St Kitts and Nevis, in full, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, independent state on the eastern margins of the Caribbean Sea, comprising two of the Leeward Islands, St Kitts (formerly Saint Christopher) and, 3.3 km (2 mi) to the south-east, Nevis; the two are separated by The Narrows strait. The islands are located at the northern end of the Leeward chain, with the Caribbean Sea to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The nearest islands are: St-Barthélemy, a dependency of Guadeloupe, to the north-east; Antigua and Barbuda to the north-east and south-east respectively; Montserrat to the south; and Sint Eustatius and Saba, in the Netherlands Antilles, to the north-west. St Kitts and Nevis achieved full independence from the United Kingdom on September 19, 1983, and is a member of the Commonwealth. The country has a total area of 269.4 sq km (104 sq mi), of which St Kitts accounts for 176.2 sq km (68 sq mi) and Nevis for 93.2 sq km (36 sq mi). The capital of St Kitts and of the federation is Basseterre; Charlestown is the capital and largest town on Nevis.