![]() | warn:Hurricane IrmaIt landed on St. Martin on September 6, 2017. A strong hurricane raged across the island and damaged many buildings. Travel to and from the island became impossible because the ports and airports were closed. Passing northeast of it on September 9, 2017Hurricane joseIt may also bring another round of rain and strong wind. |
Government travel warning:• Canada |
Saint MartinIt is an island located in the northeastern part of the Caribbean Sea. The island of St. Maarten is only 88 square kilometers, but it belongs toNetherlandswithFranceTwo countries, the southern part of which belongs to the island territory of the Netherlands, and the northern part is the Collectivité de Saint-Martin, a French overseas administrative region. The French part of Saint-Martin has an area of 53.20 square kilometers and a population of 33,102 (2004). The main towns areMarigot; Part of the Netherlands covers an area of 34 square kilometers with a population of 33,119 (2004). The main towns arePhilipsburg。
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Saint_Martin_travel_map.png/220px-Saint_Martin_travel_map.png)
city
- Philipsburg The capital on the Dutch side. There is a cruise terminal.
- Marigot Capital of the French side
- Grand Case There are also the best restaurants in France.
Other destinations
learn
In the northern part of the island, the French side covers an area of square kilometers. To the south, the Dutch side covers an area of 41 square kilometers. The Dutch side has recently established its own government and legal system, and its relationship with the "French side" remains unchanged. To avoid confusion between the three variants of the name, these two areas are usually collectively referred to as the "French side" and the "Dutch side".
Although the island is controlled by two different countries, there are no real borders, only monuments and iconic borders. 350 years ago, the two countries decided that residents of the two countries could cross the border at will without worrying about any trouble. The two countries live in peace without difficulty, which greatly contributes to the tourism industry. What separates more is the different utility systems, for example, the electricity in France is 250 V 50 hz, while the electricity in the Netherlands is 110/120 60 hz. In addition, you must be especially careful when going from the French side to the Dutch side or the Dutch side to the French side, because the call is actually an international call and requires special dialing instructions. These instructions are usually posted in hotels and tourist locations.
The Netherlands has become a popular destination, and buildings and more and more businesses are developing rapidly. There are high-rise residential buildings and waterfront communities, which are popular with buyers, especially Americans. Tourists on the street often sleep in the streets and are provided to them by timeshares. The language on the other side of the island is Dutch, but almost everyone speaks English.
On the Dutch side, grocery stores and other businesses may useNetherlands Antilles Florin(Netherlands Antilles florins, NAF) currency said that this is the local currency, also known as the Dutch guilders, but the US dollar and the euro will still be accepted in these places. The Dutch guild and the US dollar have a fixed interest rate of 1 US dollar = 1.79 Dutch guilders. Many large resorts have been built, and cruise ships in Philipsburg will haunt their passengers for many days. Philipsburg is one of the best shopping cities in the Caribbean. If shopping is not your hobby, you can sit on the harbor beach in Philipsburg and grab a drink. Or play in a casino on the street. There are nine casinos here. When all this becomes too mild, go to tour around the island with a four-wheel drive. Visit the Maho and Cupecoy areas with the best nightlife and best beaches on the island.
The French side, including the northern two-thirds of the island, the neighboringGuadeloupe. More European than the Dutch side. The mother tongue is French, which has the same laws as France and France. There is no casino on the French side, and it is not as developed as the Dutch side, but it contains more natural wonders of the island. The French side is well-known as the clothing-optional Oriental beach and the adjacent nude resort. The Oriental Club (clothing-optional beach is located at the southernmost end and can be easily recognized by the large bright yellow beach umbrella; the Oriental Club has its own beach area , It is open to the public, so you will see specially dressed people.)[1]However the towns Marigot and Daan offer some of the best gourmet restaurants, and there are many interesting shops. The beauty of the island abounds, like a beautiful harbour overlooking the cliff, Sandy is steep.
![]() | Notice:The Dutch side uses the Netherlands Antilles country code 599 until September 30, 2011. The 599 5 xx xxxx number is no longer in use; the correct phone number is now 1 721-"current 7 digits". Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba) have always been 599. The French party (fixed line 590 590 xxx, mobile phone 590 690 xxx), the Dutch party is still an international call. |
history
Columbus first saw the island when he crossed the Atlantic for the second time in 1493, and named it "Isla de San Martín." Although Columbus declared this place as Spanish territory, he never landed here, andSpainThere is no rush to establish a colony here.
On the contrary, France and the Netherlands coveted the island: France wanted to colonize the island between Bermuda and Trinidad, while the Netherlands discovered that St. Martin's island could serve as a midway supply station for the two colonial routes between Brazil and New Amsterdam (now New York). . The Dutch easily established settlements in 1631 and built the Amsterdam Fort to defend against invaders, and the Dutch East India Company began operating salt mines on the island. French and British people also set up settlements on the island one after another, making the Spanish find that Saint Martin is very popular. Spain took advantage of the Eighty Years' War to conquer the entire island in 1633 and expelled the colonies of other countries.
Since then, the Dutch launched several offensive attempts to retake the island until the end of the Eighty Years’ War in 1648. Spain recognized the independence of the Netherlands and abandoned St. Martin because it was unable to make a profit and did not need a naval base in the Caribbean. The colonists returned to the island from Saint Kitts and Saint Eustatius respectively. After several rounds of conflict, the two sides found that they were unable to drive each other off the island. Therefore, in 1648, they signed a peace treaty on the island’s Concorde to partition the island of St. Martin. France even deployed naval warships off the island to intimidate the Dutch. Give them more land. However, after the signing of the peace treaty until 1816, the French and Dutch armies continued to clash on the island, and they had renovated 16 times, and the entire island was occupied by the British because of the war between France and the Netherlands on several occasions with the United Kingdom. The current demarcation took shape in 1816, with 54 square kilometers occupied by France and 41 square kilometers occupied by Holland.
The Spanish first brought black slaves to Sint Maarten, but the number of slaves did not rise sharply until cotton, tobacco, and sugar cane plantations appeared on the island, surpassing the number of slave owners. Due to the cruel treatment, the slaves had launched a rebellion, and the overwhelming numerical advantage made the slave owners unable to ignore. The French Saint Martin abolished slavery on July 12, 1848, and the Dutch occupation area also abolished 15 years later.
Language
Dutch and French are both official languages on each side of the island. English is one of the official languages on the Dutch side and is widely spoken, especially in tourist areas. Children on both sides of the island learn French, Dutch, English, and Spanish; language is usually not a barrier to getting to the island.
arrival
Aviation ![1a2.svg](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/1a2.svg/20px-1a2.svg.png)
- Princess Juliana International Airport(IATA:SXM), Tel: 1 (721) 545-2060,[1]. This airport on the Dutch side is the largest airport on the island and one of the busiest airports in the Caribbean. The runway is very short, but it has been extended and rebuilt and opened in December 2006. The landing and take-off of the plane are within easy reach of Maho Beach (see "Safety" section below). This creates a special feature of Maho Beach itself, especially for aviation enthusiasts. The airport is a holy grail for them. In 2005, more than 1.6 million tourists came here through Princess Juliana Airport. It is not only a beautiful airport, but also a very busy airport, especially on weekends, when many vacationers come just as they please.
- Another airport is near the north of the big case and is responsible for inter-island, commercial and private flights.
When leaving St. Martin by plane, passengers are required to pay exit tax at Philipsburg Airport. Passengers who depart on international flights must pay US$30. Passengers of certain airlines, transit passengers and children under the age of two may not use it. This tax is included in some air tickets, but other passengers must pay at the airport. The exit tax for other Netherlands Antilles (such as Saba and Sint Eustatius) is only $10. The departure tax does not apply to transit passengers.