Saint Martin is a tropical
island in the northeast
Caribbean, approximately 300&_160;km (186 miles) east of
Puerto Rico. The 87&_160;km
2 island is divided roughly in half between
France (53&_160;km
2)
[1] and the
Netherlands Antilles (34&_160;km
2)
[2]; it is the smallest inhabited
sea island divided between two nations. The southern Dutch half comprises the
Eilandgebied Sint Maarten (Island area of St. Martin) and is part of the Netherlands Antilles. The northern French half comprises the
Collectivité de Saint-Martin (Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an
overseas collectivity of
France.
On January 1, 2006 the population of the entire island was 72,892 inhabitants, 37,629 of whom lived on the Dutch side of the island,[3] and 35,263 on the French side of the island.[4]
Collectively, the two territories are known as "St-Martin/St. Maarten". Sometimes SXM, the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport (the island's main airport), is used to refer to the island.
Saint Martin has a land area of 87&_160;km2, 53&_160;km2 of which is under the sovereignty of France,[1] and 34 km² under the sovereignty of the Netherlands.[2]
