
St. Barts has an area of 21 square kilometres (8.1 sq mi) and a population of 8,398 (census 2006). Its capital is Gustavia, which is also its main harbor. St Barts lies southeast of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin and north of St Kitts. It is the only Caribbean island to have historically been a Swedish colony for any significant length of time (Guadeloupe only having been one briefly, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars). Symbolism from the Swedish national arms, the three crowns, still appears in the island's coat of arms. The language, cuisine and culture are distinctly French.