Region: Caribbean

Capital: Basseterre

Population: 38,836 (July 2004 est.)

Surface area: 261 sq km

Currency: EC dollar

GDP per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,800 (2002 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 is once more trying to separate from the Saint Kitts.

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.

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: 212-734-6511

Website: http://www.stkittsnevis.org/unmission