Background: 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 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, and 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. In 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.

Area
Total: 50 km²
Land: 50 km²
Water: negligible
Comparative: more than one-third the size of Washington, D.C.

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

Coastline: 58.9 km (for entire island)

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

Elevation
Highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
Forest: 24.8% (2022 est.)
Other: 75.2% (2022 est.)

Natural hazards: subject to hurricanes from July to November

Geography
Note note 1: the southern border is shared with Sint Maarten, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states
Note note 2: 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 runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared by both of the island's entities

Population
Total: 32,996 (2024 est.)
Male: 15,791
Female: 17,205
Distribution: most of the population is found along the coast, with the largest concentration around the capital of Marigot, as well as Orleans and Grand-Case
Growth rate: 0.3% (2024 est.)

Languages: 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.

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.7% (male 4,039/female 4,100)
15-64 years: 64.5% (male 10,216/female 11,068)
65 years and over: 10.8% (2024 est.) (male 1,536/female 2,037)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 55 (2024 est.) N
Youth dependency ratio: 38.2 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 16.8 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 6 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 34.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 33.4 years
Female: 34.9 years

Population growth rate: 0.3% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 13.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 4.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

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

Sex ratio
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: 0.75 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81 years (2024 est.)
Male: 78 years
Female: 84.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Total: 100% of population
Urban: 0% of population

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)

Capital
Name: Marigot
Geographic coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the name is taken from the French word marigot, meaning 'backwater' or 'swampy area;' it probably comes from the original fishing village's location next to a water-logged area on a lagoon

Legal system: French civil law

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Cyrille LE VELY (since 10 February 2025)
Head of government: President of Territorial Council Louis MUSSINGTON (since 3 April 2022)
Cabinet: Executive Council, as well as an advisory economic, social, and cultural council
Election/appointment process: 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
Most recent election date: 3 April 2022
2022: Louis MUSSINGTON (RSM) elected president; Territorial Council vote - unanimous
2017: Daniel Gibbs (UD) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 18 of 23 votes
Expected date of next election: 2,027

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Territorial Council
Legislative structure: unicameral
Number of seats: 23 (directly elected)
Electoral system: plurality/majority
Scope of elections: full renewal
Term in office: 5 years
Most recent election date: 3/27/2022
Parties elected and seats per party: RSM and Alternative (16); UD (5); HOPE, Saint-Martin with You, and Future Saint-Martin (2)
Percentage of women in chamber: 43.5%
Expected date of next election: March 2,027
Note: 1 senator is indirectly elected to the French Senate by an electoral college for a 6-year term, and 1 deputy (shared with Saint-Barthélemy) is directly elected to the French National Assembly for a 5-year term

National anthem
Title: 'La Marseillaise' (The Song of Marseille)
Lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
History: official anthem, as a French collectivity

Real gdp growth rate: 4.9% (2021 est.); -12.5% (2020 est.); 6.5% (2019 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 4.9% (2021 est.); -12.5% (2020 est.); 6.5% (2019 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Industries: tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry

Exports
Commodities: gold, special use vessels, furniture, scrap aluminum, rum (2019); top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports
Commodities: jewelry, diamonds, pearls, recreational boats, cars (2019)

Electricity
Access electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)

Telephones
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 68,840 (2012 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 196 (2012 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 48.5% (2022 est.)

Airports: 1 (2025)