Saint Barthélemy

A Swedish Name in French Waters

The island was a Swedish colony for almost a century, which is why its only town is called Gustavia, after King Gustav III, and street signs still carry Swedish names. It returned to France in 1878 and became a separate overseas collectivity in 2007.

Harbour, Runway and Bays

Cameras over Gustavia show a deep natural harbour lined with red-roofed houses and, in winter, some of the largest yachts afloat. Next to Saint-Jean Bay, the airport's runway ends almost on the beach, and small planes drop steeply over a hill to land, a sight the webcams catch many times a day. Other cameras look over the wide beach of Flamands in the northwest, the reef-sheltered bay of Lorient and the wild, wave-beaten coast of Grand Fond in the east.

Dry Hills, Clear Water

With no rivers and little rain, the island's hills are covered in dry scrub and cactus, and the surrounding water is exceptionally clear. The calmer months run from December to April; from August to October the same views show the swell of passing tropical storms.