Factbook
History of Saint Kitts and Nevis — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Saint Kitts and Nevis, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1623Carib Indians occupied the islands of the West Indies for hundreds of years before the British and French began settlement in 1623.
1713The French ceded the territory to the UK in 1713.
1967In 1967, the island territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla became an associated state of the UK with full internal autonomy.
1971The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971.
1983Independence: 19 September 1983 (from the UK).
1983The remaining islands achieved independence in 1983 as Saint Kitts and Nevis.
1998In 1998, a referendum on Nevis to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the necessary two-thirds majority.
2018Major urban areas: 14,000 BASSETERRE (capital) (2018) high-income, tourism-based Caribbean OECS economy; better debt balancing; CARICOM and ECCU member; growing offshore financial and telecommunications hub; environmentally fragile; unique citizenship-driven growth model Inflation: 3.6% (2023 est.).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 95% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 2.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 2.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 81.454 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages Agriculture: coconuts, tropical fruits, root vegetables, vegetables, eggs, pulses, sweet potatoes, watermelons, cucumbers/gherkins, tomatoes (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Languages: English (official) Urban population: 31.1% of total population (2023).
