Map of Sint Maarten | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and began exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims. The Spanish finally relinquished the island of Saint Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. 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 October 2010. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing. The UN estimated the storm destroyed or damaged 90% of the buildings, and Princess Juliana International Airport was heavily damaged and closed to commercial air traffic for five weeks.


top of page


Location: 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

Geographic coordinates: 18 4 N, 63 4 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 34 km²
Land: 34 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin
Comparative: one-fifth the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 16 km
Border countries: (0) Saint Martin (France) 16 km

Coastline: 58.9 km (for entire island)

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: 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

Terrain: low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin

Elevation
Highest point: Mount Flagstaff 383 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Natural resources: fish, 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 northern border is shared with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world shared by two self-governing states


top of page


Population
Distribution: most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg), followed closely by Cul de Sac: 44,564 (July 2021 est.)
Growth rate: 1.28% (2021 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: 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.)

Languages: 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.)

Religions: 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.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.64% (male 4,242/female 3,932)
15-24 years: 13.26% (male 2,967/female 2,849)
25-54 years: 39.08% (male 8,417/female 8,717)
55-64 years: 17.47% (male 3,638/female 4,020)
65 years and over: 11.55% (male 2,385/female 2,680) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: NA
Youth dependency ratio: NA
Elderly dependency ratio: NA
Potential support ratio: NA

Median age
Total: 41.1 years
Male: 39.6 years
Female: 42.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.28% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 12.75 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 5.9 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.9 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution: most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg), followed closely by Cul de Sac

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1,327 PHILIPSBURG (capital) (2011)

Environment
Current issues: scarcity of potable water (increasing percentage provided by desalination); inadequate solid waste management; pollution from construction, chemical runoff, and sewage harms reefs

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.16 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 7.28 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.03 years
Male: 76.67 years
Female: 81.51 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved: total: 95.1% of population
Unimproved: total: 4.9% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved: total: 98.8% of population
Unimproved: total: 1.2% of population (2017)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 12 years (2014)

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Country of Sint Maarten
Conventional short form: Sint Maarten
Local long form: Land Sint Maarten (Dutch); Country of Sint Maarten (English)
Local short form: Sint Maarten (Dutch and English)
Former: Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies
Etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours because the 11 November 1493 day of discovery was the saint's feast day

Government type: parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Philipsburg
Geographic coordinates: 18 1 N, 63 2 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: founded and named in 1763 by John PHILIPS, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday: King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967); note - King's or Queen's Day are observed on the ruling monarch's birthday; celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday; local holiday Sint Maarten's Day, 11 November (1985), commemorates the discovery of the island by COLUMBUS on Saint Martin's Day, 11 November 1493; celebrated on both halves of the island

Constitution
History: previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 21 July 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Sint Maarten but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Amendments: proposals initiated by the Government or by Parliament; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority of the Parliament membership; passage of amendments relating to fundamental rights, authorities of the governor and of Parliament must include the 'views' of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Government prior to ratification by Parliament

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see the Netherlands

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor General Eugene HOLIDAY (since 10 October 2010)
Head of government: Interim Prime Minister Silveria JACOBS (since 16 January 2020)
Cabinet: CabinetLegislative branch
Description: unicameral Parliament of Sint Maarten (15 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held 9 January 2020 (next to be held in 2024)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA 35.2%, UP 24.2%, US Party 13.2%, PFP 10.6%, UD 8.7%, other 8.1%; seats by party - NA 6, UP 4, PFP 2, US Party 2, UD 1

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or 'Joint Court of Justice' (consists of the presiding judge, other members, and their substitutes); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court (in The Hague, Netherlands); note - prior to 2010, the Joint Court of Justice was the Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
Judge selection and term of office: Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch serve for life
Subordinate courts: Courts in First Instance

Political parties and leaders: National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]
Party for Progress or PFP [Melissa GUMBS]
Sint Maarten Christian Party or SMCP [Wycliffe SMITH]
United Democrats Party or UD [Theodore HEYLIGER]
United Peoples Party or UP [NA]
United Sint Maarten Party or US Party [Frans RICHARDSON]

International organization participation: Caricom (observer), ILO, Interpol, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
From the us embassy: the US does not have an embassy in Sint Maarten; the Consul General to Curacao is accredited to Sint Maarten

Flag description

: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and blue with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the center of the triangle displays the Sint Maarten coat of arms; the arms consist of an orange-bordered  blue shield prominently displaying the white court house in Philipsburg, as well as a bouquet of yellow sage (the national flower) in the upper left,  and the silhouette of a Dutch-French friendship monument in the upper right; the shield is surmounted by a yellow rising sun in front of which is a brown pelican in flight; a yellow scroll below the shield bears the motto: SEMPER PROGREDIENS (Always Progressing); the three main colors are identical to those on the Dutch flag
Note: the flag somewhat resembles that of the Philippines but with the main red and blue bands reversed; the banner more closely evokes the wartime Philippine flag

National symbols: brown pelican, yellow sage (flower); national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem
Name: O Sweet Saint Martin's Land
Lyrics and music: 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' is 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' is official on the Dutch side (see Netherlands)

National heritage

Sint Maarten - Economy 2021

top of page


Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $1.44 billion - note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 3.6% (2014 est.)

4.1% (2013 est.)

1.9% (2012 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $35,300 - note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.4% (2008 est.)
Industry: 18.3% (2008 est.)
Services: 81.3% (2008 est.)

Agriculture products: sugar

Industries: tourism, light industry

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force: 23,200 (2008 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 1.1%
By occupation industry: 15.2%
By occupation services: 83.7% (2008 est.)

Labor force

Unemployment rate: 12% (2012 est.)

10.6% (2008 est.)

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: 4% (2012 est.)

0.7% (2009 est.)

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: $1.09 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$800 million note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Commodities: sugar

Imports: $1.23 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$1.22 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar
1.79 (2017 est.)

1.79 (2016 est.)

1.79 (2015 est.)

1.79 (2014 est.)

1.79 (2013 est.)

Sint Maarten - Energy 2021

top of page


Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
Production: 304.3 million kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption: 10,600 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 10,440 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita

Sint Maarten - Communication 2021

top of page


Telephones
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 68,840 (2017)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 196 (2019 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .sx; note - IANA has designated .sx for Sint Maarten, but has not yet assigned it to a sponsoring organization
Users total: 29,600 (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Sint Maarten - Military 2021

top of page


Military expenditures

Military and security forces: no regular military forces; Police Department for local law enforcement, 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))

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

Sint Maarten - Transportation 2021

top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports
Total: 1 (2013)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2019)
With paved runways note: Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) was severely damaged on 6 September 2017 by hurricane Irma, but resumed commercial operations on 10 October 2017

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 53 km

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Philipsburg
Oil terminals: Coles Bay oil terminal

Sint Maarten - Transnational issues 2021

top of page


Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs