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Photos of Saint Barthelemy

Satellite image of Saint Barthelemy.

Introduction

Background

In 1493, Christopher COLUMBUS named Saint Barthelemy for his brother Bartolomeo, but the island was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, France sold the island to Sweden, which renamed the largest town Gustavia after the Swedish King GUSTAV III and made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France repurchased the island in 1877 and took control the following year, placing it under the administration of Guadeloupe. Saint Barthelemy retained its free port status along with various Swedish appellations such as Swedish street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003, the islanders voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2012, it became an overseas territory of the EU, allowing it to exert local control over the permanent and temporary immigration of foreign workers, including non-French European citizens. Hurricane Irma hit the island in 2017 and caused extensive damage.

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Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Geography

Location

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean; located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Saint Barthelemy lies east of the US Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates

17 90 N, 62 85 W

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Area

total : 25 sq km

land: 25 sq km

water: negligible

comparison ranking: total 237

Area - comparative

less than one-eighth the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Terrain

hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with plentiful beaches

Elevation

highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m

Natural resources

few natural resources; beaches foster tourism

Population distribution

most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Geography - note

a 1,200-hectare marine nature reserve, the Reserve Naturelle, is made up of five zones around the island that form a network to protect the island's coral reefs, seagrass, and endangered marine species

People and Society

Population

total: 7,086

male: 3,737

female: 3,349 (2024 est.)

comparison rankings: female 225; male 225; total 225

Ethnic groups

French, Portuguese, Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean

Languages

French (primary), English

major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

French audio sample:

Religions

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses

Age structure

0-14 years: 13.9% (male 506/female 479)

15-64 years: 63.1% (male 2,413/female 2,057)

65 years and over: 23% (2024 est.) (male 818/female 813)

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 30.8

youth dependency ratio: 17.5

elderly dependency ratio: 13.3

potential support ratio: 7.5 (2021)

Median age

total: 47.4 years (2024 est.)

male: 47 years

female: 47.8 years

comparison ranking: total 6

Population growth rate

-0.11% (2024 est.)

comparison ranking: 204

Birth rate

9.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

comparison ranking: 195

Death rate

9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

comparison ranking: 47

Net migration rate

-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

comparison ranking: 144

Population distribution

most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births

comparison ranking: total 161

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 81 years (2024 est.)

male: 78 years

female: 84.2 years

comparison ranking: total population 47

Total fertility rate

1.64 children born/woman (2024 est.)

comparison ranking: 173

Gross reproduction rate

0.79 (2024 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: NA

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: NA

total: 0% of population (2020)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: NA

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: NA

total: 0% of population (2020)

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

Environment

Environment - current issues

land-based pollution; urbanization; with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and is provided by the desalination of sea water, the collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker; overfishing

Climate

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form: Saint Barthelemy

local long form: Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy

local short form: Saint-Barthelemy

abbreviation: Saint-Barth (French)/ St. Barts or St. Barths (English)

etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in honor of his brother Bartolomeo's namesake saint in 1493

Government type

parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Dependency status

overseas collectivity of France

Capital

name: Gustavia

geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: named in honor of King Gustav III (1746-1792) of Sweden during whose reign the island was obtained from France in 1784; the name was retained when in 1878 the island was sold back to France

Independence

none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday

Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572)

Legal system

French civil law

Constitution

history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

amendments: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply

Citizenship

see France

Suffrage

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch

chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017), represented by Prefect Vincent BERTON (since 28 March 2022)

head of government: President of Territorial Council Xavier LEDEE (since 3 April 2022)

cabinet: Executive Council elected by the Territorial Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council

elections/appointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council indirectly elected by its members for a 5-year term; election last held on 27 March 2022 (next to be held in 2027)

election results:
2022: Xavier LEDEE (Saint Barth United) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 13 votes for, 6 blank votes

2017:
Bruno MAGRAS (Saint Barth First!) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 14 out of 19 votes

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members elected by absolute majority vote in the first-round vote and proportional representation vote in the second round; members serve 5-year terms); Saint Barthelemy indirectly elects 1 senator to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term and directly elects 1 deputy (shared with Saint Martin) to the French National Assembly

elections: Territorial Council - first round held on 20 March 2022 and second round held on 27 March 2022 (next to be held in 2027)

French Senate - election last held on 24 September 2023 (next to be held on 30 September 2026)

French National Assembly - election last held on 12 and 19 June 2022 (next to be held by June 2027)

election results: Territorial Council - percent of vote by party in first round - SBA 46.2%, Saint Barth Action Equilibre 27.1%, Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 26.8%; percent of vote by party in second round - Saint Barth Action Equilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 50.9%, SBA 49.2%, seats by party - Saint Barth Action Equilibre and Unis pour Saint Barthelemy 13, SBA 6; composition - men NA, women NA, percentage women NA%

French Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1

French National Assembly - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party - UMP 1

Political parties

All for Saint Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth)
Saint Barth Action Equilibre
Saint Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA (affiliated with France's Republican party, Les Republicans)
Saint Barth United (Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy)

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description

the flag of France is used

National anthem

name: "L'Hymne a St. Barthelemy" (Hymn to St. Barthelemy)

lyrics/music: Isabelle Massart DERAVIN/Michael VALENTI

note: local anthem in use since 1999; as a collectivity of France, "La Marseillaise" is official (see France)

Economy

Economic overview

high-income French Caribbean territorial economy; duty-free luxury commerce and tourism industries; import-dependent for food, water, energy, and manufacturing; large Brazilian and Portuguese labor supply; environmentally fragile

Exports - partners

Nigeria 98%, Suriname 1%, France 0%, Switzerland 0%, Poland 0% (2022)

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

Exports - commodities

refined petroleum, fruit juice, precious metal watches, beauty products, special pharmaceuticals (2022)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

Switzerland 37%, Italy 14%, Portugal 11%, Suriname 9%, Brazil 5% (2022)

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Imports - commodities

precious metal watches, base metal watches, jewelry, refined petroleum, cars (2022)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Exchange rates

euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
0.925 (2023 est.)
0.95 (2022 est.)
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
0.893 (2019 est.)

Energy

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2021)

Communications

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: fully integrated access; 4G and LTE services (2019)

domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems, 3 FM channels, no broadcasting (2018)

international: country code - 590; landing points for the SSCS and the Southern Caribbean Fiber submarine cables providing voice and data connectivity to numerous Caribbean Islands (2019)

Broadcast media

2 local TV broadcasters; 5 FM radio channels (2021)

Internet country code

.bl; note - .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, might also be encountered

Internet users

total: 7,077 (2022 est.)

percent of population: 71.3% (2022 est.)

comparison ranking: total 220

Transportation

Airports

1 (2024)

comparison ranking: 212

Roadways

total: 40 km

comparison ranking: total 220

Transportation - note

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten

Military and Security

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France