St Kitts and Nevis is an island nation, part of the Leeward Island group in the West Indies. Nevis lies about 1.6 kilometres (1 mile) to the southeast of St Kitts, which is where the capital Basseterre is situated and where most of the country’s people live. Both islands are volcanic and mountainous, covered by tropical rainforests; the land levels out towards the coasts. Both islands have a warm sunny climate. Like many eastern Caribbean islands, they lie in the Atlantic hurricane belt and are at risk from devastating tropical storms.

People

People from St Kitts are called Kittitians, and people from Nevis are called Nevisians. Most islanders are descended from enslaved Africans brought to work on sugar cane plantations in the 17th and 18th centuries. The country’s population is shrinking as each year more than a thousand people emigrate abroad, mainly to the US.

Economy

For much of the 20th century, sugar was the islands’ main export, but today most sugar cane plantations have closed down. Many have been cleared to make room for holiday resorts or factories: industries such as tourism and textile production now bring in more money than sugar. Offshore banking has also become an important industry, especially on Nevis.

Facts about St Kitts and Nevis

Population 54,338 (2023 census)

Area 261 sq km

Highest point Mount Liamuiga 1156 m (3793 ft)

Capital Basseterre, population 16,696

Language English

Religions Christian 95%, others and none 5%

Ethnicity black African 93%, mixed 2%, white 2%, Indian 2%, others 1%

Currency East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Chief exports machinery, vegetables, bananas, electronics, tobacco