St Maarten Key Facts

Location

Eastern Caribbean, Windward Islands.

Time

GMT - 4.

Area

34 sq km (16 sq miles).

Population

41,000 (2008 estimate).

Population Density

1206 per sq km.

Capital

Philipsburg. Population: 1,228 (official estimate).

Geography

Politically, St Maarten is one of three Windward Islands in the Netherlands Antilles, although geographically it is part of the Leeward Group of the Lesser Antilles, and not strictly an island – it occupies just one-third of an island otherwise under French control (the French sector is called St Martin), lying 8km (5 miles) south of Anguilla, 232km (144 miles) east of Puerto Rico and 56km (35 miles) due north of St Eustatius. St Maarten is the southern sector, an area of wooded mountains rising from white sandy beaches. To the west, the mountains give way to lagoons and salt flats.

The Netherlands Antilles consist of Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten. The capital of the island group is Willemstad, Curaçao.

For information on the French sector (St Martin), see the Guadeloupe section.

Government

Part of the Netherlands Antilles; dependency of The Netherlands since 1630.  

Head of State

Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, represented locally by Governor General Frits Goedgedrag.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage since 2006.

History

Recent years have seen the island suffering from serious water shortages, and some hurricane damage.

Language

Dutch is the official language. Papiamento (a mixture of African, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Spanish) is the commonly used lingua franca. English and Spanish are also widely spoken.

Religion

Protestant, with Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities.

Electricity

110/220 volts AC, 60Hz.

Social Conventions

Dutch customs are still important throughout the Netherlands Antilles, but tourism has brought increasing US influences and St Maarten is perhaps more easy-going than the southern islands. Dress is casual and lightweight cottons are advised, but it is common to dress up in the evening.
© 2010 Columbus Travel Media Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission

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