Marigot
Saint Martin
Key facts and a structured country profile. 🧾 Change log 📐 True Size
Locator 🗺️ Map
33,093 (2025 est.)
50 sq km
Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; French part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Saint Martin lies east of the US Virgin Islands
🧭 Background
Christopher COLUMBUS claimed Saint Martin for Spain in 1493, naming it after the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, but it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 to exploit its salt deposits. The Spanish retook Saint Martin in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims. The Spanish finally relinquished the island to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. The border frequently fluctuated over the next 200 years because of friction between the two countries, with the French eventually holding the greater portion of the island (about 61%). The cultivation of sugarcane introduced African slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939, and the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of Saint Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe, and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. In 2010, the southern Dutch portion of the island became the independent nation of Sint Maarten within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the island of Saint Martin, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing; the UN estimated that 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.
🗺️ Geography
Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; French part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Saint Martin lies east of the US Virgin Islands
18 05 N, 63 57 W
Central America and the Caribbean
50 sq km
50 sq km
Negligible
More than one-third the size of Washington, D.C.
16 km
Sint Maarten 16 km
58.9 km (for entire island)
Temperature averages 27-29 degrees Celsius all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; hurricane season stretches from July to November
Pic du Paradis 424 m
Caribbean Sea 0 m
Salt
0% (2022 est.)
24.8% (2022 est.)
75.2% (2022 est.)
Most of the population is found along the coast, with the largest concentration around the capital of Marigot, as well as Orleans and Grand-Case
Subject to hurricanes from July to November
Note 1: the southern border is shared with Sint Maarten, which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond) is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies; the border between the French and Dutch halves of the island runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared by both of the island's entities
👥 People and Society⬆️ Top
33,093 (2025 est.)
15,825
17,268
Creole (Mulatto), Black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asian), White, East Indian, other
French (official), Dutch, English, Guadeloupian Creole, Haitian Creole, Italian, Martiniquan Creole, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles), Spanish
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu
24.7% (male 4,039/female 4,100)
64.5% (male 10,216/female 11,068)
10.8% (2024 est.) (male 1,536/female 2,037)
55.4 (2025 est.) N
38 (2025 est.)
17.4 (2025 est.)
5.7 (2025 est.)
34.3 years (2025 est.)
33.4 years
34.9 years
0.29% (2025 est.)
13.78 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
4.83 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
-6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Most of the population is found along the coast, with the largest concentration around the capital of Marigot, as well as Orleans and Grand-Case
1.04 male(s)/female
0.99 male(s)/female
0.92 male(s)/female
0.75 male(s)/female
0.92 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
7.6 deaths/1,000 live births
5.3 deaths/1,000 live births
81 years (2024 est.)
78 years
84.2 years
1.8 children born/woman (2025 est.)
0.88 (2025 est.)
Total: 100% of population
Urban: 0% of population
Urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
Urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
3.9% of GDP (2023 est.) NA
23% national budget (2023 est.)
🌿 Environment⬆️ Top
Waste management; salinity intrusions; limited freshwater resources; over-exploitation of marine resources (reef fisheries, coral, and shell); water pollution and damage to coral reefs from boats
Temperature averages 27-29 degrees Celsius all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; hurricane season stretches from July to November
0% (2022 est.)
24.8% (2022 est.)
75.2% (2022 est.)
15,500 tons (2024 est.)
🏛️ Government⬆️ Top
Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
Saint Martin
Collectivité d'outre mer de Saint-Martin
Saint-Martin
Explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island after Saint MARTIN of Tours during a visit on 11 November 1493, the saint's feast day
Parliamentary democracy (Territorial Council); overseas collectivity of France
Overseas collectivity of France
Marigot
18 04 N, 63 05 W
UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
The name is taken from the French word marigot, meaning "backwater" or "swampy area;" it probably comes from the original fishing village's location next to a water-logged area on a lagoon
French civil law
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Amendment procedures of France's constitution apply
See France
18 years of age, universal
President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017); represented by Prefect Cyrille LE VELY (since 10 February 2025)
President of Territorial Council Louis MUSSINGTON (since 3 April 2022)
Executive Council, as well as an advisory economic, social, and cultural council
French president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prefect appointed by French president on the advice of French Ministry of Interior; president of Territorial Council elected by its members for a 5-year term
3 April 2022
2022: Louis MUSSINGTON (RSM) elected president; Territorial Council vote - unanimous 2017: Daniel Gibbs (UD) elected president; Territorial Council vote - 18 of 23 votes
2027
Territorial Council
Unicameral
23 (directly elected)
Plurality/majority
Full renewal
5 years
3/27/2022
RSM and Alternative (16); UD (5); HOPE, Saint Martin with You, and Future Saint Martin (2)
43.5%
March 2027
Alternative Future Saint Martin (Avenir Saint Martin) Generation Hope or HOPE Rassemblement Saint-Martinois or RSM (formerly Movement for Justice and Prosperity or MJP) Saint Martin with You Union for Democracy or UD
None (overseas collectivity of France)
None (overseas collectivity of France)
ACS (associate), UPU
None (overseas collectivity of France)
Fête de la Fédération, 14 July (1790)
The flag of France is used
Brown pelican
"La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille)
Claude-Joseph ROUGET de Lisle
Official anthem, as a French collectivity
💹 Economy⬆️ Top
High-income French Caribbean territorial economy; extremely reliant on tourism, with severe COVID-19 impacts; near-total destruction from Hurricane Irma in 2017; some offshore banking; import-dependent; duty-free commerce; yachting destination
4.9% (2021 est.)
-12.5% (2020 est.)
6.5% (2019 est.)
$649.206 million (2021 est.)
Tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry
United States 35%, Netherlands 26%, Antigua and Barbuda 21%, France 10% (2019)
Gold, special use vessels, furniture, scrap aluminum, rum (2019)
United States 76%, Netherlands 7%, France 7% (2019)
Jewelry, diamonds, pearls, recreational boats, cars (2019)
Euros (EUR) per US dollar -
0.924 (2024 est.)
0.925 (2023 est.)
0.95 (2022 est.)
0.845 (2021 est.)
0.876 (2020 est.)
⚡ Energy⬆️ Top
100% (2022 est.)
📡 Communications⬆️ Top
68,840 (2012 est.)
196 (2012 est.)
1 local TV station; access to about 20 radio stations, including RFO Guadeloupe radio broadcasts via repeater
.mf
48.5% (2022 est.)
🚚 Transportation⬆️ Top
1 (2025)
🛡️ Military and Security⬆️ Top
No regular military forces; Ministry of Justice: Police Force of Sint Maaten (Korps Politie Sint Marteen, KPSM) (2025)
Defense is the responsibility of France
🌐 Transnational Issues⬆️ Top
156 (2024 est.)
Source: Factbook JSON archive.