Overview
Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. As of June 2023, it has a population of 58,477 and covers an area of 34 km² (13 sq mi). The country encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 56% constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg. Together with other Dutch islands in the Caribbean, Sint Maarten is often referred to as part of the Dutch Caribbean.
Sint Maarten has the status of an EU overseas country. While it is not part of the European Union, it is a member of the Overseas Countries and Territories Association.
Etymology
"Sint Maarten" is the Dutch name for Saint Martin. The island's name has an interesting origin story involving confusion on early maps. Christopher Columbus intended to name the island of Nevis in honor of Saint Martin of Tours after sighting it on the saint's feast day on 11 November 1493. However, due to poor charting of the small islands in the Leeward Islands, the name was accidentally transferred to the island now known as Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten.
History
Pre-colonial Period
Sint Maarten had been inhabited by Indigenous peoples for many centuries. Archaeological finds indicate human presence on the island as early as 2000 BC, with these people likely having migrated from South America. The Arawak people are thought to have settled on the island around 800 BC – 300 BC. Beginning around 1300–1400 AD, the Arawak were displaced by the arrival of the Kalinago people.
European Arrival and Colonial Period
Although nominally Spanish territory, Saint Martin became the focus of competing interests among European powers, particularly the French and Dutch. The Dutch found the island convenient as a halfway point between their colonies in New Amsterdam (present-day New York) and New Holland. Meanwhile, the Indigenous population declined sharply due to diseases introduced by Europeans, to which they had no immunity.
The Dutch built Fort Amsterdam on the island in 1631, with Jan Claeszen van Campen as its first governor. The Dutch West India Company began mining salt on the island. However, in 1633 the Spanish captured Sint Maarten and drove off the Dutch colonists, constructing Old Spanish Fort at Point Blanche to secure the territory. An attempt by the Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant to reclaim control in 1644 was unsuccessful.
The situation changed in 1648 when the Eighty Years' War ended and Spain abandoned the island. Both Dutch and French colonists quickly re-established settlements—Dutch colonists from St. Eustatius and French colonists from St. Kitts. After initial conflict, both sides recognized that neither would yield easily. To avoid all-out war, they signed the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, which divided the island into two parts.
Despite the treaty, relations remained tense. Between 1648 and 1816, conflicts changed the border sixteen times. The entire island came under effective French control from 1795, when the Netherlands became a puppet state under the French Empire, until 1815. The final division left the French with 53 km² (20 sq mi; 61%) and the Dutch with 34 km² (13 sq mi; 39%).
18th–19th Centuries
To work cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane plantations, the French and Dutch imported large numbers of African slaves, who soon outnumbered the European population. In 1848, the French abolished slavery in their colonies, including the French side of Saint Martin. Slaves on the Dutch side protested and threatened to flee to the French side for asylum, prompting local Dutch authorities to free them as well. However, slavery was not legally abolished throughout all Dutch island colonies until 1863.
20th Century
After slavery's abolition, plantation culture declined and the island's economy suffered. In 1939, Sint Maarten received an economic boost when it was declared a duty-free port. In 1941, the island was shelled by a German U-boat during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Tourism began growing from the 1950s onward, and Princess Juliana International Airport became one of the busiest in the Eastern Caribbean. During this period, Sint Maarten was largely governed by business tycoon Claude Wathey of the Democratic Party. The island's population increased dramatically from about 5,000 people to around 60,000 by the mid-1990s, driven by immigration from the Lesser Antilles, Curaçao, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Europe, and Asia. This immigration transformed the native population into a minority.
In 1983, Sint Maarten became an "island territory" of the Netherlands Antilles. Prior to this, it had been part of the island territory of the Windward Islands alongside Saba and Sint Eustatius. As an island territory, Sint Maarten enjoyed considerable autonomy and was governed by an island council, executive council, and a lieutenant governor appointed by the Dutch Crown.
Hurricane Luis struck the island in late August and early September 1995, causing immense destruction and 12 deaths.
21st Century
On 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, making it an equal constitutional partner with Aruba, Curaçao, and the Netherlands proper. Constitution Day (10 October) is now celebrated annually as a public holiday. Sint Maarten was assigned the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes SXM and SX, with the .sx Internet ccTLD becoming available for registration on 15 November 2012.
In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls, allowing for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on designated "risk flights." The treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands and entered into force on 1 August 2007, though its provisions have not yet been fully implemented.
Hurricane Irma and Its Impact
On 6 September 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma made landfall on Sint Maarten, causing extensive damage. The hurricane resulted in four deaths and 11 serious injuries out of 34 total casualties. Princess Juliana Airport sustained extensive damage but reopened on a partial basis within two days to allow emergency relief flights and evacuations.
The hurricane's destruction was severe. By 8 September, many inhabitants were without basic necessities and looting had become widespread. By 9 September, reports indicated that 70% of infrastructure on the Dutch part of the island had been destroyed. A Dutch Red Cross survey estimated that nearly a third of all buildings in Sint Maarten were destroyed and over 90% of structures on the island sustained damage.
International assistance was mobilized quickly. Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on 8 September that the airport was ready to receive emergency flights and that aid, police officers, and military personnel were en route to assist with recovery efforts.