Saint Martin

Saint Martin

Native name: Sint Maarten (Dutch) Saint-Martin (French) Sobriquet: The Friendly Island
Geography
Location	Caribbean Sea
Coordinates	18°04′N 63°03′W
Archipelago	Leeward Islands, Lesser Antilles
Area	87 km² (34 sq mi)
Highest point	Pic Paradis (414 m (1,360 ft))
Country
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Constituent country	Netherlands Antilles
Island area	Sint Maarten
Largest city	Philipsburg (1,338)
France
Overseas collectivity	Flag of Saint Martin (France) Saint Martin
Largest city	Marigot (5,700)
Demographics
Population	72,892 (as of Jan. 1, 2006)
Density	836 people/km2

Saint Martin is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean, approximately 186 miles (300 km) east of Puerto Rico. The island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands Antilles; it is the smallest inhabited territory divided between two nations. The southern, Dutch half is known as Sint Maartin and is part of the Netherlands Antilles. The northern, French half, Saint-Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France. Together, the two territories are known as "Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten."

Although only a marker divides the two parts, each retains its own distinct flavor, with the French side reflecting quiet elegance and the Dutch half more casual, including casinos and shopping malls. But both offer duty-free shopping, and tourism accounts for 85 percent of the island's economy.

Geography

File:Saint-Martin map detailed-en.svg

Map of Saint Martin.

Saint Martin has a land area of 37 square miles (96 km²), 20 square miles (52 km²) of which is under the sovereignty of France and 17 square miles (44 km²) under the sovereignty of the Netherlands, or more than one-third the size of Washington, D.C..

The main towns are Philipsburg (Dutch side) and Marigot (French side).

The highest hilltop is Paradise Peak (Pic Paradis) (424 m) at the center of a chain of hills on the French side. There is no river on the island. Hiking trails give access to the dry forest covering the tops and slopes of the hillsides. The lowest point is at the coast.

Salt is the major natural resource. Fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water.

Physically, the west end is an atoll surrounding a lagoon, while the east end is a range of conical hills. The island has numerous bays, rocky shores, and white sandy beaches.

Climate

The temperature averages 80-85 degrees F all year long. In general, the climate is characterized by low humidity, gentle trade winds, and brief, intense rain showers; July to November is the hurricane season. The total average yearly rainfall is 995 mm, with 99 days of thunder. In September 1960, Hurricane Donna badly hit the island, causing extensive damage. Thirty-five years later, Hurricane Luis again devastated the island.

Flora and fauna

Saint-Martin offers shelter for more than 95 bird species, some indigenous while others are migratory. Among the indigenous, some are vagrants from surrounding islands; others are more permanent residents, including Audubon's shearwater and brown pelicans.

The St. Maarten Marine Park surrounds the entire Dutch side, from Oyster Pond to Cupecoy Bay, stretching from the coastal waters and the beaches out to the 200-foot depth, including areas that are some of the last pristine marine locations on the island, providing breeding grounds for birds, fish, and other marine life. The Marine Park features some 28 dive sites that include natural and man-made coral reefs.

Marine life includes blue crabs, banded coral shrimp, spiny lobsters, conches, sea urchins; sponges, porcupine fish; barracuda, moray eels, nurse sharks, a wide variety of tropical fish, seahorses, and dolphins. In recent years there has been an increase in foraging hawksbill and green sea turtles and the occasional loggerhead as well, all of which feed on the sea grass beds and sponges.

Evergreen forests are found at higher elevations in the central hills, while deciduous and mixed evergreen/deciduous woodlands are abundant in the lower plains. Coastal vegetation and succulent evergreen shrubland are found near the shore. Mangroves line brackish ponds and parts of the Simpson Bay Lagoon.

History

Saint Martin's history shares many commonalities with other Caribbean islands. Its earliest inhabitants were Amerindians, followed by Europeans who brought slavery to exploit commercial interests.

Early history

Ancient relics date the island's first settlers, probably Ciboney Indians (a subgroup of Arawaks), back to 3,500 years ago. Then another group of Arawaks migrated from South America's Orinoco basin around 800 C.E. Because of St. Martin's salt-pans they called it “Sualouiga,” or “Land of Salt.” Mainly a farming and fishing society, the Arawaks lived in villages of straw-roofed buildings that were strong enough to withstand hurricanes. Their tranquil civilization valued artistic and spiritual pursuits. They fashioned pottery and their social organization was headed by hereditary chieftains who derived their power from personal deities called zemis.

Their lives were turned upside-down, however, with the descent of the Carib Indians from the same region they had come from. A warrior nation, the Caribs killed the Arawak men and enslaved the women. When Europeans began to explore the Caribbean, Carib society had almost completely displaced the Arawaks. The English word cannibal is derived from an Arawak word referring to the Caribs. The Arawaks were a relatively cultured, agricultural people.

The Caribs' territory was not completely conquered until the mid-seventeenth century when most of them perished in the struggle among France, England, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Spain for control of the West Indies.

Colonial era

In 1493, on Christopher Columbus's second voyages to the West Indies, upon first sighting the island he named it Isla de San Martín after Saint Martin of Tours because it was November 11, St. Martin Day. However, though he claimed it as a Spanish territory, Columbus never landed there, and Spain made the settlement of the island a low priority.

The French and Dutch, on the other hand, both coveted the island. While the French wanted to colonize the islands between Trinidad and Bermuda, the Dutch found San Martín a convenient halfway point between their colonies in New Amsterdam (now New York) and Brazil. With few people inhabiting the island, the Dutch easily founded a settlement there in 1631, erecting Fort Amsterdam as protection from invaders. Soon thereafter the Dutch East India Company began its salt mining operations. French and British settlements sprang up on the island as well. Taking note of these successful colonies and wanting to maintain their control of the salt trade, the Spanish now found St. Martin much more appealing. The Eighty Years' War that had been raging between Spain and the Netherlands provided further incentive to attack.

Border crossing between St Martin and Sint Maarten

Spanish forces besieged the Dutch settlement in 1633 and seized control, driving most or all of the colonists off the island. At Point Blanche, they built Old Spanish Fort to secure the territory. Although the Dutch made several attempts to win back St. Martin, they failed. Fifteen years after the Spanish conquered the island, the Eighty Years' War ended. Since they no longer needed a base in the Caribbean and St. Martin barely turned a profit, the Spanish lost their inclination to continue defending it. In 1648, they deserted the island.

With St. Martin free again, both the Dutch and the French jumped at the chance to re-establish their settlements. Dutch colonists came from St. Eustatius, while the French came from St. Kitts. After some initial conflict, both sides realized that neither would yield easily. Preferring to avoid an all-out war, they signed the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, which divided the island in two. During the treaty's negotiation, the French had a fleet of naval ships off shore, which they used as a threat to bargain for more land for themselves. Despite the treaty, relations between the two sides were not always cordial. Between 1648 and 1816, conflicts changed the border sixteen times. In the end, the French came out ahead.

Although the Spanish had been the first to import slaves to the island, their numbers had been few. But with the new cultivation of cotton, tobacco, and sugar, mass numbers of slaves were imported to work on the plantations. The slave population quickly grew larger than that of the land owners. Subjected to cruel treatment, slaves staged rebellions, and their overwhelming numbers made them impossible to ignore. On July 12, 1848, the French abolished slavery on their side of St. Martin. The Dutch followed suit fifteen years later.

Flags flying in Marigot harbor, Saint-Martin.

On some of their territories the British imported Chinese and East Indians to take the place of slaves. Thus, St. Martin and the other islands today are populated by a mixture of Amerindian, European, African, Indian, and Asian peoples. West Indian cultures such as in St. Martin are, consequently, exceedingly rich and varied.

Into the 21st century

After abolition, plantation culture declined and the island's economy suffered. In 1939, St. Martin received a major boost when it was declared a duty-free port. The Dutch began focusing on tourism in the 1950s, and even today most cruise ships dock on that side. It took the French another twenty years to start developing their tourism industry. Currently, tourism provides the backbone of the economy for both sides of the island.

In 1936, the Dutch side officially adopted the spelling Sint Maarten. In June 2000, its residents approved by 68.9 percent a referendum supporting status as a separate entity within the Netherlands. Three years later, the population of the French part voted in favor of secession from Guadeloupe to form a separate overseas collectivity of France; this took place in February 2007. In November 2006, Sint Maarten and Curaçao signed an agreement with the Netherlands on "status aparte."

The Netherlands Antilles was scheduled to be dissolved as a unified political entity on December 15, 2008, so that the five constituent islands would attain new constitutional statuses within the Netherlands, but this dissolution has been postponed to an indefinite future date. As of December 15, 2008, legislation to amend the charter of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was still being reviewed.

Short review

• circa 800C.E. Settled by Arawak Indians who arrived from South America, given the name Soualiga, or Land of Salt.
• 11 Nov 1493 Claimed for Spain by Columbus, named Isla de San Martin, upon his arrival.
• 1624 Some French cultivate tobacco on French Quarter.
• 1631 Dutch small colony on Groot baai to collect salt.
• 1633 - 1647 Spanish army from Puerto Rico builds the first military fort, but after a few years destroy it and abandon the island forever.
• 23 Mar 1648 Divided into French (north) and Dutch (south) zones
  (Dutch zone subordinate to Sint Eustatius until 1672).
• 1679 - 1689 French occupy entire island.
• 1689 - 1792 Dutch zone under Dutch West India Company administration.
• 1690 - 1699 English occupy entire island.
• 1699 - 1702 French occupy entire island.
• 1703 - 1717 Dutch occupy entire island
• 24 Feb 1779 - 3 Feb 1781 French occupy entire island.
• 3 Feb 1781 - 26 Nov 1781 British occupy entire island.
• 18 May 1793 - 5 Apr 1794 Dutch administer entire island
• 29 Apr 1795 - 24 Mar 1801 French occupy entire island.
• 24 Mar 1801 - 1 Dec 1802 British occupy entire island.
• 09 Jul 1810 Annexed along with Holland by France (not effected).
• 1810 - 1816 British occupy entire island.
• 1816 French and Dutch zones resumed.

Economy

The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism, with 85 percent of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year, with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that most food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Besides tourism, Industries involve light and heavy manufacturing. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean.

Government and politics

The unicameral Territorial Council has 23 seats, with members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. Elections were last held in July 2007, and the next one will be held in July 2012.

The major political parties are the Union Pour le Progres or UPP (holding 16 seats, or 49 percent of the seats); the Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR (6 seats or 42.2 percent); and the Reussir Saint-Martin (1 seat, or 8.9 percent). Saint Martin also elects one seat to the French Senate; the last election was held in September 2008, and the next will be held September 2014.

Demographics

The estimated population of the entire island is 77,000 inhabitants, 41,000 of whom lived on the Dutch side of the island and 36,000 on the French side. In addition, an average of one million tourists visit per year.

Ethnic groups represented include creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, and East Indian.

The major religions on the island are Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, and Hindu.

Languages spoken are French, English, Dutch, French patois, Spanish, and Papiamento (a dialect of Netherlands Antilles).

Culture and tourism

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Dutch side.

Marigot, Saint Martin, French side.

Sint Maarten, the Dutch side, is known for its festive nightlife, beaches, jewelry, exotic drinks made with native rum-based guavaberry liquors, and plentiful casinos, while Saint-Martin, the French side, is known more for its nude beaches, clothes, shopping (including outdoor markets), and rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine.

Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin is home to several world-class accommodations, including hotels, villas, and timeshares, many of which are privately available for rent or sale. Some properties have over 200 rooms, while others have fewer than 20. Many are located directly on beaches and in upscale shopping districts. Villas pepper the coast, boasting private beaches. Some are private residences, while others are available to affluent renters.

Rental cars are the primary mode of transportation for visitors staying on island. The island is served by several well-known agencies. If any driving is expected off the major roads (such as to some of the more secluded beaches), a 4-wheel drive is recommended. Traffic on the island, however, has become a major problem; long traffic jams between Marigot, Philipsburg, and the airport are common.

Because the island is located along the intertropical convergence zone, it is occasionally menaced by tropical storm activity in the late summer and early fall. The island is widely known for its hundreds of gourmet (and more moderately priced) restaurants on both sides of the island.

Neighboring islands include Saint-Barthélemy (French), Anguilla (British), Saba (Dutch), Sint Eustatius "Statia" (Dutch), Saint Kitts and Nevis (Independent, formerly British). With the exception of Nevis, all of these islands are easily visible on a clear day from St. Maarten.

Shopping

Shopping on St Maarten and Saint Martin offers high-quality duty-free goods in numerous boutiques. The island has a well-earned reputation as a "shopper's paradise." Popular goods include local arts and crafts, exotic foods, jewelry, liquor, tobacco, leather goods, as well as most designer goods. Most often the designer goods are offered at significant discounts, often up to 40 percent lower than U.S. retail prices.

Saint Martin uses the euro as its currency, while Sint Maarten is currently outside the Eurozone and uses the Netherlands Antillean guilder, pegged at 1.79 per United States dollar. It is unknown if Sint Maarten will shift to the euro some time after the Netherlands Antilles dissolves.

Transportation

Airports

The island is served by many major airlines that bring in large jet aircraft, including Boeing 747s, Airbus A340s, and McDonnell Douglas MD-11s carrying tourists from across the world on a daily basis. The short length of the main runway at Princess Juliana International Airport, and its position between a large hill and a beach, causes some spectacular approaches. Aviation photographers flock to the airport to capture pictures of large jets just a few feet above sunbathers on Maho Beach. There is a small airport on the French side of the island at Grand Case, L'Espérance Airport for small jet and propeller planes serving neighboring Caribbean islands. Due to its location, Grand Case-Esperance Airport frequently suffers from heavy fog during the hurricane season.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Colón, Christina. 2008. Frommer's: Caribbean Ports of Call. 7th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing. ISBN 9780470289716

External links

General information

• CIA World Factbook entry on Saint Martin[2]
• [3] Nature Foundation
• {{{2}}} at the Open Directory Project
• Wikimedia Atlas of Saint Martin, holding maps related to Saint Martin.

News and media

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

Travel

• Dutch St. Maarten official Tourist Bureau
• French Saint Martin official Tourist Office
• Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten official site
• Travel guide to Saint Martin from Wikitravel

Other

• Birds of St. Martin - by Eric Dubois-Millot, Action Nature.

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• Saint Martin  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "Saint Martin"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.