* βeta
Saint Barthelemy
Background :
Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, St. Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, who 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 1878 and placed it under the administration of Guadeloupe. St. 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 populace of the island voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity.
Location :
located approximately 125 miles northwest of Guadeloupe
Geographic Coordinates Center :
17 90 N, 62 85 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -62.88 |
| North | 17.93 |
| East | -62.79 |
| South | 17.88 |
Map references :
America
Climate :
tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)
Terrain :
hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 286 | metres |
current issues :
with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and provided by desalinization of sea water, collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker
Population :
7 448
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 19.20 | % |
| 15-64 years | 70.60 | % |
| 65 years and over | 10.20 | % |
Median age :
| total | 39.10 | years |
| male | 39.30 | years |
| female | 38.90 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.06 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.19 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.99 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.14 | male(s)/female |
Religions :
| Roman Catholic | |
| Protestant |
Languages :
| French | |
| English |
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 |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | BL |
| ISO Numeric | 652 |
| ISO3 | BLM |
| FIPS | TB |
| ccTLD | bl |
| English | Saint Barthelemy |
Capital :
| name | Gustavia |
| geographic coordinates | 17 53 N, 62 51 W |
| time difference | -4.00 |
National holiday :
| Bastille Day | 1789-07-14 |
| National Day | 2010-08-24 |
Executive branch :
| President Council Bruno MAGRAS | President Nicolas SARKOZY |
Legislative branch :
| SBA | 72.20 | % |
| Action-Equilibre-Transparence | 9.90 | % |
| Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy | 7.90 | % |
| Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy | 9.90 | % |
Currency-code :
EUR
Currency-name :
euro
Communications :
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | bl |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 1 |
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