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Central America and the Caribbean
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
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.
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
17 90 N, 62 85 W
Central America and the Caribbean
Total : 25 km²
Land: 25 km²
Water: negligible
Less than one-eighth the size of Washington, DC
Total: 0 km
Tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)
Hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with plentiful beaches
Highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
Few natural resources; beaches foster tourism
Most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery
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
Total: 7,086
Male: 3,737
Female: 3,349 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 225; male 225; total 225
French, Portuguese, Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean
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.
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses
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:
Total dependency ratio: 30.8
Youth dependency ratio: 17.5
Elderly dependency ratio: 13.3
Potential support ratio: 7.5 (2021)
Total: 47.4 years (2024 est.)
Male: 47 years
Female: 47.8 years
-0.11% (2024 est.)
9.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Most of the populace concentrated in and around the capital of Gustavia, but scattered settlements exist around the island periphery
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.)
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
Total population: 81 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78 years
Female: 84.2 years
1.64 children born/woman (2024 est.)
0.79 (2024 est.)
NA
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 0% of population (2020)
NA
NA
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 0% of population (2020)
NA
NA
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
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
Tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)
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
Parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
Overseas collectivity of France
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
None (overseas collectivity of France)
Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572)
History: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Amendments: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply
French civil law
See France
18 years of age, universal
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
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
All for Saint Barth (Tous pour Saint-Barth) [Bettina COINTRE]
Saint Barth Action Equilibre [Marie-Hélène BERNIER]
Saint Barth First! (Saint-Barth d'Abord!) or SBA [Romaric MAGRAS] (affiliated with France's Republican party, Les Republicans)
Saint Barth United (Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy) [Xavier LEDEE]
ACS (associate), UPU
The flag of France is used
Pelican
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)
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
Nigeria 98%, Suriname 1%, France 0%, Switzerland 0%, Poland 0% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Refined petroleum, fruit juice, precious metal watches, beauty products, special pharmaceuticals (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Switzerland 37%, Italy 14%, Portugal 11%, Suriname 9%, Brazil 5% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Precious metal watches, base metal watches, jewelry, refined petroleum, cars (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
0.885 (2017 est.)
0.903 (2016 est.)
0.9214 (2015 est.)
0.885 (2014 est.)
Electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
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)
2 local TV broadcasters; 5 FM radio channels (2021)
.bl; note - .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, might also be encountered
Total: 7,077 (2022 est.)
Percent of population: 71.3% (2022 est.)
1 (2024)
Total: 40 km
Nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten
Defense is the responsibility of France