Saint Martin

LOCATION

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.

Location: Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; French part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Saint Martin lies east of the US Virgin Islands
Geographic coordinates: 18 05 N, 63 57 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 50 sq km
land: 50 sq km
water: negligible
Area - comparative: more than one-third the size of Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries: total: 16 km
border countries: 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
Natural resources: salt
Land use: agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
forest: 24.8% (2022 est.)
other: 75.2% (2022 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
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 statesnote 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: 33,093 (2025 est.)
male: 15,825
female: 17,268
Ethnic groups: Creole (Mulatto), Black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asian), White, East Indian, other
Languages: 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: 55.4 (2025 est.) N
youth dependency ratio: 38 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 17.4 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 5.7 (2025 est.)
Median age: total: 34.3 years (2025 est.)
male: 33.4 years
female: 34.9 years
Population growth rate: 0.29% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 13.78 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 4.83 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 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: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 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 (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 0.88 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: total: total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.9% of GDP (2023 est.) NA
Education expenditure (% national budget): 23% national budget (2023 est.)

Environmental issues: waste management; salinity intrusions; limited freshwater resources; over-exploitation of marine resources (reef fisheries, coral, and shell); water pollution and damage to coral reefs from boats
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
Land use: agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.)
forest: 24.8% (2022 est.)
other: 75.2% (2022 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 15,500 tons (2024 est.)

Country name: conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
conventional short form: Saint Martin
local long form: Collectivité d'outre mer de Saint-Martin
local short form: Saint-Martin
etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours during a visit on 11 November 1493, the saint's feast day
Government type: parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
Dependency status: overseas collectivity of France
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
Constitution: history: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
amendment process: amendment procedures of France's constitution apply
Citizenship: see France
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal
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
election results: 2022: Louis MUSSINGTON (RSM) elected president; Territorial Council vote - unanimous2017: Daniel Gibbs (UD) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 18 of 23 votes
expected date of next election: 2027
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 2027
Political parties: AlternativeFuture Saint Martin (Avenir Saint Martin)Generation Hope or HOPERassemblement Saint-Martinois or RSM (formerly Movement for Justice and Prosperity or MJP)Saint Martin with YouUnion for Democracy or UD
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy: none (overseas collectivity of France)
International organization participation: ACS (associate), UPU
Independence: none (overseas collectivity of France)
National holiday: Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)
Flag: the flag of France is used
National symbol(s): brown pelican
National anthem(s): title: "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
lyrics/music: Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
history: official anthem, as a French collectivity

Economic overview: 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
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2021: 4.9% (2021 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2020: -12.5% (2020 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2019: 6.5% (2019 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $649.206 million (2021 est.)
Industries: tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry
Exports - partners: United States 35%, Netherlands 26%, Antigua and Barbuda 21%, France 10% (2019)
Exports - commodities: gold, special use vessels, furniture, scrap aluminum, rum (2019)
Imports - partners: United States 76%, Netherlands 7%, France 7% (2019)
Imports - commodities: jewelry, diamonds, pearls, recreational boats, cars (2019)
Exchange rates: Currency: euros (EUR) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 0.924 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 0.925 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 0.95 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 0.845 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 0.876 (2020 est.)

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

Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 68,840 (2012 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 196 (2012 est.)
Broadcast media: 1 local TV station; access to about 20 radio stations, including RFO Guadeloupe radio broadcasts via repeater
Internet country code: .mf
Internet users: percent of population: 48.5% (2022 est.)

Airports: 1 (2025)

Military and security forces: no regular military forces; Ministry of Justice: Police Force of Sint Maaten (Korps Politie Sint Marteen, KPSM) (2025)
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 156 (2024 est.)