Sint Maarten

Christopher COLUMBUS claimed Saint Martin for Spain in 1493, naming it after the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, but it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 to exploit its salt deposits. The Spanish retook Saint Martin in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims. The Spanish finally relinquished the island to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. The border frequently fluctuated over the next 200 years because of friction between the two countries, with the Dutch eventually holding the smaller portion of the island (about 39%) and adopting the Dutch spelling of the island's name for their territory. <br><br>The establishment of cotton, tobacco, and sugar plantations dramatically expanded African slavery on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries; the practice was not abolished in the Dutch half until 1863. The island's economy declined until 1939 when it became a free port; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded beginning in the 1950s. In 1954, Sint Maarten and several other Dutch Caribbean possessions became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as the Netherlands Antilles. In a 2000 referendum, the citizens of Sint Maarten voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, effective in 2010. In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing; the UN estimated that 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Sint Maarten lies east of the US Virgin Islands

18 4 N, 63 4 W

Central America and the Caribbean

one-fifth the size of Washington, D.C.

58.9 km (for entire island)

tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures; average rainfall of 150 cm/year; hurricane season stretches from July to November

low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin

fish, salt

the most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg) and Cul de Sac

subject to hurricanes from July to November

<strong>note 1:</strong> the northern border is shared with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka, 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

Saint Maarten 29.9%, Dominican Republic 10.2%, Haiti 7.8%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Martin 5.9%, Guyana 5%, Dominica 4.4%, Curacao 4.1%, Aruba 3.4%, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.8%, India 2.6%, Netherlands 2.2%, US 1.6%, Suriname 1.4%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, Anguilla 1.1%, other 8%, unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)

English (official) 67.5%, Spanish 12.9%, Creole 8.2%, Dutch (official) 4.2%, Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 2.2%, French 1.5%, other 3.5% (2001 est.)

Protestant 41.9% (Pentecostal 14.7%, Methodist 10.0%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.6%, Baptist 4.7%, Anglican 3.1%, other Protestant 2.8%), Roman Catholic 33.1%, Hindu 5.2%, Christian 4.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, Evangelical 1.4%, Muslim/Jewish 1.1%, other 1.3% (includes Buddhist, Sikh, Rastafarian), none 7.9%, no response 2.4% (2011 est.)

1.1% (2025 est.)

12 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

the most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg) and Cul de Sac

1,327 PHILIPSBURG (capital) (2011)

1.96 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.96 (2025 est.)

scarcity of potable water; inadequate solid waste management; pollution from construction, chemical runoff, and sewage

tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures; average rainfall of 150 cm/year; hurricane season stretches from July to November

<p>parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy</p>

one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence

see the Netherlands

18 years of age; universal

Democratic Party or DP<br>National Alliance or NA<br>National Opportunity Wealth or NOW<br>Party for Progress or PFP<br>Sint Maarten Christian Party or SMCP<br>Unified Resilient St Maarten Movement or URSM<br>United People's Party or UPP<br>United Sint Maarten Party or US Party

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Caricom (observer), ILO, Interpol, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)

<strong>description:</strong> two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and blue, with a white isosceles triangle based on the left side; the national coat of arms is in the center of the triangle, with an orange-bordered blue shield that displays the white courthouse in Philipsburg, as well as yellow sage (the national flower) in the upper left and the silhouette of a Dutch-French friendship monument in the upper right; over the shield is a yellow rising sun and a brown pelican in flight; a yellow scroll below the shield has the motto SEMPER PROGREDIENS (Always Progressing)

<p>brown pelican, yellow sage (flower)</p>

red, white, blue

high-income, tourism-based Dutch autonomous constituent economy; severe hurricane- and COVID-19-related economic recessions; multilateral trust fund helping offset economic downturn; no property taxation; re-exporter to Saint Martin

$1.735 billion (2024 est.)

sugar

tourism, light industry

0.5% (2021 est.)

Antigua &amp; Barbuda 28%, USA 16%, France 12%, Netherlands 8%, Morocco 7% (2023)

scrap iron, ships, jewelry, flavored water, liquor (2023)

USA 82%, Netherlands 7%, France 4%, Brazil 1%, Switzerland 1% (2023)

jewelry, refined petroleum, ships, pearl products, diamonds (2023)

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1 (2025)

no regular military forces; Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM)

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the KPSM is supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Gendarmerie), the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland, KPCN), and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG or Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (KWCARIB))