| The World Factbook | ||
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Saint Barthelemy |
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| Introduction | Saint Barthelemy |
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Background:
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Discovered in 1493 by COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, St. 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, but retained its free port status along with various Swedish appelations 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 | Saint Barthelemy |
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Location:
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located approximately 125 miles northwest of Guadeloupe |
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Geographic coordinates:
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17 90 N 62 85 W |
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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21 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Climate:
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tropical with practically no variation in temperature and two seasons (dry and humid) |
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Terrain:
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hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow water reefs, with 20 beaches |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mt. du Vitet 286 m |
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Natural resources:
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has few natural resouces, its beaches being the most important |
| People | Saint Barthelemy |
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Population:
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6,852 (1999 March census) |
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Ethnic groups:
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nearly all white; mostly French |
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic, Protestant |
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Languages:
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French (primary), English |
| Government | Saint Barthelemy |
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Country name:
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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 |
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Capital:
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name: Gustavia
geographic coordinates: 17 54 N 62 50 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour, starts 20 March and ends 17 October |
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Dependent areas:
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Independence:
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none (overseas collectivity of France) |
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National holiday:
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Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
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Constitution:
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4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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based on the French system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age, universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995); represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 7 March 2007)
head of government: cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council 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 is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: first round to be held 1 July 2007; second round to be held 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (overseas collectivity of France) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none (overseas collectivity of France) |
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Flag description:
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the flag of France is used |
| Military | Saint Barthelemy |
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Military - note:
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defense is the responsibility of France |
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This page was last updated on 10 May, 2007 |