Saint Martin is an island in Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the northeastern Caribbean, approximately east of Puerto Rico (United States). The island has been divided since 1648 roughly 60:40 between France ()

On 1 January 2019, the population of the whole island was 73,777 inhabitants, with 41,177 living on the Dutch side The population of the island on 1 January 2017, before Hurricane Irma, was 75,869 (40,535 on the Dutch side,).

The island's pre-colonial names include (Arawakan, meaning 'the island of women') and (Kalinago, meaning 'the island of salt').

Collectively, the two territories are known as "Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten", or sometimes "SXM", the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport, the island's main airport. St. Martin (the French portion) received the ISO 3166-1 code MF in October 2007. In 2010, the Dutch part had its status changed to that of a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and was given the code SX.

Geography

thumb|upright=1.3|Map of Saint Martin

Saint Martin has a land area of , of which is under the sovereignty of the French Republic, This is the only land border shared by the French Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The main cities are Philipsburg on the Dutch side and Marigot on the French side. The Dutch side is more heavily populated. The most populous settlement on the entire island is Lower Prince's Quarter, on the Dutch side.

The highest hilltop is the Pic Paradis () in the centre of a hill chain on the French side. Both sides are hilly with large mountain peaks. This forms a valley where many houses are located. There are no rivers on the island, but there are many dry gullies. Hiking trails give access to the dry forest that covers tops and slopes. The 1648 Treaty of Concordia was signed on the hill lying on the international border between Marigot and Philipsburg, known as Mount Concordia, Concordia Hill, or .

The island is located south of Anguilla and is separated from that British overseas territory by the Anguilla Channel. Saint Martin is northwest of Saint Barthélemy and is separated from that French overseas collectivity by the Saint-Barthélemy Channel.

Neighbouring islands include Saint Barthélemy (French), Anguilla (British), Saba (Dutch), Sint Eustatius "Statia" (Dutch), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (independent, formerly British).

History

thumb|upright=1.3|Flags flying in Marigot harbour, Saint-Martin

thumb|Saint Martin Unity Flag

It is commonly believed that Christopher Columbus named the island in honour of Saint Martin of Tours when he encountered it on his second voyage of discovery. However, he actually applied the name to the island now called Nevis when he anchored offshore on 11 November 1493, the feast day of Saint Martin. The confusion of numerous poorly charted small islands in the Leeward Islands meant that this name was accidentally transferred to the island now known as Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten.

After jointly reclaiming the island, on 23 March 1648, the Kingdom of France and the Dutch Republic agreed to divide the island between their two territories, and created a formal border with the signing of the Treaty of Concordia. Later conflicts resulted in 16 border changes over the years, but it has been stable since 1816. The French side has and the Dutch side, .

thumb|upright=1.3|Crossing from St. Martin to Sint Maarten, dedicated in 2008

thumb|Enlargeable, detailed map of Saint Martin

Politics

There currently is a movement aiming to unite the Dutch and French halves of the island of Saint Martin.

The Treaty of Concordia allows freedom of movement between both parts of the island, which has promoted a common sentiment among the island's inhabitants, although this is also the reason why some see a formal unification as unnecessary. Other arguments against unification of the island are that neither France nor the Netherlands would allow it and that both sides would require full independence to achieve it. In September 2020, these restrictions were lifted, and people from both sides of the island started chanting "One island, one people, one destiny".

Some notable supporters of this movement include Albert Fleming, former leader of the Collectivity of Saint Martin, who in 2014 stated his support for the unification of the island.

Climate

Under the Köppen climate classification, the island has a tropical savanna climate (Aw) with a dry season from January to April and a rainy season from August to December. The precipitation patterns are due to the movement of the Azores High during the year. The total average yearly rainfall is , with 142 days of measurable rainfall. A total of 11 deaths had been reported as of 9 July 2018. France's Minister of the Interior, Gérard Collomb, said on 8 September 2017 that most of the schools were destroyed on the French half of the island. In addition to damage caused by high winds, there were reports of serious flood damage to businesses in the village of Marigot. Looting was also a serious problem. Both France and the Netherlands sent aid as well as additional police and emergency personnel to the island. The Washington Post reported that 95% of the structures on the French side and 75% of the structures on the Dutch side were damaged or destroyed.

Some days after the storm had abated, a survey by the Dutch Red Cross estimated that nearly a third of the buildings in Sint Maarten had been destroyed and that over 90 per cent of structures on the island had been damaged. Princess Juliana Airport was extensively damaged but reopened on a partial basis in two days to allow incoming relief flights and for flights that would take evacuees to other islands.

Economy

INSEE estimated that the nominal GDP of the French side of Saint Martin amounted to 582 million euros in 2014 (US$772 million at 2014 exchanges rates; US$660 million at Feb. 2022 exchange rates). The nominal GDP of the Dutch side of the island, Sint Maarten, was estimated at 2,229 million Antillean guilders (US$1,245 million at the official peg) in 2014. The nominal GDP of the entire island was thus US$2.01 billion in 2014.

The nominal GDP per capita of the entire island stood at US$27,923 in 2014.

The Dutch side of the island experienced a deep recession in 2017 and 2018 due to the devastation of Hurricane Irma which struck the island in September 2017. Real GDP experienced a negative growth of -5.8% in 2017 and -6.6% in 2018 (GDP figures after 2018 have not been published yet).

Demographics

On 1 January 2019, the population of the whole island was 73,777 inhabitants, with 41,177 living on the Dutch side Population of the island on 1 January 2017, before Hurricane Irma, was 75,869 (40,535 on the Dutch side, However, the official languages are French for Saint-Martin, with Dutch and English being official for Sint Maarten. Other common languages include various French creoles (spoken by French Caribbean immigrants), Spanish (spoken by immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and various South American countries), and Papiamento (spoken by immigrants from Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao).

The most practiced religion is Roman Catholicism in French Saint-Martin, and Protestant denominations in Dutch Sint Maarten, particularly Methodism. The island also has small Jewish, Seventh-day Adventist, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, and Rastafari communities.

Culture

The island is known for its cuisine. including Creole, French, and West Indian cooking.

<gallery>

File:Philipsburg St Maarten.jpg|Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, Dutch side

File:Philipsburg and the Great Bay, Sint Maarten, Caribbean.jpg|Philipsburg and the Great Bay

File:Marigot 2.jpg|Marigot, Saint Martin, French side

File: Saint Maarten.jpg| Cole bay (taken atop sentry hill)

</gallery>

Currency

The official currency of Saint Martin is the euro. Sint Maarten uses the Netherlands Antillean guilder, pegged at 1.79 per US dollar. As a consequence of the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the Netherlands Antillean guilder will cease to be legal tender and be replaced by the Caribbean guilder, which was originally scheduled for circulation in the first half of 2021, and then for 2024.

Transport

thumb|[[Air France Airbus A340 landing at Princess Juliana International Airport]]Public buses are the primary mode of transportation for visitors staying on the island.

Border checks

Neither side of the island is part of the Schengen Area; full border checks are performed when travelling in and out of the island. Passport controls are also exercised when taking the ferry from Marigot or Princess Juliana International Airport to Anguilla. There are rarely checks at the border between the two sides of the island.

In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called "risk flights" arriving from off-island and only admitting foreigners having permission to travel on both sides of the island. After some delay, the treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands and subsequently entered into force on 1 August 2007. Its provisions are not yet implemented as the working group specified in the treaty is not yet installed. The Dutch side has expressed concern that new and tighter French visa requirements would harm their tourism income.

Airports

thumb|Sign warning people standing too close to the airport fence on [[Maho Beach.]]

The island is served by the Princess Juliana International Airport, in the Dutch part of the island.

There is also a small airport on the French side of the island at Grand Case, L'Espérance Airport for small aircraft serving neighbouring Caribbean islands. It frequently suffers thick fog during the hurricane season due to its location.

See also

  • Caribbean Netherlands
  • List of Sint Maarten leaders of government
  • Outline of Saint Martin
  • Overseas France
  • Scouting and Guiding in Guadeloupe and Saint Martin

Notes

References

Sources

Further reading

  • Arrindell, Rhoda, Language, Culture, and Identity in St. Martin. St. Martin: House of Nehesi Publishers, 2014.
  • St. Martin Massive! A Snapshot of Popular Artists, St. Martin: House of Nehesi Publishers, 2000.
  • Hyman, Yvette, From Yvette's Kitchen To Your Table: A Treasury of St. Martin's Traditional & Contemporary Cuisine. St. Martin: House of Nehesi Publishers, 2014 (Fourth printing).
  • Lake Jr., Joseph H., Friendly Anger – The rise of the labour movement in St. Martin. St. Martin: House of Nehesi Publishers, 2004.
  • Sekou, Lasana M. (ed.), National Symbols of St. Martin – A Primer. St. Martin: House of Nehesi Publishers, 1997 (Third printing).

; General information

  • Saint Martin. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.

; News and media

  • The Daily Herald daily newspaper from St. Maarten
  • LE FAXinfo daily newspaper from Saint Martin (in French)

; Travel

<!-- ATTENTION! Please do not add links without discussion and consensus on the talk page. Undiscussed links will be removed. -->

  • Dutch St. Maarten official Tourist Bureau
  • French Saint Martin official Tourist Office
  • Official tourist website for LGBT visitors
  • French Saint Martin Hotel Association
  • Princess Juliana International Airport, Sint Maarten official website

; Others

  • Eric Dubois-Millot, Birds of Sint Maarten, Action Nature