The Federation of St.Kitts and Nevis, also known in its constitution as the Federation of
Saint Christopher and Nevis, is a small two--island nation in the Caribbean Basin.
St.Kitts and Nevis has exactly the kind of luxuriant tropical paradise associated with the
South Pacific: sunlight, beaches, sea air, lush vegetation, spectacular scenery, mellow
culture and friendly atmosphere.
They were the first islands in the Caribbean settled by the Europeans and home to French
and UK colonies. In 1983 the islands were granted independence form the United Kingdom. The government is
represented by parliamentary democracy with a federal constitution. Queen Elizabeth II is
the head of the state, represented by a Governor General, and the Prime Minister is the head
of the government.
The capital city of Basseterre and the governmental headquarters are located on the bigger island of
St.Kitts. The smaller island of Nevis lies about 2 miles (3km) southeast of St.Kitts.
The total area of St.Kitts and Nevis is about 100 square miles (260sq.km). It is home to approximately
42,000 people, predominantly of African descent, with about 15,000 living in Basseterre.
The judiciary system is based on English common law. English is the official language.
The currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar(XCD or EC$,) which is very stable and has an exchange rate
of XCD$2.67 for US$1.00. St.Kitts and Nevis maintains diplomatic relation with Canada, Cuba, France, Russia, South Korea,
Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as many Latin American countries and Eastern Caribbean states.
It is a member of the British Commonwealth, United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of
American States, Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, Eastern Caribbean Regional Security System (RSS)
and 2 CARICOM. The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is headquartered in St. Kitts. It is remarkable that St.Kitts and Nevis
is one of the few countries recognizing Taiwan instead of the People’s Republic of China.
