:''For the island of St. Martin on the whole, see
Saint Martin, for the French side, see
Saint Martin (France) and for other uses, see
Saint Martin (disambiguation).''
The 'island area of Sint Maarten' (
Dutch: ''Eilandgebied Sint Maarten'') is one of five
island areas (''Eilandgebieden'') of the
Netherlands Antilles, encompassing the southern half of the
island of Saint Martin/Sint Maarten. At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population of the ''Eilandgebied'' was 30,594, for a population density of 900 inhabitants per km².
''Sint Maarten'' borders the French
overseas collectivity of
''Saint-Martin'', which occupies the northern half of the island.
Urban areas
★
Philipsburg with 1228 inhabitants
★ Lower Prince's Quarter with 8123 inhabitants
★ Cul de Sac with 7880 inhabitants
★ Cole Bay with 6046 inhabitants
★ Upper Prince's Quarter with 4020 inhabitants
★ Little Bay (Fort Amsterdam) with 2176 inhabitants
★ Simpson Bay with 736 inhabitants
★ Lowlands with 232 inhabitants
'', ''Simsonbay'', ''Madame Estate'', ''Dutch Cul-de-sac'', ''Duch Quarter'', ''Cool Bay'', ''Oyster pond'', ''South Reward'', ''Saint-Peters'', ''Pointe-Blanche'', ''Middle Region'', ''Cay hill'', ''Upper Prince's Quarter'' and ''Lower Prince's Quarter''.
Politics and Government
Saint Martin is an "island area" (''eilandgebied'' in
Dutch), a component of the
Netherlands Antilles comparable to a municipality. The
Netherlands Antilles are part of the
Kingdom of the Netherlands though not in the
European Union. Its currency is the
Antillean guilder (however, the
United States dollar is widely accepted). A planned restructuring of the Netherlands Antilles would see Sint Maarten become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (like the Netherlands Antilles are now) on
December 15,
2008. The Netherlands Antilles will be abolished as from that same date.
The island area of Sint Maarten is ruled by an island council, an executive council, and an
administrator (''gezaghebber'' in
Dutch) appointed by the Dutch Crown.
Colleges and universities
★
University of St. Martin (USM) in
Philipsburg. USM is an affiliate of
Johnson & Wales University.
★
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), founded in 1978, was previously located on
Montserrat. Because of the eruption of the
Soufriere Hills volcano in 1995, AUC moved its campus to Saint Martin just in time for
Hurricane Luis later that year. A permanent, hurricane-proof campus was completed in 1998 in
Cupecoy.
To be seen or visited
★ Border Monument in honor of the
1648 Treaty of Concordia.
★ The
Philipsburg Historical foundation
museum.
★ The Heineken airline Jet-Bar (at Philipsburg).
★ Fantastic jumbo jets low landings (at
Maho Beach).
★ The
zoo park with animals from the Caribbean area (on Madame estate Pondfill).
★ Fort Amsterdam and Fort Willems (at Philipsburg)
★ Sightseeing on Dawn Beach road.
★ Emilio Wilson Historical Park (Cul-de-sac)
★ Butterfly Farm
★ Hiking to Paradise Peak
★ The original Courthouse on Frontstreet
★ The newly renovated Boardwalk spanning the beachfront on Frontstreet
See also
★
Sint Maarten, the Caribbean island.
★
The French side of the island.
★
History of St. Martin, the Caribbean island.
★
List of Sint Maarten governors.
★
Culture of St. Martin, the Caribbean island.
★ ''
O sweet Saint-Martin's Land'' (bi-national song/anthem of Saint-Martin/Sint-Maarten )
External links
Government
★
St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry — Official site
★
Lt. Governor of St. Maarten — Official site
Organizations and schools
★
American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
★
University of St. Maarten
★
Philipsburg jubilee public library
Tourism
★
St. Maarten Tourist Bureau - Official site