Region: Caribbean

Capital: Basseterre

Population: 39,619 (July 2008 est.)

Surface area: 261 sq km

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

GDP per capita: Purchasing power parity US $13,900 (2007 est.)

Background:
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 continues in its efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts.

Economy – Overview
Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4% of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, the government has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and to stimulate other sectors of the economy. Activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy and have contributed to the recent robust growth. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis in 2005. The current government is constrained by a high debt burden, public debt reached 190% of GDP by the end of 2005, largely attributable to public enterprise losses.

Major Export Commodities: machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco

Remittances: Not available

Human Development Index 2007/2008 ranking: 54 out of 177

Official Development Assistance and Major Development Partners: Net ODA in 2006 was US $3.59. Major development partners include the Caribbean Development Bank, Japan, and the European Community.

Total External Debt: US $314 million (2004)

United Nations membership date: 23 September 1983

New York Mission:
Permanent Mission of Saint Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations
414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10021 USA
Telephone: 212-535-1234
Fax: 212-535-6854

Website: www.stkittsnevis.org