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Saint Martin

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Background :

Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. 

Location :

island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico 

Geographic Coordinates Center :

18 05 N, 63 57 W  (Latitude, Longtitude)

Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :

West -63.15
North 18.13
East -63.01
South 18.05

Area :

total 54 square km
land 54 square km

Land boundaries :

total 15 km
Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km

Coastline :

58.90 km

Climate :

temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-November is the hurricane season 

Elevation extremes :

lowest point 0 metres
highest point 424 metres

current issues :

fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water 

Population :

29 820 

Age structure :

0-14 years 27.00 %
15-64 years 67.50 %
65 years and over 5.50 %

Median age :

total 30.50 years
male 29.50 years
female 31.30 years

Sex ratio :

at birth 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.81 male(s)/female
total population 0.92 male(s)/female

Religions :

Roman Catholic  
Jehovah's Witness  
Protestant  

Languages :

French  
English  
Dutch  
French patois  
Spanish  
Papiamento  

Country name :

conventional long form Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
conventional short form Saint Martin
local long form Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin
local short form Saint-Martin

Country Codes :

ISO 3166 MF
ISO Numeric 663
ISO3 MAF
FIPS RN
ccTLD mf
English Saint Martin

Capital :

name Marigot
geographic coordinates 18 04 N, 63 05 W
time difference -4.00

National holiday :

Bastille Day

1789-07-14

Executive branch :

President Council Frantz GUMBS President Nicolas SARKOZY

Legislative branch :

RRR 42.20 %
Reussir Saint-Martin 8.90 %

Communications :

FM Radio broadcast stations 3
Internet Country code (ccTLD) mf

Transportation :

Airports with paved runways 1

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