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Background:
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First
settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an
associated state 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 is once more
trying to separate from the Saint Kitts. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third
of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 20 N,
62 45 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
land: 261 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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1.5 times
the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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135 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical
tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal
temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
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Terrain:
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volcanic
with mountainous interiors |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m |
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Natural resources:
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arable
land |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78%
other: 77.78% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes (July to October) |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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38,958
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
27.6 years
male: 26.78 years
female: 28.38 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.38%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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18.12
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8.47
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-5.9
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 72.15 years
male: 69.31 years
female: 75.16 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.33
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)
adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian |
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Ethnic groups:
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predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and
Lebanese |
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Religions:
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Anglican,
other Protestant, Roman Catholic |
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Languages:
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English
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1980 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts
and Nevis
conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis
former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style
parliament |
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Capital:
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Basseterre |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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19
September 1983 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 19 September (1983) |
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Constitution:
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19
September 1983 |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Cuthbert
Montraville SEBASTIAN (since 1 January 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil
DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister
Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor
general in consultation with the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the
governor general is appointed by the monarch; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party
or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed
prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime
minister appointed by the governor general |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and
11 popularly elected from single-member constituencies;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be
held by 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Eastern
Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge
of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Concerned
Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis
Reformation Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's Action
Movement or PAM [Lindsey GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis
Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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ACP, C,
Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, MIGA,
OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636
FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740
consulate(s) general: New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US
does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the
US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts
and Nevis |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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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 470-room resort in February
2003 was expected to bring in much-needed revenue. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$339
million (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-1.9%
(2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 25.8%
services: 70.7% (2001) |
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Labor force:
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18,170
(June 1995) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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NA |
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Unemployment rate:
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4.5%
(1997) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1.7%
(2001 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $89.7 million
expenditures: $128.2 million, including capital
expenditures of $19.5 million (2003 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish |
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Industries:
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sugar
processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing,
footwear, beverages |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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105.8
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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98.44
million kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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710
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$70
million (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco |
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Exports - partners:
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US 57.5%,
Canada 9%, Portugal 8.3%, UK 6.7% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$195
million (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery, manufactures, food, fuels |
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Imports - partners:
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Ukraine
44.7%, US 22.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 8.8%, UK 6.2%
(2004) |
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Debt - external:
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$171
million (2001) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$8
million (2001) |
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Currency (code):
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East
Caribbean dollar (XCD) |
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Currency code:
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XCD |
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Exchange rates:
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East
Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7 (2004), 2.7
(2003), 2.7 (2002), 2.7 (2001), 2.7 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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23,500
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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5,000
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: good interisland and
international connections
domestic: inter-island links via Eastern
Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced
wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004
international: country code - 1-869;
international calls are carried by submarine cable or
Intelsat |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 3, FM
3, shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Radios:
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28,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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1 (plus
three repeaters) (2004) |
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Televisions:
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10,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.kn |
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Internet hosts:
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51 (2003)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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16 (2000)
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Internet users:
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10,000
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
50 km
narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts
to serve sugarcane plantations during harvest season
(2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
320 km
paved: 136 km
unpaved: 184 km (1999 est) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Basseterre, Charlestown |
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Airports:
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2 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Saint
Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard),
Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age (est.) (2004) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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NA |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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NA |
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Disputes - international:
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joins
other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that
Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under
UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its
EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the
Caribbean Sea |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for South American drugs destined
for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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