LOCATION:

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

AREA:

total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
land: 261 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
  
1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

POPULATION:

38,958

(July 2005 est.)

AGE STRUCTURE:

0-14 years: 28%
(male 5,586/female 5,330)
 
15-64 years: 63.7%
(male 12,424/female 12,403)
 
65 years and over: 8.3%
 (male 1,328/female 1,887)

(2005 est.)

MEDIAN AGE:

total: 27.6 years
male: 26.78 years
female: 28.38 years

 (2005 est.)

POPULATION GROWTH:

0.38%

 (2005 est.)

INFANT MORTALITY RATE:

total: 14.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.25 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.63 deaths/1,000 live births

(2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS-ADULT PREVALENCE RATE:

0.3 %

HIV/AIDS- PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS :

No information available

HIV/AIDS-DEATH

No information available

ETHNIC GROUPS:

predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese

RELIGIONS:

Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic

LANGUAGES:

English

LITERACY:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 97%
 
male: 97%
 
female: 98%

(1980 est.)

GOVERNMENT TYPE:

constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

CAPITAL:

Basseterre

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:

14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island, Trinity Palmetto Point .

INDEPENDENCE:

19 September 1983 (from UK)

ECONOMY:

Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Although the crop still dominates the agricultural sector, activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange. The opening of a 1,000+ bed Marriott hotel in February 2003 was expected to bring in much-needed revenue.

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $339 million

 (2002 est.)

POPULATION BELOW POVERT LINE:

NA

INFLATION RATE:

1.7%

(2001 est.)

UNEMPLOYMENT:

4.5%

(1997)

EXCHANGE RATES:

East Caribbean dollars per US dollar -
2.7 (2004),
2.7 (2003),
2.7 (2002),
 2.7 (2001),
2.7 (2000)

ILLICIT DRUGS:

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity