Sint Maarten Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

Eastern Caribbean, Windward Islands.

Language

Dutch is the official language. Papiamento (a mixture of African, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Spanish) is the commonly used lingua franca. English and Spanish are also widely spoken.

Area

34 sq km (16 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT - 4.

Electricity

110/220 volts AC, 60Hz.

Population

41,000 (2008).

Population Density

1206 per sq km.

Capital City

Philipsburg.

Government

Part of the Netherlands Antilles; dependency of The Netherlands since 1630.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage since 2006.

Head of State

Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, represented locally by Governor General Frits Goedgedrag.

Religion

Protestant, with Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities.

Recent History

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.

Recent years have seen the island suffering from serious water shortages, and some hurricane damage.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +1 721. Calls made through the operator are more expensive and include a 15% tax.

Mobile Telephone

Compatible with most US handsets but not with GSM handsets. Phone hire is available. Roaming agreements exist. Most US handsets can be used, and can be activated with a temporary number before or after arrival on the island.

Internet

Internet access is available.

Media

English-language dailies include the Daily Herald, published on St Maarten. Most other newspapers in the Netherlands Antilles are published in Dutch or Papiamento. The Leeward Broadcasting Corporation is based in St Maarten. The local station is Voice of St Maarten.

Post

Airmail to Western Europe takes four to six days, surface mail takes four to six weeks.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2010-December 2011 period.
2010
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
16 Apr *Start of Carnival
22 Apr - 13 Apr Easter
30 Apr Queen’s Birthday
2 May May Day
2 Jun Ascension
13 Jun Whit Monday
14 Jul Bastille Day
21 Jul Schoelcher Day (Abolition of Slavery)
21 Oct Antillean Day
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
11 Nov St Maarten Day
15 Dec Kingdom Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Apr - 9 Apr Easter
30 Apr Queen’s Birthday
1 May May Day
17 May Ascension
28 May Whit Monday
14 Jul Bastille Day
21 Jul Schoelcher Day (Abolition of Slavery)
21 Oct Antillean Day
1 Nov All Saints’ Day
11 Nov St Maarten Day
15 Dec Kingdom Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
* Date to be confirmed.

Contact Information

Diplomatic representation

St Maarten is part of the Netherlands Antilles represented abroad by Royal Netherlands embassies – see The Netherlands section.

British Embassy in Caracas (nearest British Embassy to St Maarten)

Torre La Castellana, Ist Floor, Avenida La Principal de la Castellana, La Castellana, Caracas 1061, Venezuela
Tel: (0) 212 267 1275.
Website: www.ukinvenezuela.fco.gov.uk
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0800-1630, Fri 0800-1315.

St Maarten Tourist Bureau

Vineyard Office Park Building, WG Buncamper Road 33, Philipsburg, St Maarten, Netherlands Antilles
Tel: 542 2337.
Website: www.st-maarten.com

Office of the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands Antilles

PO Box 90706, Badhuisweg 173-175, 2597 JP The Hague, The Netherlands
Tel: (70) 306 6111.

Caribbean Tourism Organization in the UK

22 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1BP, UK
Tel: (020) 8948 0057.
Website: www.doitcaribbean.com

St Maarten Tourist Office in the USA

675 Third Avenue, Suite 1806, New York, NY 10017, USA
Tel: (212) 953 2084 or 1 800 786 2278, in the USA only.
Website: www.st-maarten.com