Saint-Barthélemy

Beach at Saint-Barthélemy
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beach_of_Saint-Barth%C3%A9lemy_2007.jpg
Author: Poam1


Saint-Barthélemy is a Caribbean island belonging to France. Its official name is the Territorial collectivity of Saint-Barthélemy, but is popularly known in English simply as St. Barts. The natives of the island however call it Ouanalao. St Barts covers 21 sq km (8.1 sq mi) and has a population of around 9,000 people (2012 estimate). The euro is the official currency here. The capital and biggest city is Gustavia.

Saint-Barthélemy is a volcanic island. It is encircled by coral reefs. The island is today the playground of the rich and famous, particularly during winter. The peak travel season at St Barts is New Year Eve, when it becomes the gathering place of expensive yachts from all over the world.

Archaeological discoveries indicate that St Barts has seen human presence as early as 1000 BC, when the Ciboney people attempted to settle it, but left due to poor source of water supply. Much later, around 100 AD, the Arawak Indians moved in. They were displaced by the Carib Indians around 800 AD.

In 1623, Frenchman Pierre Balain d'Esnambuc became the first European to colonize St Barts. It was under the French until 1758, when the British took over for a while, before giving it to Sweden in 1784. It was the only island in the Caribbean to be held over an extended period of time by Sweden, until it was returned to France in 1878.

Beach in St Barts
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Barts_beach.jpg
Author: James Temple


Gustavia, St Barts
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gustavia_Harbor,_Saint-Barth%C3%A9lemy.jpg
Author: Evaneggers


In 1946, the people of Saint-Barthélemy received full rights as French citizens. However that did not improve the local economic situation, forcing many to seek employment in neighboring islands such as St Thomas and the US Virgin Islands. It was only in the 1960s that it began to develop its tourism infrastructure, geared towards attracting the very rich. Today it enjoys a per capita GDP that is compatible with metropolitan France.

Planning your visit to Saint-Barthélemy

The Saint-Barthélemy Airport (SBH), also called the Gustaf III Airport, receives flights from Pointe-à-Pitre, San Juan, Sint Maarten and St Thomas.

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.