Compare Baker Island (2006) - Saint Barthelemy (2008)

Compare Baker Island (2006) z Saint Barthelemy (2008)

	Baker Island (2006)	Saint Barthelemy (2008)

Airports	one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and unusable (2006)	1
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 under 914 m: 1
Area	total: 1.4 sq km land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km	21 sq km
Area - comparative	about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC
Background	The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast.	Discovered in 1493 by Christopher 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 and placed it under the administration of Guadeloupe. St. Barthelemy 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.
Capital	-	name: Gustavia geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour, starts 20 March and ends 17 October
Climate	equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun	tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)
Coastline	4.8 km	-
Constitution	-	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island	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	unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system	overseas collectivity of France
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Disputes - international	none	-
Economy - overview	no economic activity	The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host 70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism. The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water resources, all food must be imported, as must all energy resources and most manufactured goods. Employment is strong and attracts labor from Brazil and Portugal.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 8 m	lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m
Environment - current issues	no natural fresh water resources	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
Ethnic groups	-	white, Creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia)
Exchange rates	-	euros per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007) 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 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: Bruno MAGRAS unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007
Flag description	the flag of the US is used	the flag of France is used
Geographic coordinates	0 13 N, 176 28 W	17 90 N, 62 85 W
Geography - note	treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife	-
Independence	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
International organization participation	-	UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	-
Languages	-	French (primary), English
Legal system	the laws of the US, where applicable, apply	the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held 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
Location	Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia	located approximately 125 miles northwest of Guadeloupe
Map references	Oceania	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard	defense is the responsibility of France
National holiday	-	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	-
Natural resources	guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife	has few natural resouces, its beaches being the most important
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]
Population	uninhabited note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005 est.)	6,852 (1999 March census)
Religions	-	Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witness
Suffrage	-	18 years of age, universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: fully integrated access domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe
Terrain	low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef	hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches
Transportation - note	there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast	nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles)

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