Saint Barthélemy (often abbreviated to St Barth) is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It has been a French overseas local authority since February 2007. St Barthelemy has an area of only 21 square kilometers. Thanks to strict construction and price controls, Saint Barth has been able to withstand mass tourism to this day and has become the millionaires’ paradise of the Caribbean. On St Barthelemy, among other things, stands Guanahani Hotel, a hotel that is one of the Leading Hotels of the World. Onecity, Gustavia, and a dozen places make up the island. The interior is dry and mountainous, the highest peak only reaching 286 meters.
The stone walls that border the country testify to the Breton origins of the residents. At the natural harbor of Gustavia, instead of warehouses, you can find restaurants and luxury shops (tax-free) lining the streets. Some of the red-roofed houses, the old bell tower and the Wall House, are still reminiscent of the former Swedish rule. Pointe à Colombier and its beach at the western point of St Barthelemy can only be reached on foot. From the Grande Roche vantage point, you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the entire island.
Just under 7,500 people live on St Barth. Most of them are descendants of the French settlers who arrived here in the colonial times. Most of the immigrants at the time came from Normandy, Brittany and other northern and western regions of France.
As an infrastructure, St. Barthelemy has an airport. In order to be allowed to land your aircraft here on the 640 meter long runway, you need a special pilot license. The approach situation is often quite tense and requires a lot of flight experience. Because the constantly changing winds and the surrounding hills make landing a delicate affair.
St Barthélemy: important country data for your vacation in the Caribbean
Area: 21 km²
Population: 7,367 (July 2011, CIA). Whites, Creoles, Blacks andGuadeloupe Mestics.
Population density: 351 residents per km²
Capital: Gustavia (about 7,000 residents)
Highest point: Morne du Vitet, 286 m
Lowest point: Caribbean, 0 m
Form of government: St Barthélemy forms a single municipality with Gustavia as the administrative center.
Until 2007, Saint-Barthélemy was part of the French Overseas Department of Guadeloupe, and together with Saint Martin formed the Arrondissement des Îles du Nord.
In 2003, a referendum on both islands decided to leave the overseas department of Guadeloupe. On February 22, 2007, Saint Barthélemy became its own Collectivité d’outre mer. The administration corresponds to that of a French commune. The island thus still belongs to the European Union.
Head of Government: President of the Territorial Council Bruno Magras
Head of State: French President Nicolas Sarkozy, since May 16, 2007
Language: The official language is French. English, Patois, Creole, Portuguese and Spanish are also spoken.
Religion: Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses
Local time: CET – 5 h.
There is no summer or winter time change on Saint Barthélemy.
The time difference to Central Europe is -5 hours in winter and -6 hours in summer
Mains voltage: 220 volts, 60 Hz
International phone code: +590
Internet identifier: both.fr and.gp are used, since 2006.bl
Saint Barthelemy: Map and Geography
Saint-Barthélemy (also called Sankt Bartholomäus or St. Bart (h) s) belongs to the Lesser Antilles. Since February 2007, the mountainous island (the only flat surface is the airstrip) has the status of a French overseas local authority (collectivité d’outre-mer). The 7,492 residents live on an area of 21 square kilometers (366 residents per square kilometer).
Saint-Barthélemy is 230 km northwest of Guadeloupe, and 25 km southeast of Saint-Martin. The coastline is 32 km.
The highest point on the island is the 286 m high Morne Vitet.
The main island is surrounded by numerous reefs and many small islands including Chevreau, Coco, île Fourchue (important as a mooring for pleasure boats), île Frégate, La Tortue, île Le Boulanger, Les Grenadins, Pain deSucre, île Pelé, île Petit Jean, Toc Vers.
The island has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 4,000 square kilometers.
Saint-Barthélemy is an arid island. Reasons for the scarcity of drinking water are low rainfall, the rock and relief as well as deforestation. This combination prevents bodies of water from forming. Drinking water is imported in bottles or obtained from sea water by reverse osmosis. In 2007, a capacity of 3500 m³ / day was achieved for drinking water production, at the beginning of 2008 4300 m³ / day should be achieved.
