Saint-Barthélemy, officially the Collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy (Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France that came into being on 22 February, 2007, encompassing the island of Saint-Barthélemy proper plus several offshore islets. Also known as Saint Barts, Saint Barths, or Saint Barth, the collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean that comprise the French West Indies.

History

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Saint-Barthélemy was first claimed by France in 1648. It was sold to Sweden in 1784, which sold it back to France in 1878. The Swedish period left its mark in the names of many of the streets and the town (in honor of King Gustav III) and leaving its national arms, the three crowns along with the grey heron, as well as the mural crown, in the island's coat of arms.

Geography

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Located approximately 250 km east of Puerto Rico, Saint-Barthélemy lies near the islands of Saint Martin, Saba and Anguilla.

Gustavia, which is the main town of the island, was named after King Gustav III of Sweden, and remains as a reflection of the Swedish period.

The oldest settlement still remaining is the village of Lorient (or L'Orient), although scattered in every cemetery on the island can be found Swedish grave markers. Lorient's sister village on the French mainland is the city of Lorient on the northern coast of Brittany.

Beaches
Of the 20 beaches on the small island, several are considered especially inviting. On the southern side of the island, Saline and Governor beaches are pristine beaches with no development upon them. On the western edge of the island is Colombier beach, which is only reachable by boat or a hike. St. Jean, Flammands and Grand-Cul-de-Sac beaches are also popular and attractive beaches which have hotels and other establishments on them. Shell Beach is popular for families with kids as it has little surf, and lots of tide pools.

St. Barths has a tidal difference of only 8 - 15 cm. The beaches vary according to ocean currents -- the weather travels onto the island following the sun from the East. One of the main surfing beaches (Toiny) is known for its riptide, while Grand Fond is one of the island's only non-swimming beaches. Although tourism doesn't allude to it, there are a small variety of warm water sharks in the Caribbean. So, swimming at dusk and dawn or in murky waters is not recommended. Otherwise, scuba and snorkling are a great way to see the nurse sharks, lobsters, conch and green sea turtles that abound in the waters surrounding St. Barth.

The beach of Grand Cul-de-Sac is the easiest beach in the Caribbean for learning to sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing as it has a reef which closes off the entire bay. The current that passes outside the reef here also carries the migrating whales and dolphins.

Demographics

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According to the 1999 census, the population of Saint-Barthélemy was 6,852 inhabitants, with a population density of 326 inh. per km² in 1999. Unlike most Caribbean islands, its population is nearly all white.

Many of the full time residents are French citizens who work at the various establishments on the island. French is the primary language spoken, but many residents also speak English, particularly at hotels and restaurants.

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