Saint Barthelemy
Overseas Collectivity of Saint BarthelemyCollectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy
Independence none (overseas collectivity of France)
Saint Barthelemy as the 2012 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 49 fields, one of 19 editions from 2007 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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, 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.
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 populace of the island voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity.
Geography
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
11 fieldsLocation
- 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
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
People and Society
8 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2012 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.18 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.14 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
Government
17 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Territorial Council, 19 seats, elected 18 March 2012one dot, one seat
Percent of vote
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)
Capital
- name:
- Gustavia
- geographic coordinates:
- 17 53 N, 62 51 W
- time difference:
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
National holiday
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August (1572)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Francois HOLLANDE (since 15 May 2012), represented by Prefect Philippe CHOPIN (since 16 November 2011)
- head of government:
- President of the Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007)
- cabinet:
- Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
- elections:
- French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
- prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior;
- president of the Territorial Council elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term
- election results:
- Bruno MAGRAS unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007
Legislative branch
unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
- elections:
- last held on 18 March 2012 (next to be held in July 2017)
- 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
note: Saint Barthelemy elects one seat to the French Senate; election last held on 21 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - UMP 1; one seat (shared with Saint Martin) was elected to the French National Assembly on 17 June 1012 (next to be held by June 2017); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1
Political parties and leaders
- Action-Equilibre-Transparence [Maxime DESOUCHES];
- Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy [Benoit CHAUVIN];
- Saint-Barth d'Abord! or SBA [Bruno MAGRAS];
- Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy [Karine MIOT-RICHARD]
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
The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors primarily from North America.
2 fieldsEconomy - 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
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7107 (2011 est.) · 0.755 (2010 est.) · 0.7198 (2009 est.) · 0.6827 (2008 est.)
Communications
3 fieldsTelephone 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
Internet country code
.bl; note - .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, might also be encountered
Transportation
4 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved only
Transportation - note
nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten
Military
3 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Saint Barthelemy.” The World Factbook 2012. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/saint-barthelemy/2012.