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Economy

Overview: The economy depends primarily on financial assistance from the UK. The local population earns some income from fishing, the rearing of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, a large proportion of the work force have left to seek employment overseas.

GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.1% (1986)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $3.2 million; expenditures $2.9 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1984)

Exports: $23.9 thousand (f.o.b., 1984); commodities—fish (frozen skipjack, tuna, salt-dried skipjack), handicrafts; partners—South Africa, UK

Imports: $2.4 million (c.i.f., 1984); commodities—food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts; partners—UK, South Africa

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 9,800 kW capacity; 10 million kWh produced, 1,390 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fish

Agriculture: maize, potatoes, vegetables; timber production being developed; crawfishing on Tristan da Cunha

Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $168 million

Currency: St. Helenian pound (plural pounds); 1 St. Helenian pound (£S) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: St. Helenian pounds (£S) per US$1—0.6055 (January 1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); note—the St. Helenian pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Communications

Highways: 87 km bitumen-sealed roads, 20 km earth roads on St. Helena; 80 km bitumen-sealed on Ascension; 2.7 km bitumen-sealed on Tristan da Cunha

Ports: Jamestown (St. Helena), Georgetown (Ascension)

Merchant marine: 1 passenger-cargo ship totaling 3,150 GRT/2,264 DWT

Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 2,440-3,659 m on Ascension

Telecommunications: 1,500 radio receivers; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; 550 telephones in automatic network; HF radio links to Ascension, then into worldwide submarine cable and satellite networks; major coaxial cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK at Ascension; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK  St. Kitts and Nevis



Geography

Total area: 360 km²; land area: 360 km²

Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 135 km

Maritime claims:
 * Contiguous zone: 24 nm
 * Extended economic zone: 200 nm
 * Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: subtropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain: volcanic with mountainous interiors

Natural resources: negligible

Land use: 22% arable land; 17% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 17% forest and woodland; 41% other

Environment: subject to hurricanes (July to October)

Note: located 320 km southeast of Puerto Rico

People

Population: 40,157 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)

Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: -11 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 71 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1990)

Ethnic divisions: mainly of black African descent

Nationality: noun—Kittsian(s), Nevisian(s); adjective—Kittsian, Nevisian  265