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Saint Kitts and Nevis

Introduction to Saint Kitts and Nevis

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.

Government

Capital:

Basseterre 

Independence:

19 September 1983 (from UK) 

National holiday:

Independence Day, 19 September (1983) 

Economy

Economy overview:

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. As tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange, a decline in stopover tourist arrivals following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks has eroded government finances. 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.) 

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 25.8%
services: 70.7% (2001)

Agriculture products:

sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish 

Industries:

sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages 

Transportation

Ports and harbors:

Basseterre, Charlestown

Airports:

2 (2003 est.)