t Colorful shopping stalls in the middle of Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten
t Colorful shopping stalls in the middle of Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten
Experience St. Martin and Sint Maarten
Columbus sailed past the island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten on November 11 1493, naming it after St. Martin of Tours, whose holy day it was. Lured by its natural salt ponds, Spanish, French, and Dutch colonists jostled for control in the early 1600s, and the island was peacefully partitioned between the French and Dutch in 1648 under the Treaty of Concordia. The division still stands. Covering 37 sq miles (95 sq km), St. Martin/Sint Maarten is the smallest landmass in the world split between two nations. The north side, which accounts for two-thirds of the island, is a petit morceau of France (technically an overseas collectivity), whose capital is Marigot. Sint Maarten in the south is an autonomous state within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its capital Philipsburg. Together the two halves encompass a hilly, forested interior, lagoons and beaches galore, and form one of the most multicultural spots in the Caribbean, with residents coming from some 90 countries. The island was utterly devastated by Hurricane Irma in September 2017. Visitors are returning, but the effects of the damage are still noticeable and a full recovery will take years.