Gustavia (, , ) is the main town and capital of the island of

Saint Barthélemy Saint Barthélemy, officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, also known as St. Barts (English) or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. The island lies about southeast of the island ...

. Originally called Le Carénage, it was renamed in honor of King

Gustav III Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he saw ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

History

was first claimed by France in 1648. The island was given to Sweden in exchange for trade rights in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

in 1784 and Sweden founded the Swedish West India Company. Prospering during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, assets were low thereafter, and the island was sold back to France in 1878. The eventual site of Gustavia was first called ''Le Carénage (The Careening)'' after the shelter it provided to damaged ships. According to the archives, the name ''Gustavia'' appeared between December 28, 1786, and February 9, 1787. Gustavia remains as a reflection of the Swedish period, during which a minority of the population of approximately 4% were of Swedish origin. Three forts built in the mid- to late 18th century protected the harbour: Fort Oscar (formerly Gustav Adolf), Fort Karl and Fort Gustav. There are two main churches in town, the Roman Catholic, Our Lady of the Assumption, built in 1829 and St Bartholomew's Anglican Church on the harbour front, which was built in 1855.

Amenities

The sites of Fort Karl, overlooking Shell Beach south of town, and Fort Gustav, at the base of the Gustavia Lighthouse to the north, are popular with hikers. Fort Oscar, at the tip of Gustavia Peninsula, houses the Gendarmerie. There is a museum at the end of Victor Schœlcher Road on the peninsula. Gustavia has a few restaurants serving American, Italian, French and other types of food. Gustavia has many high-end boutiques that are an essential source of revenue for the island, and one of the most high class luxury hotels on the island. There is a Royal Swedish Consulate at Gustavia (Consul Dantes Magras).

Climate

The climate is a tropical one with only minor variations in temperature. The island's small surface area of allows it to take advantage of the smooth and pleasant blow of trade winds. Average water and air temperatures move around , and the year is divided into two seasons: a dry one, referred to as Lent (''Careme''), and a more humid one in summer. This latter season sets in between May and November, and the ever-present sun is overcast by short passages of rainclouds with brief showers of 10 to 15 minutes. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system Gustavia has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

, abbreviated ''Aw'' on climate maps.

Economy

The official currency of Saint Barthélemy is the

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

Education

The town's public preschools and primary schools, under the authority of the , are:LISTE DES ECOLES PUBLIQUES ET PRIVEES SOUS CONTRAT
" . Retrieved on 10 March 2018. * École primaire Gustavia * École maternelle Gustavia

Notable people

* Eugénie Blanchard — the oldest verified person in the world at the time of her death. She spent most of her life in Gustavia.

Gallery

File:Gustavia San Barth 001.jpg, Gustavia File:Gustavia Harbor, Saint-Barthélemy.jpg, View of Gustavia

References

External links

; Government
Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy (Official government website)

Comité Territorial du Tourisme (Tourism board website)

Gustavia Harbor/Port de Gustavia (Official website)
; General information
Saint Barthelemy
''

The World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a Reference work, reference resource produced by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The off ...

''.

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gustavia, Saint Barthelemy Populated places in Saint Barthélemy Quartiers of Saint Barthélemy Capitals in the Caribbean Populated places established in 1785 1785 establishments in North America Gustav III