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 87-square-kilometer island is divided roughly in half between France (53 km²) and the Netherlands Antilles (34 km²); it is the smallest inhabited sea island divided between two nations. The southern Dutch half comprises the Eilandgebied Sint Maarten (Island area of St. Martin) and is part of the Netherlands Antilles. The northern French half comprises the Collectivité de Saint-Martin (Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an overseas collectivity of France.

On January 1, 2006, the population of the entire island was 72,892 inhabitants, 37,629 of whom lived on the Dutch side of the island, and 35,263 on the French side of the island.

Collectively, the two territories are known as "Saint-Martin/St. Maarten." Sometimes SXM, the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport (the island's main airport), is used to refer to the island.

Geography

File:Saint-Martin map detailed-en.svg

Map of Saint Martin.

Saint Martin has a land area of 87 km², 53 km² of which is under the sovereignty of France, and 34 km² under the sovereignty of the Netherlands. more than one-third the size of Washington, DC

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

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

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

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 Novemeber is the hurricane season. The total average yearly rainfall is 995 mm, with 99 days of thunder.

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 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.

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 between the French, English, Dutch, Danes, and Spanish 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. Jan Claeszen Van Campen became its first governor, and 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 which 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, seizing control and 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 retaliated in 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.

A legend grew up around the division of the island. According to legend, in order to decide on their territorial boundaries, the two sides held a contest. It began with a Frenchman drinking wine and a Dutchman drinking jenever (Dutch gin). When both had sufficiently imbibed, they embarked from Oysterpond on the island's east coast. The Frenchman headed off along the coast to the north, while the Dutchman followed the coast south; wherever the two groups met was where they would draw the dividing line from Oysterpond. But as the Dutchman met a woman and stopped to sleep off the effects of the gin, the Frenchman was able to cover more distance, but apparently also cheated as he cut through the northeastern part of the island, and therefore ended up with more land.

Though oft-repeated, the story is not historically accurate. 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. In spite of 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 with 21 square miles (54 km²) to the 16 square miles (41 km²) of the Dutch side.

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.

The Dutch first began to ply the island's ponds for salt in the 1620s. Despite the Dutch presence on the island, the Spaniards recaptured St. Martin in 1633 and, one year later, built a fort (now Ft. Amsterdam) and another artillery battery at Pointe Blanche to assert their claim and control access to Great bay salt pond. The Spaniards introduced the first African slaves to the area in the 16th century but the main influx of African slaves took place in the 18th century with the development of Sugarcane plantations by the French Protestants and some Dutch Jews.

Slavery was abolished in the first half of the 19th century, whereupon 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 are populated by a mixture of Amerindian, European, African, Indians, and Asian peoples. West Indian cultures such as in St. Martin are, consequently, exceedingly rich and varied.

Into the 20th 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. 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.

• 1919 - 1 Apr 1983 Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten united as Netherlands Windward Islands.
• 1936 Dutch side officially adopted the Dutch spelling Sint Maarten.
• 04 September 1960 Hurricane Donna badly hit the island causing numerous extensive damages.
• 05 September 1995 Hurricane Luis devastated the island at 80% causing very extensive damages similar to Donna.
• 23 Jun 2000 Referendum supports a "status aparte" as a separate entity within The Netherlands by 68.9%.
• 07 December 2003 The population of the French part of the island votes in favor of secession from Guadeloupe in order to form a separate overseas collectivity (COM) of France
• 2 Nov 2006 Sint Maarten and Curaçao sign agreement with The Netherlands on "status aparte"
• 22 Feb 2007 French side becomes a separate an overseas collectivity (COM)
• 15 Dec 2008 Date set for dissolution of Netherlands Antilles. This date has been postponed, although it is still planned

On September 5 1995, Hurricane Luis severely pounded the islands, causing numerous damages after 35 years after Hurricane Donna.

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

unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections were last held in July 2007 and the next one will be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1 note: Saint Martin elects one seat to the French Senate; election last held 21 September 2008 (next to be held September 2014); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1 Political parties and leaders: Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis-Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET]

Demographics

On January 1, 2006, the population of the entire island of Saint Martin was 72,892 inhabitants, 37,629 of whom lived on the Dutch side of the island, and 35,263 on the French side. In addition, an average of 1 million tourists visit per year. The total July 2008 estimate is 29,376. Ethnic groups: creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian Religions: [[Roman Catholic[[, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu Languages: French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, and Papiamento (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[1]
• [2] 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.

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