The country’s area measurements are total: 261 sq km; land: 261 sq km, water: 0 sq km. This sovereign state is 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC. The total irrigated land is eight sq km (2012).
One of Saint Kitts and Nevis’s crucial features is the smallest country in the Western Hemisphere 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 long, 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.
It’s significant, and at the same time, the principal city, Basseterre’s GPS coordinates are 17 18 N 62 43 W. Basseterre’s local time is 1 hour ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time. The capital’s time difference: UTC-4.
Google Maps Saint Kitts and Nevis and Basseterre, Central America and the Caribbean
About Saint Kitts and Nevis in detail
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Map of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Carib Indians occupied the West Indies’ islands for hundreds of years before the British and French began settlement in 1623. During the 17th century, Saint Kitts became the premier base for English 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 due to 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 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, Nevis’s referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority vote needed.
Saint Kitts and Nevis’s names 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. 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.
Saint Kitts and Nevis’s terrain is typically volcanic with mountainous interiors. The country’s mean elevation: N/A, elevation extremes; lowest point: the Caribbean Sea 0 m, highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m.
The country’s general climate is tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes: little seasonal temperature variation: rainy season (May to November).
The total number of border countries is 0; none are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. Saint Kitts and Nevis’s coastline is 135 km. At the same time, its marital claims are territorial sea: 12 nautical miles, contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles, exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles, continental shelf: 200 nautical miles or to the edge of the continental margin. Waterways: N/A. Land use: agricultural land: 23.1%; arable land 19.2%; permanent crops 0.4%; permanent pasture 3.5%; forest: 42.3%; other: 34.6% (2011 estimate).
The population in Saint Kitts and Nevis 53,094 (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 32% of total population (2015), central metropolitan area’s population: BASSETERRE (capital) 14,000 (2014), while Saint Kitts and Nevis have population clusters are found in the small towns located on the periphery of both islands. Their spoken languages are English (official language). The main religions in Saint Kitts and Nevis are Anglican, Protestant, Roman Catholic. The nation uses English common law. It is a(n) federal parliamentary democracy (National Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm, National holiday(s) Independence Day, 19 September (1983).
Economic overview for the country: The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis depends on tourism; Since the 1970s, tourism has replaced sugar as its traditional mainstay. Roughly 200,000 tourists visited the islands in 2009, but reduced tourism arrivals and foreign investment led to an economic contraction in the 2009-2013 period, and the economy returned to growth only in 2014. Like other tourist destinations in the Caribbean, Saint Kitts and Nevis are vulnerable to damage from natural disasters and shifts in tourism demand. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after several decades of losses.
To compensate for lost jobs, the government has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and stimulate other sectors of the economy, such as export-oriented manufacturing and offshore banking. The government has made notable progress in reducing its public debt, from 154% of GDP in 2011 to 83% in 2013. However, it still faces one of the world’s highest levels, mainly attributable to public enterprise losses. Saint Kitts and Nevis is among other countries in the Caribbean that supplement their economic activity through economic citizenship programs, whereby foreigners can obtain citizenship from Saint Kitts and Nevis by investing there.
Natural resources of Saint Kitts and Nevis: arable land.
Main export partners for Saint Kitts and Nevis, Central America and the Caribbean are US 44.4%, Poland 14.6%, Bangladesh 10.1%, Azerbaijan 4.3% (2015) for machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco, while the main import partners for the country are: US 37.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 22.7%, Barbados 4.4% (2015) for machinery, manufactures, food, fuels.
When you visit this country in Central America and the Caribbean, consider the natural hazards in Saint Kitts and Nevis: Hurricanes (July to October), while infectious diseases are N/A. Also, note that Saint Kitts and Nevis face the following environmental issues: Deforestation, Soil erosion, and silting affects marine life on coral reefs, water pollution from uncontrolled dumping of sewage.
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