St. Kitts and Nevis

Capital: Basseterre

Area 269 sq km (104 sq miles)

Population 52,000

Major language English

Major religion Christianity

Life expectancy 68 years (men), 71 years (women)

Currency East Caribbean dollar

Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor-general

Prime Minister: Timothy Harris

The former British colony of St Kitts and Nevis is inhabited mostly by the descendants of West African slaves. Its beaches, scenery and a warm, sunny climate are a great tourist attraction. It is also vulnerable to hurricanes.

The islands of St Kitts - also known as St Christopher - and Nevis have been in an uneasy federation since independence from Britain in 1983, with some politicians in Nevis saying the federal government in St Kitts - home to a majority of the population - had ignored the needs of Nevisians. But a referendum on secession held in Nevis in 1998 failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed to break away.

Tourism, offshore finance and service industries are important sources of income - more so since a centuries-old but loss-making sugar industry was wound down in 2005 with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

information provided by www.bbcnews.co.uk