Saint Martin Country Profile
Key Facts of Saint Martin
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France |
| Capital: | Marigot |
| Languages: | French (official), Dutch, English, Guadeloupian Creole, Haitian Creole, Italian, Martiniquan Creole, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles), Spanish |
Saint Martin Demographic Data
Ethnic Groups in Saint Martin(French-East Asian)
Religious Groups in Saint Martin
Saint Martin Economy Statistics
Economic overview of Saint Martin
high-income French Caribbean territorial economy; extremely reliant on tourism, with severe COVID-19 impacts; near-total destruction from Hurricane Irma in 2017; some offshore banking; import-dependent; duty-free commerce; yachting destination
Saint Martin Real GDP (purchasing power parity) in Billion $
no data
Saint Martin Real GDP per capita in $
No data
Geography of Saint Martin
Map of Saint Martin
Land and Water Distrubtion of Saint Martin
Natural Resources of Saint Martin
- salt 🧂
Climate inSaint Martin
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
History of Saint Martin - a Summary
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.