Saint Martin: description, history, sights and interesting facts

The island of St. Martin, also known as the island of Saint-Martin, is located in the Caribbean Sea. Surprisingly, two states - France and the Netherlands - are located on this small stretch of land. Moreover, this is the smallest inhabited island in the world. All these incredible facts annually attract thousands of tourists, the good weather contributes to quality rest - warm sea, clean beaches and sun, which shines almost all year round.

Location of the island

St. Martin's Island is located among the northern ridge of the Eastern Caribbean Islands. It enters the archipelago of the Lesser Antilles.

The northern part of the coast of the island is occupied by the French overseas community, while the southern part is considered to be a self-governing autonomy, but it is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Dutch part of the island is called Sint-Martin.

Each part has its own capital. The French name is Marigo, and the Dutch one is Philipsburg.

A noteworthy fact that the name of the island at the same time received from the British. Aboriginal native Aborigines always called him Narikel Djindzhira, which literally means "coconut island". This is really a paradise, so it's no wonder that many tourists around the world are interested in where the island of St. Martin is.

Geography

The area of the smallest inhabited island on the planet is only 87 square kilometers. Most of them belong to the French side - about 53 square kilometers, the remaining 34 - run by the Dutch.

The island of St. Martin is distinguished by a hilly relief. There are many mountains and hills here, the highest point is Mount Peak Paradise. Its height is 424 meters above sea level. It is located in the French part of the island. It is convenient and pleasant to climb mountains and most of the hills are covered with forests and greenery.

Climate

The island has a pronounced marine tropical climate. The rainy season here begins in April and lasts until about November. Rains are strong, but often short-lived.

St. Martin's Island is subject at this time of the trade winds, which neutralize high humidity. Therefore, even in these months, relax here is comfortable. Not so much at the expense of the wind, there is also heat.

In the winter months, the temperature drops to 27-29 degrees above zero in the daytime and 20-22 degrees at night. The humid climate in winter is almost not felt. For tourists on the island there are about 30 beaches, almost all snow-white sand, which makes the holiday unforgettable. Tourist places are located both on the Dutch and French territory.

History of the island

Before Columbus discovered America, the island belonged to the Indian people Arawak. They called it "Women's Land." It was a peaceful tribe, which mainly engaged in farming. The first to know where the island of St. Martin, the British. November 11, 1493 it was applied to the world map. Until today, this date is considered the main holiday on the island.

The French colonists came here only in 1620. They actively began cultivating tobacco growing. And in 1631, the Dutch founded their base on the island. The first governor was Jan Klasson van Kampen, who began to mine salt.

In 1633 St. Martin went under the protectorate of the Spaniards, who for several decades kept him, repulsing the attacks of the Dutch. They left it only in 1648, when it ceased to be of strategic importance. Under the Munster Treaty, he moved to the Netherlands. In the final analysis, the French colonists restored their settlements here.

Population and language

In total there live slightly less than 75 thousand inhabitants on the island. Only a quarter of the population is white.

Saint Martin is an island of two masters. This name was not received by chance. Today, the Dutch and the Dutch live peacefully there in a small territory, and the French, having a single spoken language, is the Saint-Martin's dialect of the East-Caribbean Anglo-Creole language. At the same time on the Dutch side, Dutch is considered official, and on the French side, respectively, French. In addition, the English, Spanish and Creole languages of Papiamento are extremely common.

Economy of the island

The main income item of the island's economy is tourism. The official monetary unit is the euro, but US dollars are freely accepted everywhere, and most of the prices in shops and hotels are specified in this currency, since the main flow of tourists arrives after all from the US. Anywhere you can freely pay by credit card, and the standard of living on the island is the same (and even slightly higher) than in Western Europe.

The Dutch part of the island is a famous offshore. A large number of companies are registered on this territory, however, business is conducted outside its borders and is exempt from taxes. Also, the benefit for companies is the absolute absence of property tax.

For those who wish to fly to the island of St. Martin - the airport of Princess Juliana. It is named after the Dutch princess, who came here a year after his discovery, in 1944.

The airport is quite small. The length of the runway is only 2.3 kilometers. Therefore, only experienced and confident pilots fly here.

Landing on the island of St. Martin is considered one of the most difficult in the world. Not only is the length of the runway very small, so in addition it also adjoins the seashore. As a result, the passenger liner has to be literally overhead among tourists who are resting on the largest local beach - Maho.

Beaches on the island

Maho is one of the largest beaches that the island of St. Martin is famous for. The description of it always begins with the sensation of the tourists when the passenger liners arriving on the island fly 15-20 meters above their heads.

In many respects for this reason, Maho is extremely popular among spotters - people who are keen on watching the aircraft. The beach itself is small, its length is about 300 meters, and the width is several tens of meters. In one of the eateries, a loudspeaker is announced to announce the approach of another aircraft. Also everywhere on the beach there are planks, on which the schedule of the next flights is written with chalk.

Due to the fact that the Maho is regularly exposed to strong air currents from airliners, he is completely devoid of vegetation. Also because of this, the coast is almost always strong waves, which, in turn, attracts windsurfers. It is very dangerous to be in the central part of the beach when boarding an airliner - it is fraught with trauma (lethal outcomes are possible), which is constantly warned by tourists from the local administration. After all, the wind speed at this time reaches 160 kilometers per hour. However, many deliberately ignore these warnings, wanting to experience the thrill.

In 2008, the island of St. Martin was badly damaged by the hurricane. France has done a lot to minimize damage. Hurricane "Omar" washed away all the sand from Maho beach, it had to be imported again.

Sights of the island

The island has many attractions that attract tourists. For example, a butterfly farm. Under a special canopy you can make a romantic walk accompanied by several hundred of these beautiful creatures. The cost of the excursion is low - about 12 dollars.

Also tourists are attracted by the highest point of the island - Mount Peak Paradise. It has two observation platforms, each with an unforgettable view of the Caribbean Sea and the island coast. In order to climb to the island, most often use a car, because the road is very steep and stony. A bicycle or a moped will not pass here.

The island is also popular among nudists. There are many beaches where clothes are not necessary. For example, on the Dutch side it is the beach "Kupekoy", located at the very foot of the cliff. True, in the Netherlands this is the only such place, on any other beach you will definitely be fined.

In the French territory, the favorite nudist beach is Papagayo. Here it is officially permitted. On the remaining beaches to those who wish to sunbathe topless often tolerate. Especially if it's a weekday, and visitors a bit.

Football team

One of the most interesting and surprising facts is that the island has its own football team. True, she is not a member of FIFA, therefore she does not participate in qualifying matches for world championships. But regularly plays in competitions held under the auspices of CONCACAF - the Football Federation of North and Central America.

The last time to get through to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Saint-Martin tried in 2012. To do this, it was necessary to successfully perform at the Caribbean Cup. However, in the group stage the team suffered three defeats - 0: 7 from Haiti, 0: 9 from Puerto Rico and 0: 8 from Bermuda.

In general, the team is considered one of the weakest in CONCACAF. It exists since 1994. At the moment she has played 26 games, 17 of which have lost. In 6 meetings the guys managed to win. The most successful for the team of Saint-Martin was in 2001, when she defeated the teams of Montserrat and Anguilla with a score of 3: 1. These victories remain the largest in its history.

The biggest defeat to the Saint-Martens was made by the team of Jamaica in 2004. The game ended with a score of 12: 0.