Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 to exploit its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633 but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished Saint Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. Friction between the two sides caused the border to frequently fluctuate over the next two centuries, with the French eventually holding the greater portion of the island (about 61%). The cultivation of sugarcane introduced African slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of Saint Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2010, the southern Dutch portion of the island became the independent nation of Sint Maarten within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Saint Martin causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing; the UN estimated that 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.
land: 50 sq km
water: negligible
border countries (1): Sint Maarten 16 km
lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka as Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond) is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies; the border between the French and Dutch halves of the island of Saint Martin runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared by both of the island’s entities
32,897 (2023 est.)
Creole (Mulatto), Black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asian), White, East Indian, other
French (official), Dutch, English, Guadeloupian Creole, Haitian Creole, Italian, Martiniquan Creole, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles), Spanish
major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d’informations de base. (French)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic, Jehovah’s Witness, Protestant, Hindu
0-14 years: 24.9% (male 4,067/female 4,125)
15-64 years: 64.65% (male 10,205/female 11,063)
65 years and over: 10.45% (2023 est.) (male 1,484/female 1,953)
total dependency ratio: 49.1 N
youth dependency ratio: 33.5
elderly dependency ratio: 15.6
potential support ratio: 6.4 (2021)
total: 34 years (2023 est.)
male: 33.2 years
female: 34.8 years
0.31% (2023 est.)
14 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
4.7 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-6.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
most of the population is found along the coast, with a largest concentrations around the capital Marigot, Orleans, and Grand-Case
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
total: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 80.8 years (2023 est.)
male: 77.7 years
female: 84 years
1.8 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.88 (2023 est.)
NA
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: NA
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: NA
total: 0% of population (2020)
NA
NA
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: NA
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: NA
total: 0% of population (2020)
NA
NA
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
excessive population pressure (increasing settlement); waste management; salinity intrusions into the mainland of the island; fresh water supply is dependent on desalination of sea water; over-exploitation of marine resources (reef fisheries, coral and shell); indiscriminate anchoring of boats damages coral reefs, causing underwater pollution and sedimentation
temperature averages 27-29 degrees Celsius all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; hurricane season stretches from July to November
municipal solid waste generated annually: 15,480 tons (2012 est.)
high-income French Caribbean territorial economy; extremely reliant on tourism, with severe COVID-19 impacts; near-total destruction from Hurricane Irma in 2017; some offshore banking; import-dependent; duty-free commerce; yachting destination
$561.5 million (2005 est.)
$19,300 (2005 est.)
$561.5 million (2005 est.)
agriculture: 1% (2000)
industry: 15% (2000)
services: 84% (2000)comparison rankings:
tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry
17,300 (2008 est.)
United States 35%, Netherlands 26%, Antigua and Barbuda 21%, France 10% (2019)
gold, special use vessels, furniture, scrap aluminum, rum (2019)
United States 76%, Netherlands 7%, France 7% (2019)
jewelry, diamonds, pearls, recreational boats, cars (2019)
euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
0.885 (2017 est.)
0.903 (2016 est.)
0.9214 (2015 est.)
0.885 (2014 est.)
0.7634 (2013 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
1 (2021)
1
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located on Sint Maarten
manyapis