【Country Name】 Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis [Original name: Saint Christopher and Nevis (still in use)]
【Independence Day】 September 19 (1983)
【Geography】 Located in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. To the northwest are the islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius of the Netherlands Antilles; to the northeast is the island of Barbuda; to the southeast is the island of Antigua. It consists of islands such as Saint Kitts, Nevis, and Sombrero. The country's outline looks like a baseball bat plus a baseball. The area is 267 square kilometers, of which Saint Kitts is 174 square kilometers and Nevis is 93 square kilometers. It has a tropical rainforest climate.
【Population】 38,763 (2003). 94% are Black, and there are also White and mixed-race people. English is the official and common language. Most residents are Christians. The official language is English.
【Capital】 Basseterre
【Brief History】 In 1493, Columbus arrived at Saint Kitts Island and named it. In 1623, it was occupied by the British, becoming their first colony in the West Indies. A year later, France occupied parts of the island, leading to constant conflicts between Britain and France for control. The 1783 "Treaty of Versailles" officially ceded Saint Kitts to Britain. In 1629, Nevis became a British colony. In 1958, Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla joined the West Indies Federation as a political unit. In February 1967, it merged with Anguilla to form an associated state with the UK, implementing internal autonomy, with the UK responsible for foreign affairs and defense. Later, Anguilla withdrew from the federation. On September 19, 1983, it declared independence, named itself the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
【Constitution】 The current constitution was created on September 19, 1983, upon independence. The constitution provides that Saint Kitts and Nevis implements a federal system, granting Nevis the greatest autonomy. Nevis has its own legislative body as well as its own government agencies, with a Premier and a Deputy Governor-General. The Deputy Governor-General is the highest leader of Nevis.
【Parliament】 A unicameral National Assembly with 14 seats. 11 seats are elected (8 from Saint Kitts, 3 from Nevis), and 3 are appointed (2 by the Prime Minister, 1 by the Leader of the Opposition). The term is 4-5 years. The National Assembly is the highest legislative body, unicameral.
【Main Political Parties】
(1) Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party: Ruling party. Founded in 1932. The main power base is in Saint Kitts. The party held power multiple times between 1952 and 1980, returned to power in 1995, and was re-elected in 2000 and 2004.
(2) People's Action Movement: Founded in 1965. Opposition party, representing the interests of the middle class.
(3) Concerned Citizens' Movement: Formed by a coalition of four parties. The main power base is in Nevis.
(4) Nevis Reformation Party: Founded in 1970. Advocates for Nevis to break away from Saint Kitts. Governed in coalition with the People's Action Movement from 1980 to 1995.
Diplomacy
Advocates expanding relations with countries around the world based on mutual respect for sovereignty, basic rights, and freedom, and resists "manipulation and coercion of small countries by any major power." It is a member of the Caribbean Community, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations. Attaches importance to Caribbean regional integration and supports cooperation in the Eastern Caribbean. On October 8, 1983, it established "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities.
Economy
Sugar production is the main pillar of the national economy. Agriculture is mainly based on sugarcane, and other products include coconuts, fruits, vegetables, etc. Most food depends on imports. In recent years, tourism, export processing, and banking have also begun to develop, and tourism revenue has gradually become the main source of the country's foreign exchange. There are two airports in the country, the railway is 50 kilometers long, and the total length of roads is 320 kilometers.
【Economy】 Average per capita income is above average. Sugar and tourism are the main pillar industries of the national economy and the main source of foreign exchange earnings. In recent years, to diversify the economy, the government has attached importance to developing light industry and tourism.
【Industry】 In recent years, construction and manufacturing have been booming, such as agricultural product processing, cotton ginning, clothing, electronic components, food production, and brewing.
Possesses the largest electronics assembly industry in the Eastern Caribbean region. Nevis is developing a small offshore financial industry, with currently about 15,000 international companies engaged in the offshore financial sector, but there is a dispute between Nevis and the federal government over the control of the offshore financial industry.
【Agriculture】 Mainly engaged in sugarcane and cotton planting. Other agricultural products include coconuts, fruits, bananas, etc. The population engaged in agriculture accounts for 13.4% of the total labor force. The agricultural scale on Nevis is small, mainly producing Sea Island cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock for self-use.
【Tourism】 It is the fastest-growing sector of the Saint Kitts economy, growing at a rate of 18% annually. It has now become the most promising development field and is also an important source of foreign exchange for Saint Kitts. Most tourists come from the United States, Europe, and Canada.
【Transportation】 Railway: Narrow-gauge, with a total length of 58 kilometers, mainly transporting sugarcane in Saint Kitts.
Road: Total length of 320 kilometers, of which 136 kilometers are paved roads.
Water Transport: The main port is Basseterre Port, which can accommodate luxury cruise ships and provide container services. There are state-owned commercial passenger ships for passenger transport between islands.
Air Transport: Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw International Airport is the international airport on Saint Kitts Island, and there is also an airport on Nevis. There are routes to North America, the UK, and other Caribbean countries.
Culture and Education
Compulsory education of 12 years is implemented for students aged 5-17. There are 30 national schools, 8 private schools, 5 religious schools, and 1 technical school in the country. In September 2000, the Medical University of the Americas was founded in Nevis with private funding, with 40 registered students.
News and Publishing
There are two newspapers with a circulation of 10,000 copies. There are 10 publications, mainly the "Democrat," published every Saturday; the "Labour Spokesman," published every Wednesday and Saturday; the "Observer," a weekly, with a total circulation of 44,000 copies.
There are three radio stations, two radio and television stations, and cable television broadcasting in the country.