Saint Martin — Attraction in Saint Martin (France)

Saint Martin Saint Martin (French: Saint-Martin; Dutch: Sint Maarten) is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 300 km (190 mi) east of Puerto Rico. The 87-square-kilometre (34 sq mi) island is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Republic (53 km2, 20 sq mi)[1] and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (34 km2, 13 sq mi),[2] but the two parts are roughly equal in population. The division dates to 1648. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The northern French part comprises the Collectivity of Saint Martin and is an overseas collectivity of France. As part of France proper, the French part of the island is part of the European Union.[3]

On 1 January 2009, the population of the whole island was 77,741 inhabitants, with 40,917 living on the Dutch side,[4] and 36,824 on the French side.[5]

Collectively, the two territories are known as "St-Martin / St Maarten", or sometimes "SXM", the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport, the island's main airport. St. Martin (the French portion) received the ISO 3166-1 code MF in October 2007.[6] The Dutch part changed in status to a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010 and was given the code SX.[7] Geography

Map of Saint Martin Saint Martin has a land area of 87 km2 (34 sq mi), 53 km2 (20 sq mi) of which is under the sovereignty of France,[1] and 34 km2 (13 sq mi) under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.[8] This is the only land border shared by France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands; there is no border between these countries in continental Europe.

The main cities are Philipsburg (Dutch side) and Marigot (French side). The Dutch side is more heavily populated. The largest settlement on the entire island is Lower Prince's Quarter, on the Dutch side.

The highest hilltop is the Pic Paradis (424 metres (1,391 ft)) in the centre of a hill chain on the French side. Both sides are hilly with large mountain peaks. This forms a valley where many houses are located. There are no rivers on the island, but many dry gullies. Hiking trails give access to the dry forest covering tops and slopes.

The island is located south of Anguilla, separated from the British territory by the Anguilla Channel. Saint Martin is northwest of Saint Barthélemy, separated from the French territory by the...

It looks pretty from above but nothing prepares you for what you will find while exploring the island of Saint Martin. Overall, it looks like a beautiful tropical island with turquoise waters and the temperature is ideal. To be fair, it feels like a trap to not say "prison". There is not a lot of culture because it's a tiny island, and it's not a country. It feels like the Caribbean and it feels safe, quiet and relaxing. There is color everywhere, even if colors don't make sense, you know you are in an island. The bad, there is garbage, plastic and pollution present everywhere including the ocean and storm drains that bring the waste directly to the ocean. It's definitely overcrowded, and poverty can't hide by any means. Philipsburg looks somewhat picturesque but also it has a dark/weird vibe to it too. Locals are typically friendly, and kind but there are exceptions. I think, the French side is better than the dutch side because it feels less developed, food on the French side I think it's better too. On the Dutch side the food is plain and everything is for tourists. So much chicken you can scream. Everything closes very early and there is not much to do in the day but once the night comes it all goes dead fast. 3 Stars is fair my opinion for a boring island. Most locals are trapped here and they...

It's a number of years now since we visited the island which is essentially one island with no restriction between the parts belonging to the French and the Dutch. My abiding memory is of rather foolhardy people clamouring to be in the slipstream of large jets taking off at the airport. This is possible as the end of the runway is so close to both the road and the beach. On a number of occasions I observed all sorts of debris flying into the sea ... sunbeds, airbeds, clothing, umbrellas etc etc and tourists clinging to the perimeter fence for a dubious thrill not found in many places. The island is also host to a plethora of casinos and very popular with Americans who tend to be loud and brash. The island relies heavily on tourism and we spoke to a number of working people from other Caribbean islands who have come to "make good" and been disappointed. The weather of course is the main asset for tourism. A pleasant enough island in some ways but not one I would...