Independence Day Recently Celebrated in St. Kitts and Nevis

People all across SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS celebrated their country's Independence Day on Saturday, September 19th. The smallest country in North America achieved independence from The United Kingdom in 1983. Happy belated Independence Day!

Saint Kitts and Nevis Exports

According to National Geographic MapMaker (mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org) and MIT's Observatory of Economic Complexity (atlas.media.mit.edu), the following items are major exports of SAINT KITTS and NEVIS: bananas, beverages (e.g. beer, flavored water, hard liquor, and wine), broadcasting equipment, cinnamon, clothing, copra, cotton, electrical motor parts, electrical resistors, electronics, footwear, machinery, measuring instruments, packaged food, rice, seafood, ships, sugarcane, tea, tobacco, and tropical fruit. According to the International Monetary Fund (data.imf.org), countries and territories buying and importing most of those exports (February 2017 statistics) include the United States (top importer), Czech Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, the Netherlands, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Slovakia, Grenada, Sint Maarten, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Anguilla, Montserrat, Germany, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Angola, Barbados, Curaçao, and Panama.

World's 10 Smallest Countries and Their Popular Places

While the following countries are the world's ten smallest ones, these are all worthy destinations for any bucket-list globetrotter! Including popular attractions or sites of interest in each country, this list is sorted based on land area. Otherwise, a country such as the MARSHALL ISLANDS would not be featured due to the vast amount of ocean water within its polygonal borders. Starting with the world's smallest country, drum roll please...

#1 ● ● ● ● ● VATICAN CITY ● ● ● ● ● 0.44 km² and 0.17 mi²
Popular Places:   Saint Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro), St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro), Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, Grotto of Lourdes, Sacristy, Audience Hall, Roman Curia, various museums, and Palace of the Tribunal
Blog Post (↗)

#2 ● ● ● ● ● MONACO ● ● ● ● ● 2 km² and 0.77 mi²
Popular Places:   Casino Monte Carlo, Monaco Grand Prix race (Circuit de Monaco), Auditorium Rainier III (↗), Monte Carlo Harbor, Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, Princess Grace Botanical Garden, Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Prince's Palace, and Place du Palais
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#3 ● ● ● ● ● NAURU ● ● ● ● ● 21 km² and 8.1 mi²
Popular Places and Activities:   Anibare Bay, Central Plateau, Japanese WWII guns and bunkers, Buada Lagoon, scuba diving and snorkeling, Parliament House, and Moqua Well
Blog Post (↗)

#4 ● ● ● ● ● TUVALU ● ● ● ● ● 26 km² and 10.04 mi²
Popular Places and Activities:   Funafuti Marine Conservation Area, scuba diving and snorkeling, various beaches and resorts, Tuvalu National Library, and Tuvalu Women's Handicraft Center
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#5 ● ● ● ● ● SAN MARINO ● ● ● ● ● 61 km² and 24 mi²
Popular Places:   Centro Storico Di San Marino, Guaita Castle, Piazza della Liberta, Cesta Tower, Mounte Titano (↗), Palazzo Pubblico, Basilica del Santo Marino, and San Marino Adventures (↗) ecotourist theme park
Blog Post (↗)

#6 ● ● ● ● ● LIECHTENSTEIN ● ● ● ● ● 160 km² and 62 mi²
Popular Places:   Vaduz Castle, Liechtenstein Center, national museum, The Main Square in Vaduz, Postage Stamp Museum, Museum of Fine Arts (Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein), Cathedral of St. Florin, Burg Gutenberg castle, and various ski resorts
Blog Post (↗)

#7 ● ● ● ● ● MARSHALL ISLANDS ● ● ● ● ● 181 km² and 70 mi²
Popular Places and Activities:   Alele Museum, Library, and National Archives; Arno Atoll; Bikini Atoll; Cathedral of the Assumption; various beaches; and scuba diving and snorkeling
Blog Post (↗)

#8 ● ● ● ● ● SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS ● ● ● ● ● 261 km² and 101 mi²
Popular Places and Activities:   Brimstone Hill Fortress, Greg's Safaris, Clay Villa Plantation House & Gardens, Romney Manor, Botanical Gardens of Nevis, St. Kitts Scenic Railway, scuba diving and snorkeling, sightseeing tours/excursions, and various beaches and resorts
Blog Post (↗)

#9 ● ● ● ● ● The MALDIVES ● ● ● ● ● 298 km² and 115 mi²
Popular Places and Activities:   Alimatha Island, Biyadoo Island, Male Fish Market, Grand Friday Mosque, Manta Point, Banana Reef, Sultan Park, Tiny Island Marine Conservation Center, spas, scuba diving and snorkeling, yoga/pilates, and various beaches
Blog Post (↗)

#10 ● ● ● ● ● MALTA ● ● ● ● ● 316 km² and 122 mi²
Popular Places:   Mdina Old City, St. John's Cathedral, Fort Rinella, Upper Barrakka Gardens, Azure Window geologic arch, Malta Classic Car Collection Museum, Malta Falconry Center, Rotunda (Church of St. Mary), Valletta Waterfront, Casa Rocca Piccola, Hagar Qim Temples, Dingli Cliffs, and various beaches
Blog Post (↗)

Saint Kitts and Nevis Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS in North America lists 1 extinct species (St. Kitts Rice Rat), 6 critically endangered species, and 12 endangered species. The island nation's six critically endangered species are the Elkhorn Coral, Giant Ditch Frog, Goliath Grouper, Hawksbill Turtle, Staghorn Coral, and Wide Sawfish. American Eels, Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fish, Black-capped Petrels, Boulder Star Coral, Green Turtles, Hammerhead Sharks, Mountainous Star Coral (Montastraea faveolata or Orbicella faveolata), Nassau Groupers, Saba Racer snakes, Scalloped Hammerhead sharks, West Indian Iguanas, and West Indian Mahogany trees are endangered.

Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis

Click on the map image above to enlarge it in a pop-up lightbox window.

Known as the smallest country in North America, SAINT KITTS and NEVIS is west of Antigua and Barbuda and administratively divided up into 14 parishes. In alphabetical order, the five parishes on Nevis island are Saint George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint John Figtree, Saint Paul Charlestown, and Saint Thomas Lowland. Saint Kitts island's nine parishes are Christ Church Nicola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint John Capisterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capisterre, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Middle Island, and Trinity Palmetto Point. Below are these parishes' capital cities:

Christ Church Saint Nichola Town — Nichola Town
St. Anne Sandy Point — Sandy Point Town
St. George Basseterre — Basseterre (capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis)
St. George Gingerland — Stonyhill (Gingerland)
St. James Windward — New Castle
St. John Capisterre — Dieppe Bay Town
St. John Figtree — Fig Tree
St. Mary Cayon — Cayon
St. Paul Capisterre — Saint Paul's
St. Paul Charlestown — Charlestown
St. Peter Basseterre — Monkey Hill
St. Thomas Lowland — Cotton Ground
St. Thomas Middle Island — Middle Island (Old Road Town)
Trinity Palmetto Point — Boyd's

The 'Saints' of the Caribbean Sea

You may have noticed that there are multiple examples of Caribbean Sea islands that have the word 'saint' in their names. The three island countries that fit this description are SAINT KITTS and NEVIS (capital: Basseterre), SAINT LUCIA (capital: Castries), and SAINT VINCENT and the GRENADINES (capital: Kingstown). Other island entities that are not countries are Saint Barthélemy (capital: Gustavia), also known as Saint Barts, and Saint Martin. Saint Barts is a collectivity belonging to France, while the island of Saint Martin is shared by France and the Netherlands. Saint Martin's northern section (Saint-Martin) belongs to France while the southern section belongs to the Netherlands (Sint Maarten, a constituent 'country' that was part of the no-longer-existing entity called the Netherlands Antilles).

There are other islands with 'saint' in their names and are part of larger entities. For example, the three largest islands of the United States Virgin Islands are Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas. To learn more about the islands and island countries in this post, click on their names (the ones that are dark blue) to bring up their posts!
Another Link: Caribbean Sea label in the Posts by Topic sidebar widget

Capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis

The capital of SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS, the smallest Caribbean island country and the smallest in the Americas, is Basseterre! Learn more about St. Kitts and Nevis by visiting my St. Kitts and Nevis post!

Saint Kitts & Nevis

Officially known as the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, SAINT KITTS and NEVIS is the smallest country in North America. Saint Kitts & Nevis is west of Antigua & Barbuda, northwest of Montserrat, and southeast of the islands of St. Barts and St. Martin. The capital is Basseterre, which has around 15,500 inhabitants. The official language is English, and Leeward Caribbean English Creole is another language used for communication. The currency is the East Caribbean Dollar, and its ISO 4217 currency code is XCD.