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Saint Barthélemy (French:
Saint-Barthélemy; French pronunciation: Swedish: Sankt Barthelemy), officially the Collectivity of
Saint Barthélemy (French: Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy), is an overseas collectivity of France.
To the northwest lies St. Martin, to the southwest Saba, to the south St. Eustatius and St. Kitts,
and ultimately to the southeast Barbuda.
It has an area of 21 km² and a population of 8,398 (census 2006). Its capital is Gustavia, which
is also its main harbor. Also known as Saint Barth in French, or St. Barts in English, the
collectivity is one of the four territories among the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean that
comprise the French West Indies, along with Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Martin. It is the only
one to have historically been a Swedish colony. The Swedish influence can still be found in
architecture and street names. The language, cuisine and culture are distinctly French.
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