First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis is once more trying to separate from the Saint Kitts.

HISTORY
At the time of European discovery, Carib Indians inhabited the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. Christopher Columbus landed on the larger island in 1493 on his second voyage and named it after St. Christopher, his patron saint. Columbus also discovered Nevis on his second voyage, reportedly calling it Nevis because of its resemblance to a snowcapped mountain (in Spanish, "nuestra senora de las nieves" or our lady of the snows). European colonization did not begin until 1623-24, when first English, then French colonists arrived on St. Christopher's Island, whose name the English shortened to St. Kitt's Island. As the first English colony in the Caribbean, St. Kitts served as a base for further colonization in the region.

ECONOMY
St. Kitts and Nevis was the last sugar monoculture in the Eastern Caribbean. Faced with a sugar industry that was finding it increasingly difficult to earn a profit, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and stimulate the development of other sectors of the economy.

U.S.-ST. KITTS AND NEVIS RELATIONS
Since St. Kitts and Nevis attained full independence in 1983, relations with the U.S. have been friendly. The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados, conducts bilateral relations with St. Kitts and Nevis.

Full country name: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Area: 104 sq km
Population: 40,700
Capital City: Basseterre
People: African (90%), European
Language: English
Religion: Anglican (33%), Methodist, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Adventist, Moravian, Jehovah's Witness
Government: independent state within the British Commonwealth
Head of State: Governor General Sir Cuthbert M Sebastian (representing Queen Elizabeth II)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Denzil L Douglas
GDP: US$191.5 million
GDP per capita: US$4,529
Annual Growth: 5%
Inflation: 0.9%
Major Industries: Agriculture, light manufacturing, tourism.
Major Trading Partners: USA, UK, Caricom countries, Canada, Japan