Background: Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo Saint Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784 the French 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. It was placed 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.

Geographic coordinates: 17 90 N 62 85 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 21 km²
Comparative: less than one-eighth the size of Washington DC

Land boundaries: 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
Extremes lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m

Natural resources: few natural resources; beaches foster tourism

Population: 7,237 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 227

Ethnic groups: white Creole (mulatto) black Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia)

Languages: French (primary) English

Religions: Roman Catholic Protestant Jehovah's Witnesses

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.36%
15-24 years: 7.03%
25-54 years: 45.32%
55-64 years: 15.3%
65 years and over: 14.99% (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.4 years
Male: 42.4 years
Female: 42.3 years

Environment
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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.12 male/female
25-54 years: 1.19 male/female
55-64 years: 1.19 male/female
65 years and over: 1 male/female
Total population: 1.13 male/female

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 ; St. Barts or St. Barths (English)

Capital
Name: Gustavia
Geographic coordinates: 17 53 N 62 51 W
Time difference: UTC-4

Independence: none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday: Fete de la Federation 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day 24 August (1572)

Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) (2013)

Legal system: French civil law

Suffrage: 18 years of age universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Francois HOLLANDE represented by Prefect Philippe CHOPIN (since 16 November 2011)
Head of government: President of Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS
Cabinet: Executive Council elected by the Territorial Council; note - there is also an advisory economic social and cultural council
Electionsappointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year 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 in July 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
Election results: Bruno MAGRAS reelected president; Territorial Council vote NA

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Territorial Council
Note: Saint Barthelemy holds one seat in the French Senate; elections last held on 28 September 2014 ; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1; Saint Barthelemy elects one seat to the National Assembly; elections last held on 17 June 2012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats by party UMP 1
Elections: last held on 18 March 2012
Election results: percent of vote by party - SBA 73.8% Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 15.9% Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 10.3%; seats by party - SBA 16 Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 2 Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 1

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas collectivity of France)
From the us: none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

National symbols: pelican

National anthem
Name: 'L'Hymne a St. Barthelemy'
Lyrics and music: Isabelle Massart DERAVIN/Michael VALENTI
Note: local anthem in use since 1999; as a collectivity of France 'La Marseillaise' is official

Economy overview: The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce serving visitors primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host 70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism. The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water resources all food must be imported as must all energy resources and most manufactured goods. Employment is strong and attracts labor from Brazil and Portugal.

Exchange rates:

Telephone system
General assessment: fully integrated access
Domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems
International: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

Broadcast media: no local TV broadcasters; 3 FM radio channels (2 via repeater)

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

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 231
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Gustavia