Home

Geography of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Location:Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates:17 20 N, 62 45 W
Map references:Central America and the Caribbean
Area:total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)
land: 261 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:0 km
Coastline:135 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)
Terrain:volcanic with mountainous interiors
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m
Natural resources:arable land
Land use:arable land: 19.44%
permanent crops: 2.78%
other: 77.78% (2005)
Irrigated land:NA
Natural hazards:hurricanes (July to October)
Environment - current issues:NA
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a three-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island

Saint Kitts and Nevis Quickstats

  • Population: 39,349 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 261 sq km
  • Density: 164 /km² (64th)
  • GDP (total): $339 million (213th)
  • GDP (per capita): $14,649 (47th)
  • Literacy: 97.8%

Languages of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Useful to know

  • Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
  • Dial code: +1 869

International Trade

External sites

More Resources

Recent blog posts