Sun lovers, water babes, sailors and divers will all be right at home in this
Caribbean island, a popular getaway destination in the Netherlands Antilles.
The most prominent physical feature in St Maarten is
Mount Flagstaff, an extinct
volcano, but the most important for visitors is the excellent
beach that follows the south and west coasts. Beach activities and
shopping at duty-free centers satisfy most tourists. The island is also popular with
sailing enthusiasts and
divers.
Occupied since prehistory by
Carib Indians, St Maarten was
sighted by Christopher Columbus on St Maarten’s day in 1493. However, the first
European settlers were French and Dutch who, in 1648, partitioned the island. The island has remained under
dual sovereignty ever since, the Dutch sector achieving partial independence from the Netherlands in 1954 with the establishment of the
Netherlands Antilles.
GeographyPolitically, St Maarten is one of three Windward Islands in the Netherlands Antilles, although geographically it is part of the Leeward Group of the Lesser Antilles, and not strictly an island – it occupies just one-third of an island otherwise under French control (the French sector is called St Martin), lying 8km (5 miles) south of Anguilla, 232km (144 miles) east of Puerto Rico and 56km (35 miles) due north of St Eustatius. St Maarten is the southern sector, an area of wooded mountains rising from white sandy beaches. To the west, the mountains give way to lagoons and salt flats.
The Netherlands Antilles consist of Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten. The capital of the island group is Willemstad, Curaçao.
For information on the French sector (St Martin), see the
Guadeloupe section.
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