St. Kitts and Nevis — Country and Tourist Information
Country Facts
- Location
- Eastern Caribbean, Leeward Islands.
- Language
- The official language is English.
- Area
- St Kitts: 176.1 sq km (66.1 sq miles). Nevis: 93.3 sq km (36 sq miles). Total: 269.4 sq km (104 sq smiles).
- Time Zone
- GMT - 4.
- Electricity
- 230 volts AC, 60Hz (117 volts available in some hotels).
- Population
- 46,000 (UN estimate 2006).
- Population Density
- 171 per sq km.
- Capital City
- Basseterre. Population: 13,000 (UN estimate 2003).
- Government
- Constitutional monarchy since 1983. Gained independence from the UK in 1983.
- Head of Government
- Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas since 1995.
- Head of State
- Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by Governor General Sir Cuthbert Montroville Sebastian since 1996.
- Religion
- Anglican and other Christian denominations.
Recent History
Denzil Douglas was re-elected for a third consecutive term in October 2004. Tourism development and social projects are among his priorities. However, his government has failed to rejuvenate the ailing sugar industry and deal with the country’s large debt.
Communications
Telephone
Country Code: +1 869.
Mobile Telephone
Unregistered roaming is available - visitors with TDMA handsets can make calls without registering, provided they can give a credit card number.
Internet
Public access is available at many hotels and the Internet kiosk at the Cable & Wireless offices in Basseterre, St Kitts.
Media
The government operates national television and radio networks. There are several private radio stations. The main political parties publish weekly or fortnightly newspapers.
Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes five to seven days.Mon-Wed, Fri and Sat 0800-1500, Thurs 0800-1100.
Press
• Newspapers published in English include: The Democrat, The St Kitts and Nevis Observer (weekly) and The Labor Spokesman (twice weekly).
Radio
•ZIZ and ZBC Radio are the government-owned stations.
• Winn FM, Voice of Nevis (VON) and Big Wave are commercial stations.
Public Holidays
Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2010-December 2011 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
2 Jan Carnival Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
2 May Labor Day
13 Jun Whit Monday
7 Aug Emancipation Day
17 Sep Heroes’ Day
19 Sep Independence Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
2 Jan Carnival Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
3 May Labor Day
28 May Whit Monday
7 Aug Emancipation Day
17 Sep Heroes’ Day
19 Sep Independence Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
Where a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, certain rules may apply meaning the holiday is usually moved. These rules have not been taken into account here.
Contact Information
High Commission for St Kitts & Nevis in the UK
2nd Floor, 10 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, UK
Tel: (020) 7937 9718.
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1730, Fri 1000-1700.
St Kitts Tourism Authority in the UK
10 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL, UK
Tel: (020) 7376 0881.
Website: www.stkitts-tourism.com
Nevis Tourism Authority in the UK
c/o Nevis Island Estates, Elm House, Park Lane Lower Froyle, Alton, Hampshire GU34 4LT, UK
Tel: (01420) 520 810 or 0870 200 1314.
Website: www.nevisisland.com
Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK
22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com
Embassy of St Kitts & Nevis in the USA
3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Tel: (202) 686 2636.
Website: www.stkittsnevis.org
St Kitts Tourism Authority in the USA
414 East 75th Street, Suite 5, 75th Floor, New York, NY 10021, USA
Tel: (212) 535 1234 or 1 800 582 6208.
Website: www.stkitts-tourism.com
Nevis Tourism Authority in the USA
Tel: 1 866 556 3847.
