Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, invaded by the Caribbean Indians, colonized by French sailors from Normandy and Brittany, St Barths was French until 1784.

Sold to Sweden by one of Louis XIV’s ministers, France bought it back in 1878.
During its Swedish period, St Barths maintained its status as a free port.
In 1946, the island of Guadeloupe and Martinique became fully-fledged departments and St Barths was transformed against her will into a commune of Guadeloupe.

Arid and void of plantations, St Barths, contrary to its neighbouring island, didn't brought black African slaves.

It is today an island with a primarily white population of some 7000 inhabitants: Natives, metropolitans and of course, a few foreigners taken by the charm of the island.