St. Kitts and Nevis are islands in the Caribbean Sea, about a third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad, and have a total area of 261 km2. The population is approximately 56,500 (2018 est.), of which about 43,000 live on St. Kitts. The climate is tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes and there is little seasonal temperature variation. The rainy season is from May to November and hurricanes can occur from July to October.

The national capital is Basseterre on St. Kitts. Bradshaw International Airport, near Basseterre, can handle large jets. There are now direct flights from New York, Philadelphia, Miami and London.

St. Kitts became Britain’s first colony in the West Indies with the founding of a settlement in 1623. The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis attained full political independence within the Commonwealth in 1983. To relieve the anxiety of Nevisians, Nevis acquired autonomy within the federation, together with its own legislature and cabinet. In 1998, a vote in a Nevis referendum to separate from St. Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.