St. Kitts and Nevis - Country history and economic development

1493. Christopher Columbus sights and names St. Kitts and Nevis.

1623. St. Kitts becomes the site of the first British settlement in the Caribbean.

1783. St. Kitts is officially ceded to Britain after 150 years of shared Anglo-French occupation.

1816. St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands are administered as a single colony.

1967. St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla together become a "state in voluntary association with Britain" and is granted self-government.

1969. Anguilla unilaterally secedes from the tripartite grouping and is re-established as a separate British Crown Colony in 1971.

1983. St. Kitts and Nevis attains full independence as a federal state.

Household Consumption in PPP Terms
Country	All food	Clothing and footwear	Fuel and power a	Health care b	Education b	Transport & Communications	Other
St. Kitts & Nevis	33	4	11	5	13	18	14
United States	13	9	9	4	6	8	51
Jamaica	24	7	3	1	9	8	48
St. Lucia	40	5	11	4	17	11	11
Data represent percentage of consumption in PPP terms.
a Excludes energy used for transport.
b Includes government and private expenditures.
SOURCE: World Bank. World Development Indicators 2000.

1994. Political crisis occurs amid allegations of corruption and official involvement in drug trafficking.

1995. St. Kitts and Nevis Labor Party (SKNLP) returns to power.

1998. Secession referendum in Nevis narrowly votes to retain federation; Hurricane Georges causes US$400 million in damages.

2000. SKNLP wins a second term in office.