Saint Barthélemy is an overseas collectivity of France, located in the Caribbean. The island officially became a French possession in 1648, and it was made a formal part of Guadeloupe in 1774. In 1902 it became an autonomous community within the French West Indies, which was granted full independence as the Federation of Saint Barthélemy and Martinique on October 27, 1974. The official languages are French and Dutch.