Zane Education

Home > World Fact Book

References
- Regional Maps
- Flags of the World
- Gallery of Covers
- Definitions and Notes
- Guide to Country Profiles
- Guide to Country Comparisons
Appendices

Central America and Caribbean :: Saint Barthelemy

(overseas collectivity of France)

page last updated on December 5, 2011

(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)

Click flag or map to enlarge Opens in New Window


Click map to enlarge

No Photos available for Saint Barthelemy

no photos available of Saint Barthelemy

Expand All | collapse All

Introduction ::Saint Barthelemy

Geography ::Saint Barthelemy

Location:

Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean; located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Saint Barthelemy lies east of the US Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates:

17 90 N, 62 85 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

21 sq km

Area - comparative:

less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Climate:

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Terrain:

hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with plentiful beaches

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m

Natural resources:

has few natural resources, its beaches being the most important

Environment - current issues:

with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and provided by desalinization of sea water, collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker

People and Society ::Saint Barthelemy

Ethnic groups:

white, Creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia)

Languages:

French (primary), English

Religions:

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witnesses

Population:

7,367 (July 2011 est.)

country comparison to the world: 227

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.8% (male 712/female 675)

15-64 years: 69.5% (male 2,779/female 2,342)

65 years and over: 11.7% (male 428/female 431) (2011 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.4 years

male: 40.6 years

female: 40.3 years (2011 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.027 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female

total population: 1.14 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Education expenditures:

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

Government ::Saint Barthelemy

Country name:

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

Dependency status:

overseas collectivity of France

Capital:

name: Gustavia

geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Independence:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

French civil law

Suffrage:

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Philippe CHOPIN (since 16 November 2011)

head of government: President of the Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007)

cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council

(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window

)

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 elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term

election results: Bruno MAGRAS unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - SBA 72.2%, Action-Equilibre-Transparence 9.9%, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 7.9%, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 9.9%; seats by party - SBA 16, Action-Equilibre-Transparence 1, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 1, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 1

note: Saint Barthelemy elects one seat to the French Senate; election last held on 21 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1

Political parties and leaders:

Action-Equilibre-Transparence [Maxime DESOUCHES]; Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy [Benoit CHAUVIN]; Saint-Barth d'Abord! or SBA [Bruno MAGRAS]; Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy [Karine MIOT-RICHARD]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Marine Reserve (protection of fish); Rotary Club

International organization participation:

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

National anthem:

name: "L'Hymne a St. Barthelemy" (Hymn to St. Barthelemy)