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Central America and the Caribbean
Page last updated: April 24, 2024
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 the Dutch continued to assert their claims. The Spanish finally relinquished the island of Saint Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it between 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, effective October 2010. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing. The UN estimated the storm destroyed or damaged 90% of the buildings, and Princess Juliana International Airport was heavily damaged and closed to commercial air traffic for five weeks.
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
18 4 N, 63 4 W
Central America and the Caribbean
Total: 34 km²
Land: 34 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin
One-fifth the size of Washington, DC
Total: 16 km
Border countries (1): Saint Martin (France) 16 km
58.9 km (for entire island)
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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
Low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin
Highest point: Mount Flagstaff 383 m
Lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Fish, salt
Most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg), followed closely by Cul de Sac
Subject to hurricanes from July to November
Note 1: 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
Note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka as 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 of Saint Martin runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared by both of the island's entities
45,677 (2023 est.)
Saint Maarten 29.9%, Dominican Republic 10.2%, Haiti 7.8%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Martin 5.9%, Guyana 5%, Dominica 4.4%, Curacao 4.1%, Aruba 3.4%, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.8%, India 2.6%, Netherlands 2.2%, US 1.6%, Suriname 1.4%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, Anguilla 1.1%, other 8%, unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)
Note: data represent population by country of birth
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 est.)
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.)
0-14 years: 18.52% (male 4,379/female 4,082)
15-64 years: 67.18% (male 15,157/female 15,530)
65 years and over: 14.29% (2023 est.) (male 3,019/female 3,510)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 27.2
Youth dependency ratio: 14.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 12.3
Potential support ratio: 8.1 (2021)
Total: 41.1 years (2023 est.)
Male: 39.3 years
Female: 42.8 years
1.19% (2023 est.)
12.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
5.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg), followed closely by Cul de Sac
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
1,327 PHILIPSBURG (capital) (2011)
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 8.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 7 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 79.5 years (2023 est.)
Male: 77.2 years
Female: 82 years
1.98 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.97 (2023 est.)
NA
Improved: total: 95.1% of population
Unimproved: total: 4.9% of population (2017)
NA
NA
Improved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: 98.8% of population
Unimproved: urban: NA
Rural: NA
Total: 1.2% of population (2017)
NA
NA
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
Total: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 12 years (2014)
Scarcity of potable water (increasing percentage provided by desalination); inadequate solid waste management; pollution from construction, chemical runoff, and sewage harms reefs
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
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
Conventional long form: Country of Sint Maarten
Conventional short form: Sint Maarten
Local long form: Land Sint Maarten (Dutch)/ Country of Sint Maarten (English)
Local short form: Sint Maarten (Dutch and English)
Former: Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies
Etymology: explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours because the 11 November 1493 day of discovery was the saint's feast day
Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs
Name: Philipsburg
Geographic coordinates: 18 1 N, 63 2 W
Time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: founded and named in 1763 by John PHILIPS, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy
None (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Note: Sint Maarten is one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three are the Netherlands, Aruba, and Curacao
None (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967); note - King's or Queen's Day are observed on the ruling monarch's birthday; celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday; local holiday Sint Maarten's Day, 11 November (1985), commemorates the discovery of the island by COLUMBUS on Saint Martin's Day, 11 November 1493; celebrated on both halves of the island
History: 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)
Amendments: proposals initiated by the Government or by Parliament; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority of the Parliament membership; passage of amendments relating to fundamental rights, authorities of the governor and of Parliament must include the "views" of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Government prior to ratification by Parliament
Based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
See the Netherlands
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Ajamu G. BALY (since 10 October 2022)
Head of government: Prime Minister Silveria JACOBS (since 28 March 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the governor
Elections/appointments: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a 6-year term; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party usually elected prime minister by Parliament
Description: unicameral Parliament of Sint Maarten (15 seats; members directly elected by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held 11 January 2024 (next to be held in 2028)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA 23.9%, UPP 19.6%, URSM 13.9%, DP 13.6%, PFP 11.9%, NOW 10.3%, other 6.8%; seats by party - NA 4, UPP 3, URSM 2, DP 2, PFP2, NOW 2; composition - men 8, women 7, percentage women 46.7% (additional member is suspended)
Highest court(s): Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius 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 serve for life
Subordinate courts: Courts in First Instance
Democratic Party or DP [Sarah WESCOT-WILLIAMS]
National Alliance or NA [Silveria JACOBS]
National Opportunity Wealth or NOW [Christophe EMMANUEL]
Party for Progress or PFP [Melissa GUMBS]
Sint Maarten Christian Party or SMCP [Garcia ARRINDELL]
Unified Resilient St Maarten Movement or URSM [Luc MERCELINA]
United People's Party or UPP [Rolando BRISON]
United Sint Maarten Party or US Party [Frans RICHARDSON]
Caricom (observer), ILO, Interpol, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO
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
Brown pelican, yellow sage (flower); national colors: red, white, blue
Name: O Sweet Saint Martin's Land
Lyrics/music: Gerard KEMPS
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)
High-income, tourism-based Dutch autonomous constituent economy; severe hurricane- and COVID-19-related economic recessions; multilateral trust fund helping offset economic downturn; no property taxation; re-exporter to Saint Martin
$1.797 billion (2022 est.)
$1.637 billion (2021 est.)
$1.565 billion (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
9.8% (2022 est.)
4.58% (2021 est.)
-13.32% (2020 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$41,900 (2022 est.)
$38,400 (2021 est.)
$37,000 (2020 est.)
Note: data in 2017 dollars
$1.537 billion (2022 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
2.19% (2017 est.)
0.11% (2016 est.)
0.33% (2015 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Agriculture: 0.4% (2008 est.)
Industry: 18.3% (2008 est.)
Services: 81.3% (2008 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 29; industry 161; agriculture 213
Sugar
Tourism, light industry
0.46% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
23,200 (2008 est.)
12% (2012 est.)
10.6% (2008 est.)
3.2% of GDP (2022 est.)
3.42% of GDP (2021 est.)
3.13% of GDP (2020 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
-$41.64 million (2022 est.)
-$300.6 million (2021 est.)
-$290.458 million (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$1.372 billion (2022 est.)
$790.938 million (2021 est.)
$527.044 million (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Sugar
$1.318 billion (2022 est.)
$1.003 billion (2021 est.)
$760.824 million (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
1.79 (2022 est.)
1.79 (2021 est.)
1.79 (2020 est.)
1.79 (2019 est.)
1.79 (2018 est.)
Electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
10,440 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Total subscriptions: 68,840 (2012 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 196 (2012 est.)
General assessment: generally adequate facilities; growth sectors include mobile telephone and data segments; effective competition; LTE expansion; tourism and telecom sector contribute greatly to the GDP (2018)
Domestic: 196 per 100 mobile-cellular teledensity (2012)
International: country code - 1-721; landing points for SMPR-1 and the ECFS submarine cables providing connectivity to the Caribbean; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
.sx; note - IANA has designated .sx for Sint Maarten, but has not yet assigned it to a sponsoring organization
Total: 39,089 (2022)
Percent of population: 89.5% (2022)
1 (2024)
Total: 53 km
Major seaport(s): Philipsburg
Oil terminal(s): Coles Bay oil terminal
No regular military forces; Police Department for local law enforcement, supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Gendarmerie), the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland, KPCN), and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG or Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (KWCARIB)) (2024)
Defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Tier rating: Tier 3 — Sint Maarten does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Sint Maarten remained on Tier 3; officials took some steps to address trafficking, including passing a National Action Plan and upholding three trafficking convictions; however, the government did not report prosecuting or convicting any traffickers nor identifying any victims for the third consecutive year; Sint Maarten could not provide services to trafficking victims due to its lack of shelters, funding, and formal arrangements with service providers; interagency coordination was severely lacking; officials consistently conflated human trafficking with migrant smuggling (2023)
Trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit foreign victims and, to a lesser extent, domestic victims in Sint Maarten; women and girls from Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Russia are vulnerable to sex trafficking; women from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela are especially vulnerable to sex trafficking in Sint Maarten; government officials report a significant number of migrant workers are vulnerable to forced labor in domestic service and housekeeping, construction, Chinese national-owned markets, retail shops, food services, and landscaping; criminals, including smugglers, may exploit migrants who transit Sint Maarten en route to the US and Canada—especially Brazilian and Cuban nationals—in forced labor or sex trafficking (2023)