St. Kitts and Nevis
 

Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)

Area: St. Kitts, 65 sq mi (168 sq km); Nevis, 36 sq mi (93 sq km)

Population (2004 est.): 38,836 (growth rate: 0.3%); birth rate: 18.3/1000; infant mortality rate: 14.9/1000; life expectancy: 71.9; density per sq mi: 385

Capital: Basseterre (on St. Kitts)

Largest town on Nevis: Charlestown

Monetary unit: East Caribbean dollar

Languages: English

Ethnicity/race: predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese

Religions: Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic

Literacy rate: 97% (1980 est.)

Natural resources: arable land. Exports: $70 million (2002 est.): machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco. Imports: $195 million (2002 est.): machinery, manufactures, food, fuels. Major trading partners: U.S., UK, Canada, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan.

 International disputes: protests Venezuela's claim to give full effect to Aves Island, which creates a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea.

Symbolism of Flag

The green represents fertility; yellow stands for sunshine and black recalls the people's African origins. Red symbolizes the struggle for liberty.

Geography

St. Kitts, the larger of the two islands, is roughly oval in shape except for a long, narrow peninsula to the southeast. Its highest point is Mount Liamuiga (3,792 ft [1,156 m]). The Narrows, a 2-mile- (3-km-) wide channel, separates the two islands.

Government

Constitutional monarchy.

National Anthem

O Land of Beauty!
Our country where peace abounds,
Thy children stand free
On the strength of will and love.

With God in all our struggles,
Saint Kitts and Nevis be
A Nation bound together
With a common destiny.

As stalwarts we stand,
For justice and liberty,
With wisdom and truth
We will serve and honour thee.

No sword nor spear can conquer,
For God will sure defend.
His blessings shall for ever
To posterity extend