The residents of St. Barths are French. 25 km2 (9.7 sq mi)

+/- 9800 residents

Euro (€) (EUR)

French Parliament. One senator represents the island in the French Senate. On 1 January 2012 St. Barthélemy became an overseas territory of the European Union, but the island's inhabitants remain French citizens with EU status holding EU passports. France is responsible for the defence of the island and has stationed a security force on the island comprising a few policemen and several gendarmes. GMT/UTC - 4h (utilizes no Daylight Saving Time) in Atlantic Standard Time.

Right

+590 Gustavia

Sales tax: none.

Brown pelican, green herons, snowy egrets, kingfishers, hawksbill turtles, green turtle, leatherback sea turtle Agricultural production on the island is difficult given the dry and rocky terrain Cacti, succulent, Sea grapes, mangroves, palm trees, coconut palmas, flamboyant trees, frangipanis, sabal palms, wild trumpet and Manchineel trees.

French is the official language, but English is widely spoken. Recognized regional languages are Saint-Barthélemy French and Antillean Creole

Lily flower (unofficial national flower)    
Brown Booby (unofficial national bird)    

1. J. Anse de Grand Cul de Sac - to do or view great windsurfing or kitesurfing action.
2. Shopping in Gustavia - St. Barts' red-roofed capital, is a small harbor town and the commercial center for shopping in St. Barts. The streets are lined with chic boutiques, duty free shops, and art galleries.
3. Visiting St. Jean - the second most popular tourist area outside of Gustavia, with many restaurants, shopping plazas and boutiques. Very scenic with luxury villas on the hillsides and close to the island's only airport. St. Jean Beach is great swimming and has a natural coral reef.
4. Surf at Lorient and view the 19th-century Catholic church.
5. Corossol is a tiny two-street fishing village - exudes a quintessential Caribbean feel. For an authentic taste of local life go visit Corossol. It's also called "straw village" named after the straw hats and craft locally made from palm fronds.

There are as many as 22 public beaches. Most beaches are known as "Anse de..." of which 15 are considered suitable for swimming.

Windward Beaches. Protected by hills and reefs. Popular for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

1. The beach of St Jean. Relatively busy.
2. The long beach at Lorient. Has shade and is more quiet in comparrison.
3. Grand-cul-de-sac. A long beach with water sports facilities.
4. Anse de Flamands. A very wide sandy beach.
5. Anse Toiny. In a remote location and considered a top surfing spot for the more experienced surfers.

Leeward Beaches. Calm waters protected by the island itself.

1. Anse du Gouverneur
2. Anse du Colombier. Only accessible by foot or by boat
3. Anse de Grand Galet (Shell Beach). Unofficially nudist beach. South west of Gustavia with large number of sea shells
4. Anse de Grande Saline. Unofficially nudist beach. Close to salt ponds, a habitat for tropical birds.

In French, 'Anse' means "cove" and 'Galet' means "pebble".

St. Barths' coordinates: Latitude: 17° 54' 50.12" N Longitude: -62° 50' 1.87" W. St. Barths lies approximately 250 kilometres (160 mi) east of Puerto Rico and southeast of the islands of Saint Martin and Anguilla. St. Barths is separated from Saint Martin by the Saint-Barthélemy Channel. It lies northeast of Saba and St. Eustatius, and north of St. Kitts.

St. Barths island was allegedly discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus who named it for his brother Bartolomeo. This Caribbean island was first settled by the French in 1648, and in 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, who then renamed its largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish King GUSTAV III, and made it a free port. During the18th century colonial St. Barths prospered as a supply and trade center. In 1878 France repurchased St. Barths from Sweden and placed it under the administration of Guadeloupe, but the island kept its free port status, some Swedish street and town names and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003 the island seceded from Guadeloupe, and in 2007 St. Barths became a French overseas collectivity.