Name
Explorer Christopher Columbus named the island in 1493 after Saint Martin of Tours because he visited on 11 November, the saint's feast day.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Country
Sint Maarten
18.04° N, 63.07° W
100% of everyone here lives in a city.
urban population 100% · 1st/225
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value
- Population
- 40,733
- Natural Earth population estimate.
- Area
- 34 km²
- Official total area (land + water) from the CIA World Factbook. Computed from the Natural Earth boundary: ≈ 42 km².
- Population density
- ≈ 970 / km²
- Population divided by the computed boundary area.
- ISO codes
- SX · SXM
- GDP (nominal)
- $1.74 billion
- Field “Economy → GDP (official exchange rate)” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- $45,800
- Field “Economy → Real GDP per capita → Real GDP per capita 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Sint Maarten 34 km²Tuvalu 26 km²
geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area
Where Sint Maarten sits in the world
Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.
- Median age40.8 years59th of 224 · median 32.6 years
- Life expectancy79.7 years61st of 224 · median 76.2 years
- Fertility rate1.96 children per woman104th of 225 · median 1.92 children per woman
- Population40,733212th of 235 · median 5,454,073
- Total area34 km²223rd of 228 · median 83,736 km²
- Coastline59 km169th of 229 · median 402 km
Overview
Background
Salt drew the Dutch to Saint Martin in 1631, after Christopher Columbus claimed it for Spain in 1493 and named it for the feast day of St. Martin of Tours. The Spanish retook Saint Martin in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims. Spain finally relinquished the island to the French and Dutch, who divided it in 1648. Friction between the two countries made the border fluctuate for 200 years, with the Dutch eventually holding the smaller portion and using Sint Maarten, the Dutch spelling, for their territory. The establishment of cotton, tobacco, and sugar plantations dramatically expanded African slavery on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries. The practice was not abolished in the Dutch half until 1863.
The island's economy declined until 1939, when it became a free port, and tourism expanded dramatically beginning in the 1950s. In 1954, Sint Maarten and several other Dutch Caribbean possessions became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as the Netherlands Antilles. In a 2000 referendum, Sint Maarten's citizens voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, effective in 2010. In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Saint Martin and Sint Maarten, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Geography
The northern border is shared with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world shared by two self-governing states. Sint Maarten lies in the Caribbean, in the northern group of the Leeward Islands, and east of the US Virgin Islands.
Sint Maarten has low, hilly terrain of volcanic origin. Simpson Bay Lagoon, also called Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond, is shared by the French and Dutch halves of Saint Martin, with their border running across its center. Fish and salt are natural resources of Sint Maarten. The highest point lies southwest of Mount Flagstaff summit. The lowest point is at the Caribbean Sea.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
People and society
Ethnic backgrounds include Saint Maarten, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Martin, Guyana, Dominica, and Curaçao. Other backgrounds include Aruba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, India, the Netherlands, the US, Suriname, Saint Lucia, and Anguilla.
Protestant affiliations include Pentecostal, Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist, Anglican, and other Protestant churches. Roman Catholic, Hindu, Christian, Jehovah's Witness, Evangelical, Muslim, and Jewish affiliations also appear, alongside Buddhist, Sikh, and Rastafarian traditions. The most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter, north of Philipsburg, and Cul de Sac.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Government
Its government is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The legal system is based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence. The current constitution was adopted 21 July 2010 and entered into force 10 October 2010; it regulates governance of Sint Maarten but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Sint Maarten has no independence and is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The national holiday is King's Day, the birthday of King Willem-Alexander.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Flag and symbols
Equal horizontal red-blue bands carry a white isosceles triangle based on the left side and center the coat of arms. An orange-bordered blue shield shows Philipsburg's white courthouse, yellow sage at upper left, and a Dutch-French friendship monument silhouette at upper right. Above it are a yellow rising sun and brown pelican in flight; below, a yellow scroll bears "SEMPER PROGREDIENS (Always Progressing)." National symbols are the brown pelican and yellow sage, the national flower.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
Key figures
CIA World Factbook
Economy
- GDP (nominal)
- $1.74 billion
- Field “Economy → GDP (official exchange rate)” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP (PPP)
- $1.99 billion
- Field “Economy → Real GDP (purchasing power parity) → Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP per capita (PPP)
- $45,800
- Field “Economy → Real GDP per capita → Real GDP per capita 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- GDP growth
- +3.5%
- Field “Economy → Real GDP growth rate → Real GDP growth rate 2024” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Inflation (consumer prices)
- 2.2%
- Field “Economy → Inflation rate (consumer prices) → Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Exports
- $1.5 billion
- Field “Economy → Exports → Exports 2023” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Imports
- $1.49 billion
- Field “Economy → Imports → Imports 2023” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
People
- Life expectancy
- 79.7 years
- Field “People and Society → Life expectancy at birth → total population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Median age
- 40.8 years
- Field “People and Society → Median age → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Birth rate
- 12 per 1,000
- Field “People and Society → Birth rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Death rate
- 6.59 per 1,000
- Field “People and Society → Death rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Fertility rate
- 1.96 children per woman
- Field “People and Society → Total fertility rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Population growth
- +1.1% a year
- Field “People and Society → Population growth rate” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Urban population
- 100%
- Field “People and Society → Urbanization → urban population” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Languages
- Englishofficial67.5%
- Spanish12.9%
- Creole8.2%
- Dutchofficial4.2%
- Papiamento2.2%
- French1.5%
- others3.5%
- Field “People and Society → Languages” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Religions
- Protestant41.9%Pentecostal 14.7%, Methodist 10.0%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.6%, Baptist 4.7%, Anglican 3.1%, other Protestant 2.8%
- Roman Catholic33.1%
- Hindu5.2%
- Christian4.1%
- Jehovah's Witness1.7%
- Evangelical1.4%
- Muslim/Jewish1.1%
- no response2.4%
- other7.9%
- Field “People and Society → Religions” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Land
- Total area
- 34 km²Land 34 km² · Water 0 km²
- Field “Geography → Area → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Coastline
- 59 km
- Field “Geography → Coastline” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Land borders
- 16 km
- Field “Geography → Land boundaries → total” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
- Highest point
- 383 m 250 m SW of Mount Flagstaff summit,
- Field “Geography → Elevation → highest point” in the CIA World Factbook archive (frozen 2026-02-01). Public domain. The Factbook stopped publishing in February 2026; the year shows when the value was estimated.
Values from the CIA World Factbook archive. Each carries the year it describes; open a year for the exact source field.
Connections
Within
Borders
Natural geography 1
Natural Earth outlines · features with a Wikidata ID