Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a country in North America with a population of 47,657. Its capital is Basseterre. The official currency is XCD, and the main languages are English.
Quick facts
- Capital: Basseterre
- Continent: North America
- Population: 47,657
- Area: 261 km²
- Density: 183 people per km²
- Currency: XCD
- Languages: English
- ISO code: KN
Where Saint Kitts and Nevis sits
Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳 is one of 23 countries in North America, with its capital at Basseterre. It covers 261 square kilometres — 190th in the world — and is home to about 47,657 people, 189th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include United States, Mexico, Canada, Guatemala and Haiti. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Saint Kitts and Nevis compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Saint Kitts and Nevis sits closest to Marshall Islands and Liechtenstein. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Maldives and Malta.
At 183 people per square kilometre it is about 3.1 times the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by population than by area, so it is more crowded than its size alone suggests.
English is an official language in 58 countries here, among them Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas and Barbados, and 53 others. The XCD is shared with 5 other countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada, and 2 others.
To see Saint Kitts and Nevis next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Saint Kitts and Nevis
Basseterre, on Saint Kitts, was founded by the French in 1627. Two islands, two stars: the flag's two white stars are Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis: green, red, black, yellow and white
🇰🇳 The flag is a broad black diagonal stripe edged in yellow, from the bottom left to the top right, with two white stars on it; the top triangle is green and the bottom one is red. Green stands for the islands' fertile land, red for the people's struggle against slavery, yellow for year-round sunshine and black for the people's African heritage. The two white stars stand for the two islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Region and neighbours
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a two-island country in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean, made up of Saint Kitts and the smaller island of Nevis. As an island country it has no land neighbours.
Three facts about Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Kitts and Nevis is the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere, by both area and population.
- Saint Kitts was home to the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean, so it is called 'the Mother Colony of the West Indies'. Brimstone Hill Fortress there is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Nevis lies about 3 km southeast of Saint Kitts, across a shallow channel called the Narrows. Alexander Hamilton, one of the founders of the United States, was born on Nevis.
Sources: Wikipedia: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Wikipedia: Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Wikipedia: Basseterre, Wikipedia: Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Saint Kitts and Nevis
- North American capitals quiz — match Saint Kitts and Nevis to Basseterre
- North American flags quiz — spot the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag among its neighbours
- Island nations quiz — Saint Kitts and Nevis is an island country
Quizzes that include Saint Kitts and Nevis
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Saint Kitts and Nevis those are:
- North America map quiz — place it on a blank map
- North America flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- North America capitals quiz — match it to Basseterre
- Saint Kitts and Nevis capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis: Basseterre — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 23 countries of North America
Nearby countries
- Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬 — capital Saint John's
- Bahamas 🇧🇸 — capital Nassau
- Barbados 🇧🇧 — capital Bridgetown
- Belize 🇧🇿 — capital Belmopan
- Canada 🇨🇦 — capital Ottawa
- Costa Rica 🇨🇷 — capital San José
- Cuba 🇨🇺 — capital Havana
- Dominica 🇩🇲 — capital Roseau
- Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 — capital Santo Domingo
- El Salvador 🇸🇻 — capital San Salvador
- Grenada 🇬🇩 — capital Saint George's
- Guatemala 🇬🇹 — capital Guatemala City
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag?
The flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis is a broad black diagonal stripe edged in yellow, from the bottom left to the top right, with two white stars on it; the top triangle is green and the bottom one is red. Green stands for the islands' fertile land, red for the people's struggle against slavery, yellow for year-round sunshine and black for the people's African heritage. The two white stars stand for the two islands, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Which countries border Saint Kitts and Nevis?
None. Saint Kitts and Nevis is a two-island country in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean, made up of Saint Kitts and the smaller island of Nevis, so it has no land borders with other countries.
How can I remember the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis?
Basseterre, on Saint Kitts, was founded by the French in 1627. Two islands, two stars: the flag's two white stars are Saint Kitts and Nevis.