St. Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis, also known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is located in the West Indies, in the Leeward chain of the Lesser Antilles. It is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere in both area and population. The two main islands are Saint Kitts and Nevis, separated by the 3 km wide Narrows strait. Both islands are of volcanic origin, with large central peaks and tropical rainforests. Most of the population lives along the coast. Saint Kitts contains several mountain ranges, with Mount Liamuiga 1 156 m the highest peak. The land narrows in the southeast, forming a peninsula which contains the Great Salt Pond. Nevis, the smaller of the two main islands, is dominated by Nevis Peak, with a height of 985 m. There are 176 species of bird on the island. The national bird is the brown pelican.

Saint Kitts has a tropical savanna climate, while Nevis has a tropical monsoon climate. Mean monthly temperatures in the capital city, Basseterre, vary only slightly, from 24 °C to 27 °C. Average annual rainfall is approximately 2 400 mm, although with high variance in the period from 1901 to 2016. Saint Kitts and Nevis have a wet season between July and December and a drier season between January and April. -—
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—- In the course of its history, the island has been affected by natural disasters. In 1690, an earthquake destroyed Jamestown, the capital of Nevis, forcing the construction of a new capital at Charlestown, where further damage was caused by a hurricane in 1707. In 1998, the country and its economy suffered due to Hurricane Georges.

The economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis is characterised by the dominant tourism sector, diversified manufacturing and some agriculture. Sugar was the primary export early on, but rising production costs, low market prices and efforts to reduce dependence on sugar have led to increasing diversification of agricultural production. In recent years, construction has been booming, now accounting for about one fifth share of GDP.

According to items attribute is mandatory, Saint Kitts and Nevis attracted 1.1 million tourist arrivals in 2019 and 1.3 million in 2018, and the inbound tourism expenditure was 37 per cent over GDP in 2018. In addition to a high dependence on tourism, the country is seeking to diversify its sources of revenue by developing agriculture, increasing the export‐orientation of manufacturing and enabling financial services. The country exports many kinds of electrical products, switches and radios. Saint Kitts and Nevis' principal export destinations are United States of America, Bangladesh and Malta. At over 70 per cent, the service sector accounts for most of the country's GDP. -—
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Cricket, rugby and netball are common in Saint Kitts and Nevis. In recent years, the national football team, also known as the 'Sugar Boyz', has experienced some international success.

The national dish is stewed saltfish served with spicy plantains, coconut dumplings and seasoned breadfruit. Also popular is green papaya and dumplings in a tomato stew. One of the local dishes is pelau, which combines chicken, pig tail, saltfish and vegetables with rice and pigeon peas.