St. Christopher (St. Kitts) & Nevis
According to the Constitution, the two official names are St Kitts and Nevis or St Christopher and Nevis. With coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-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.
Carib Indians occupied the islands for hundreds of years before the British began settlement in 1623. The islands became an associated state of the UK with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its efforts to separate from Saint Kitts.
OECS & St. Kitts
Flag Description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red.
Geography
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Geographic coordinates: |
17 20 N, 62 45 W
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Area: |
total: 261 sq km Saint Kitts : 168 sq km Nevis : 93 sq km
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People
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Population: |
40,131 (July 2009 est.) |
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Languages: |
English
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Government
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Head of Government: |
The Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Llewellyn Douglas, Prime Minister |
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Capital: |
Basseterre |
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Government type: |
constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament |
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Independence: |
19 September 1983 (from UK) |
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Constitution: |
19 September 1983 |
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Legal system: |
based on English common law |
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Date of OECS Membership |
: 18th June 1981
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Economy
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GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $784.9 million (2008 est.) |
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GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $19,700 (2008 est.) |
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Agriculture - products: |
sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish |
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Industries: |
sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages |
Websites
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Government |
: St. Kitts and Nevis Federal Government - www.gov.kn; Prime Minister's Communications Unit - www.cuopm.com; Nevis Island Administration - www.nia.gov.kn |
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Tourism:
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