Map of Saint-Martin | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: 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 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. 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.


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Location: 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

Geographic coordinates: 18 05 N, 63 57 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 54.4 km²
Land: 54.4 km²
Rank: 231
Comparative: more than one-third the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 16 km
Border countries: (1) Sint Maarten 16 km

Coastline: 58.9 km
Note: (for entire island)

Maritime claims

Climate: 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

Terrain

Elevation: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Caribbean Ocean

Natural resources: salt

Land use

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: subject to hurricanes from July to November

Geography
Note: the southern border is shared with Sint Maarten, a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world shared by two self-governing states


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Population
Distribution: most of the population is found along the coast, with a largest concentrations around the capital Marigot, Orleans, and Grand-Case: 32,284 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 216

Nationality

Ethnic groups: other Creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian

Languages: French (official), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)

Religions: Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 26.05% (male 4,184 /female 4,225)
15-24 years: 10.29% (male 1638 /female 1685)
25-54 years: 46.52% (male 7,181 /female 7,836)
55-64 years: 8.76% (male 1317 /female 1511)
65 years and over: 8.38% (male 1195 /female 1512) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 32.8 years
Male: 31.9 years
Female: 33.7 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 97

Population growth rate

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

Population distribution: most of the population is found along the coast, with a largest concentrations around the capital Marigot, Orleans, and Grand-Case

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: excessive population pressure (increasing settlement); waste management; salinity intrusions into the main land 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 changes the sediment dynamics of Saint Martin's Island

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 0.91 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases: note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
Conventional short form: Saint Martin
Local long form: Collectivite doutre mer de Saint-Martin
Local short form: Saint-Martin
Etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours because the 11 November 1493 day of discovery was the saints feast day

Government type: parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France

Capital
Name: Marigot
Geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence: none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday: Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - local holiday is Schoelcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)

Constitution
History: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) (2018)
Amendments: amendment procedures of Frances constitution apply (2018)

Legal system: French civil law

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see France

Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Anne LAUBIES (since 8 June 2015)
Head of government: President of Territorial Council Daniel GIBBS (since 2 April 2017); First Vice President Valerie DAMASEAU (since 2 April 2017)
Cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council
Electionsappointments: French president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council elected by its members for a 5-year term; election last held on 26 March 2017
Election results: Daniel GIBBS (TDG) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 18 votes, 4 blank, 1 invalid

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members directly elected by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed to serve 5-year terms); Saint Martin elects 1 member to the French Senate and one member (shared with Saint Barthelemy) to the French National Assembly
Elections: Territorial Council - last held on 18 and 25 March 2017 (next to be held in March 2022)
Election results: Territorial Council - percent of vote by party (first round) - TDG 49.1%, MJP 13.7%, MVP 12.3%, HOPE 8.7%, Continuons pour Saint-Martin 6.5%, other 9.7%; seats by party - NA; percent of vote by party (second round) - TDG 64.3%, MJP 24.2%, MVP 11.5.5%; seats by party - TDG 18, MJP 4, MVP 1

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders: Continuons pour St. Martin [Aline HANSON]En marche vers le progres or MVP [Alain RICHARDSON]Gereration Hope or HOPE [Jules CHARVILLE]Movement for Justice and Prosperity or MJP [Louis MUSSINGTON]New Direction [Jeanne VANTERPOOL]Rally Responsibility Success (Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]Team Daniel Gibbs 2017 or TDG [Daniel GIBBS]Union for Progress (Union Pour le Progres or UPP) [Louis-Constant FLEMING]; affiliated with UMP

International organization participation: UPU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas collectivity of France)
From the us: none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

National symbols: brown pelican

National anthem
Name: O Sweet Saint Martins Land
Lyricsmusic: Gerard KEMPS: note: the song, written in 1958, is used as an unofficial anthem for the entire island (both French and Dutch sides); as a collectivity of France, in addition to the local anthem, 'La Marseillaise' remains official on the French side (see France); as a constituent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in addition to the local anthem, 'Het Wilhelmus' remains official on the Dutch side (see Netherlands)

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy of Saint Martin centers on tourism with 85% 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. The financial sector is also important to Saint Martin’s economy as it facilitates financial mediation for its thriving tourism sector. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the US. Saint Martin is reported to have one of the highest per capita income in the Caribbean. As with the rest of the Caribbean, Saint Martin’s financial sector is having to deal with losing correspondent banking relationships.In September 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed 95% of the French side of Saint Martin. Along the coastline of Marigot, the nerve center of the economy, the storm wiped out restaurants, shops, banks and open-air markets impacting more than 36,000 inhabitants.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $561.5 million (2005 est.)
Rank: 212

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita: $19,300 (2005 est.)
Rank: 92

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1% (2000)
Industry: 15% (2000)
Services: 84% (2000)

Agriculture products

Industries: tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: 17,300
Note: (2008 est.)
Rank: 214
By occupation: 85 directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports

Imports
Commodities: crude petroleum, food, manufactured items

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 3,194 (2012)
Access electrification total population: 91% (2012)
Access electrification urban areas: 100% (2012)
Access electrification rural areas: 80% (2012)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system
General assessment: fully integrated access (2009)
Domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems (2009)
International: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe (2009)

Broadcast media: 1 local TV station; access to about 20 radio stations, including RFO Guadeloupe radio broadcasts via repeater (2008)

Internet
Country code: .mf; note - .gp, the Internet country code for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the Internet country code for France, might also be encountered
Users total: 1100 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 3.5% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 222

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 235
With paved runways total: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2017)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs