Saint Martin:
Geography

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Saint Martin Page

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Other pages in this profile of Saint Martin:
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Background	Definition 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	Definition island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates	Definition 18 05 N, 63 57 W
Map references	Definition Central America and the Caribbean
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL
Area - comparative	Definition more than one-third the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries	Definition total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km
Coastline	Definition 58.9 km (for entire island)
Climate	Definition temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m
Natural resources	Definition salt
Environment - current issues	Definition fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water
Geography - note	Definition the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten