Saint Barthélemy
Saint Barthélemy Saint-Barthélemy (French) | |
|---|---|
Overseas collectivity of France | |
| Territorial Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy | |
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Coat of arms | |
| Anthem: La Marseillaise ("The Marseillaise") | |
| Territorial anthem: "L'Hymne à Saint-Barthélemy" | |
Location of Saint Barthélemy (circled in red) in the Western Hemisphere | |
| Sovereign state | France |
| Colony established | 1648 |
| Swedish purchase | 1 July 1784 |
| Returned to France | 16 March 1878 |
| Collectivity status | 22 February 2007 |
| Capital and largest city | Gustavia |
| Official languages | French |
| Recognised regional languages |
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| Demonym(s) |
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| Government | Devolved parliamentary dependency |
| Emmanuel Macron | |
• Prefect | Cyrille Le Vély[1] |
• President of the Territorial Council | Xavier Lédée[2] |
| Legislature | Territorial Council |
| French Parliament | |
• Senate | 1 senator (of 348) |
| 1 seat shared with Saint Martin (of 577) | |
| Area | |
• Total | 25[a] km2 (9.7 sq mi) |
• Water (%) | negligible |
| Highest elevation | 286 m (938 ft) |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 10,967[4] |
• 2017[b] census | 9,961 (not ranked) |
• Density | 398/km2 (1,030.8/sq mi) (not ranked) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2014 estimate |
• Total | US$487 million (€367 million)[6] |
• Per capita | US$51,735 (€38,994)[6] |
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
| Time zone | UTC-4:00 (AST) |
| Driving side | Right |
| Calling code | +590 |
| INSEE code | 977 |
| ISO 3166 code |
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| Internet TLD |
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Saint Barthélemy,[c] officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy,[d] also known as St. Barts (English)[7] or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France[8] in the Caribbean. The island lies about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of the island of Saint Martin;[9] it is northeast of the Dutch islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius, as well as north of the independent country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Saint Barthélemy was for many years a French commune forming part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas region and department of France. In 2003 the island voted in favour of secession from Guadeloupe to form a separate overseas collectivity (collectivité d'outre-mer, abbreviated to COM) of France. The collectivity is one of four territories among the Leeward Islands in the northeastern Caribbean that make up the French West Indies, along with Saint Martin, Guadeloupe (200 kilometres (120 mi) southeast) and Martinique.
A volcanic island fully encircled by shallow reefs, Saint Barthélemy has an area of 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi)[a][3] and a population of 9,961 at the January 2017 census.[5] Its capital is Gustavia,[10] which also contains the main harbour. It is the only Caribbean island that was a Swedish colony for any significant length of time. It remained so for nearly a century before it returned to French rule after an 1877 referendum. Symbolism from the Swedish national arms, the Three Crowns, still appears in the island's coat of arms. The language, cuisine and culture, however, are distinctly French. The island is a popular tourist destination during the winter holiday season, geared towards the high-end, luxury tourist market.
- ^ Les services de l'État à Saint-Barthélemy et Saint-Martin (12 February 2025). "Equipe préfectorale". www.saint-barth-saint-martin.gouv.fr/ (in French). Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ Collectivité d'Outre-Mer de Saint-Barthélemy. "Vos élus". www.comstbarth.fr/accueil (in French). Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ a b INSEE. "2008, An 1 de la collectivitéde Saint-Barthélemy" (PDF) (in French). p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "UN Population Division Data Portal: Saint Barthélemy". United Nations. 2022.
- ^ a b INSEE. "Populations légales 2017 des départements et collectivités d'outre-mer" (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
GDPwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ R. P. Raymond BRETON. Dictionnaire caraïbe-françois, Auxerre, Chez Gilles Bouquet, 1665.
- ^ "The World Fact Book". Government. CIA. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
- ^ Larsen, Peter A.; Genoways, Hugh H.; Pedersen, Scott C. (1 March 2006). "New records of bats from Saint Barthélemy, French West Indies / Nouvelles captures de chauve Souris de Saint Barthélemy, Antilles françaises". Mammalia. 70 (3–4): 321–325. doi:10.1515/MAMM.2006.056. ISSN 1864-1547. S2CID 56341953.
- ^ "Saint Barthelemy: People and Society". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
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