Sint Maarten

Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Sint Maarten lies east of the US Virgin Islands

18 4 N, 63 4 W

Central America and the Caribbean

34 sq km

34 sq km

0 sq km

One-fifth the size of Washington, D.C.

16 km

Saint Martin (France) 16 km

58.9 km (for entire island)

12 nm

200 nm

Tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures; average rainfall of 150 cm/year; hurricane season stretches from July to November

Low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin

250 m SW of Mount Flagstaff summit, 383 m

Caribbean Sea 0 m

Fish, salt

0% (2022 est.)

10.9% (2022 est.)

89.1% (2022 est.)

The most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg) and Cul de Sac

Subject to hurricanes from July to November

Note 1: 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 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 of Saint Martin runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared

46,738 (2025 est.)

23,071

23,667

Saint Maarten 29.9%, Dominican Republic 10.2%, Haiti 7.8%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Martin 5.9%, Guyana 5%, Dominica 4.4%, Curacao 4.1%, Aruba 3.4%, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.8%, India 2.6%, Netherlands 2.2%, US 1.6%, Suriname 1.4%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, Anguilla 1.1%, other 8%, unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)

English (official) 67.5%, Spanish 12.9%, Creole 8.2%, Dutch (official) 4.2%, Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 2.2%, French 1.5%, other 3.5% (2001 est.)

Protestant 41.9% (Pentecostal 14.7%, Methodist 10.0%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.6%, Baptist 4.7%, Anglican 3.1%, other Protestant 2.8%), Roman Catholic 33.1%, Hindu 5.2%, Christian 4.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, Evangelical 1.4%, Muslim/Jewish 1.1%, other 1.3% (includes Buddhist, Sikh, Rastafarian), none 7.9%, no response 2.4% (2011 est.)

18.4% (male 4,409/female 4,114)

66.3% (male 15,158/female 15,496)

15.2% (2024 est.) (male 3,250/female 3,788)

52.8 (2025 est.)

28.1 (2025 est.)

24.7 (2025 est.)

4.1 (2025 est.)

40.8 years (2025 est.)

39 years

42.8 years

1.1% (2025 est.)

12 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.59 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

The most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg) and Cul de Sac

100% of total population (2023)

1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. est.)

1,327 PHILIPSBURG (capital) (2011)

1.05 male(s)/female

1.07 male(s)/female

0.98 male(s)/female

0.86 male(s)/female

0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

7.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

8.4 deaths/1,000 live births

6.8 deaths/1,000 live births

79.7 years (2024 est.)

77.4 years

82.2 years

1.96 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.96 (2025 est.)

Scarcity of potable water; inadequate solid waste management; pollution from construction, chemical runoff, and sewage

Tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures; average rainfall of 150 cm/year; hurricane season stretches from July to November

0% (2022 est.)

10.9% (2022 est.)

89.1% (2022 est.)

100% of total population (2023)

1.16% annual rate of change (2020-25 est. est.)

Country of Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten

Land Sint Maarten (Dutch)/ Country of Sint Maarten (English)

Sint Maarten (Dutch and English)

Netherlands Antilles; Curacao and Dependencies

Explorer Christopher COLUMBUS named the island in 1493 after Saint MARTIN of Tours because he visited on 11 November, the saint's feast day

Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

One of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 2010; Dutch government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Philipsburg

18 1 N, 63 2 W

UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Founded and named in 1763 by John PHILIPS, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy

Based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence

Previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 21 July 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Sint Maarten but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Proposals initiated by the Government or by Parliament; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority of the Parliament membership; passage of amendments relating to fundamental rights, authorities of the governor and of Parliament must include the "views" of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Government prior to ratification by Parliament

See the Netherlands

18 years of age; universal

King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Ajamu G. BALY (since 10 October 2022)

Prime Minister Luc MERCELINA (since 3 May 2024)

Cabinet nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the governor

The monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch for a 6-year term; following legislative elections, the Parliament usually elects the leader of the majority party as prime minister

Parliament of Sint Maarten

Unicameral

15 (directly elected)

Proportional representation

Full renewal

4 years

1/11/2024

NA (4); UPP (3); URSM (2); DP (2); PFP (2); NOW (2)

46.7%

2028

Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, and of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or "Joint Court of Justice" (consists of the presiding judge, other members, and their substitutes); final appeals heard by the Supreme Court in The Hague, Netherlands

Joint Court judges appointed by the monarch serve for life

Courts in First Instance

Democratic Party or DP National Alliance or NA National Opportunity Wealth or NOW Party for Progress or PFP Sint Maarten Christian Party or SMCP Unified Resilient St Maarten Movement or URSM United People's Party or UPP United Sint Maarten Party or US Party

None (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

The US does not have an embassy in Sint Maarten; the Consul General to Curacao is accredited to Sint Maarten

Caricom (observer), ILO, Interpol, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WMO

None (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)

Description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and blue, with a white isosceles triangle based on the left side; the national coat of arms is in the center of the triangle, with an orange-bordered blue shield that displays the white courthouse in Philipsburg, as well as yellow sage (the national flower) in the upper left and the silhouette of a Dutch-French friendship monument in the upper right; over the shield is a yellow rising sun and a brown pelican in flight; a yellow scroll below the shield has the motto SEMPER PROGREDIENS (Always Progressing)

Brown pelican, yellow sage (flower)

Red, white, blue

“Het Wilhelmus” (The William)

Philips VAN MARNIX van Sint Aldegonde (presumed)/unknown

Adopted 1932

High-income, tourism-based Dutch autonomous constituent economy; severe hurricane- and COVID-19-related economic recessions; multilateral trust fund helping offset economic downturn; no property taxation; re-exporter to Saint Martin

$1.986 billion (2024 est.)

$1.919 billion (2023 est.)

$1.849 billion (2022 est.)

3.5% (2024 est.)

3.8% (2023 est.)

9.8% (2022 est.)

$45,800 (2024 est.)

$44,900 (2023 est.)

$43,900 (2022 est.)

$1.735 billion (2024 est.)

2.2% (2017 est.)

0.1% (2016 est.)

0.3% (2015 est.)

6% (2021 est.)

89.3% (2021 est.)

Sugar

Tourism, light industry

0.5% (2021 est.)

3% of GDP (2023 est.)

3.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

3.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

-$116.693 million (2023 est.)

-$56.984 million (2022 est.)

-$311.463 million (2021 est.)

$1.504 billion (2023 est.)

$1.375 billion (2022 est.)

$790.938 million (2021 est.)

Antigua & Barbuda 28%, USA 16%, France 12%, Netherlands 8%, Morocco 7% (2023)

Scrap iron, ships, jewelry, flavored water, liquor (2023)

$1.489 billion (2023 est.)

$1.32 billion (2022 est.)

$1.003 billion (2021 est.)

USA 82%, Netherlands 7%, France 4%, Brazil 1%, Switzerland 1% (2023)

Jewelry, refined petroleum, ships, pearl products, diamonds (2023)

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar -

1.79 (2024 est.)

1.79 (2023 est.)

1.79 (2022 est.)

1.79 (2021 est.)

1.79 (2020 est.)

100% (2022 est.)

86,542 (2022 est.)

205 (2022 est.)

.sx

89.5% (2022)

1 (2025)

2 (2024)

0

0

2

0

1

Coles Bay Oil Terminal, Philipsburg

No regular military forces; Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM)

Defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the KPSM is supported by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (Gendarmerie), the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (Korps Politie Caribisch Nederland, KPCN), and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG or Kustwacht Caribisch Gebied (KWCARIB))

Tier 3 — Sint Maarten does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, Sint Maarten remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/sint-maarten/