2015 Edition

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 continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished the island of Saint Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst 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. The change in status became effective in October of 2010 with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles.

Area

land

34 sq km

note

Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin

total

34 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

one-fifth the size of Washington, DC

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

Coastline

58.9 km (for entire island)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Mount Flagstaff 386 m

lowest point

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

NA

Geographic coordinates

18 4 N, 63 4 W

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

Irrigated land

NA

Land boundaries

border countries (1)

Saint Martin (France) 16 km

total

16 km

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

Map references

Central America and the Caribbean

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone

12 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

subject to hurricanes from July to November

Natural resources

fish, salt

Terrain

low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin

Age structure

0-14 years

19.7% (male 3,986/female 3,704)

15-24 years

16.3% (male 3,130/female 3,253)

25-54 years

45.3% (male 8,626/female 9,077)

55-64 years

12.9% (male 2,448/female 2,596)

65 years and over

5.8% (male 1,087/female 1,181) (2013 est.)

Birth rate

13 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Death rate

4.51 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

8.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)

male

9.84 deaths/1,000 live births

total

9.05 deaths/1,000 live births

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 census)

Life expectancy at birth

female

79.99 years (2013 est.)

male

75.34 years

total population

77.61 years

Major urban areas - population

PHILIPSBURG (capital) 1,327 (2011)

Median age

female

41.3 years (2015 est.)

male

39.6 years

total

40.4 years

Net migration rate

6.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)

Population

37,132 (2014 est.)

Population growth rate

1.51% (2013 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.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.08 male(s)/female

15-24 years

0.96 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.95 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.92 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.97 male(s)/female (2013 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.09 children born/woman (2013 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.97% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Capital

geographic coordinates

18 1 N, 63 2 W

name

Philipsburg

time difference

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

see the Netherlands

Constitution

Staatsregeling, 10 October 2010; revised Kingdom Charter pending 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); note - in October 2010, with the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, Sint Maarten became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Country name

Dutch long form

Land Sint Maarten

Dutch short form

Sint Maarten

English long form

Country of Sint Maarten

English short form

Sint Maarten

former

Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies

Dependency status

constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Sint Maarten; the Consul General to Curacao is accredited to Sint Maarten

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet

chief of state

Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Eugene HOLIDAY (since 10 October 2010)

elections

the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the legislature

head of government

William MARLIN (since 19 November 2015)

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

Government type

parliamentary

Independence

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatitus, 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 for life

subordinate courts

Courts in First Instance

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

description

unicameral parliament or Staten (15 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - National Alliance 45.9%, UPP 36.1%, Democratic Party 17.1%, other .9%; seats by party - National Alliance 7, UPP 6, Democratic Party 2

elections

last held 17 September 2010 (next to be held in 2014)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Gerard KEMPS

name

"O Sweet Saint Martin's Land"

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 holiday

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

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

Concordia Political Alliance or CPA [Jeffery RICHARDSON]

Democratic Party or DP [Sarah WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]

National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN]

United People's Party or UPP [Theodore HEYLIGER]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sugar

Economy - overview

The economy of Sint Maarten centers around tourism with nearly four-fifths of the labor force engaged in this sector. Nearly 1.8 million visitors came to the island by cruise ship and roughly 500,000 visitors arrived through Princess Juliana International Airport in 2013. Cruise ships and yachts also call on Sint Maarten's numerous ports and harbors. Limited agriculture and local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported. Sint Maarten had the highest per capita income among the five islands that formerly comprised the Netherlands Antilles.

Exchange rates

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar -

1.79 (2014)

1.79 (2013)

1.79 (2012)

1.79 (2011)

1.79 (2010)

Exports - commodities

sugar

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

0.4%

industry

18.3%

services

81.3% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$66,800 (2014 est.)

$65,500 (2013 est.)

$63,900 (2012 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.6% (2014 est.)

4.1% (2013 est.)

1.9% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$304.1 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$365.8 million (2014 est.)

$353.5 million (2013 est.)

$339.6 million (2012 est.)

Industries

tourism, light industry

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4% (2012 est.)

0.7% (2009 est.)

Labor force

23,200 (2008 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

1.1%

industry

15.2%

services

83.7% (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate

12% (2012 est.)

10.6% (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

304.3 million kWh (2008 est.)

Internet country code

.sx; note - IANA has designated .sx for Sint Maarten, but has not yet assigned it to a sponsoring organization

Internet users

NA

Telephone system

domestic

extensive interisland microwave radio relay links

general assessment

generally adequate facilities

international

country code - 1-721; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the Americas-2 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2010)

Airports

1 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2012)

total

1

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Philipsburg

oil terminals

Coles Bay oil terminal

Roadways

total

53 km

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Military branches

no regular military forces (2012)