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Saint Martin Country Guide

Explore Saint Martin in North America

Saint Martin with the capital city Marigot is located in North America (Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; French part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Saint Martin lies east of the US Virgin Islands). It covers some 53 square kilometres (more than one-third the size of Washington, DC) with 33,100 citizens.

Interactive map of Saint Martin

The terrain features . The average density of population is approximately 625 per km². The notable climate conditions in Saint Martin can be described as temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long with low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers and July-November is the hurricane season. Potential natural disasters are subject to hurricanes from July to November.

To reach someone in Saint Martin dial +590 prior to a number. There are 0 installed telephones. And there are 0 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".gp". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of .

About the flag and history of Saint Martin

Saint Martin Flag Icon

The flag of France is used.


Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting 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 57%). The cultivation of sugar cane 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.

National administrative regions of Saint Martin



Geography Quick-Facts

SummaryContinent: North America
Neighbours:
Capital: Marigot
Size53 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 20 square miles (mi² or sqmi)
more than one-third the size of Washington, DC
Population33,100
CurrencyName Euro, Currency Code:EUR
Country Top Level Domain (cTLD).gp
Telephone Country Prefix+590
Mobile Phone Connections0
Landline Phone Connections0

Country Position in World Rankings

Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).

Geography

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Area54 (sq km)231

People and Society

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Population31,264 216

Economy

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Labor force17,300 212

Transportation

Value nameValueWorld Rank
Airports1 231

Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases

List of current world heritage sites

NameSince