St Kitts & Nevis

Facts at a glance:

Official Name: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

Capital: St Kitts: Basseterre; Nevis: Charlestown

Form of Government: Parliamentary Democracy, within the British Commonwealth

Chief of State: British Monarch: King Charles III represented by Governor General S General Marcella Liburd

Head of Government: Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris

Location: 17.5E°N; 62.2°W - 48 km (27 miles) west northwest of Antigua

Area: A total of 269 sq. km (104 sq. mi). St Kitts is 176 sq km and Nevis is 93 sq km separated by only 2 miles of water

Population: 47,827 (2024 est.)

Ethnic Make-Up: Mainly of African descent, with some European and East Indian ancestry.

Adult Literacy: 97.8%

Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD)

Exchange rate: U.S. $1.00 = XCD 2.70

Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time +1; GMT -4

Phone Code: Regional code (869) plus city codes (Basseterre: 465/6; Charlestown: 469 plus the 4-digit local number

History: Christopher Columbus landed in St Kitts in 1493. In 1816 St Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla and the Virgin Islands formed a single British colony. At various points in their history they were distinct units. St Kitts & Nevis were part of the short-lived West Indies Federation, 1958 - 1961. After the break-up of the Federation, St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla formed a State of Association with Great Britain, with complete internal self-government but there was a history of internal strains with this arrangement, which ended in 1980 with Anguilla reverting to the status of a dependent British colony and St Kitts & Nevis proceeding to independent nationhood in September 1983.

UWI Connections: The UWI Open Campus – St. Kitts Nevis