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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).

Island Territory of Sint Maarten Eilandgebied St. Maarten
Motto: Semper pro grediens (Latin)
Anthem: O Sweet Saint Martin's Land
Capital		Philipsburg 18°01′N 63°03′W / 18.017°N 63.05°W / 18.017; -63.05
Largest city		Lower Prince's Quarter
Official languages		Dutch, English
Government		See Politics of the Netherlands Antilles
-	Administrator	Franklyn Richards
constitutional monarchy		part of the Netherlands Antilles
Area
-	Total	21.07 km2 (_) 13.1 sq mi
-	Water (%)	Negligible
Population
-	2006 estimate	35,000 (_)
-	2004 census	33,119
-	Density	974/km2 (_) ?/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2003 estimate
-	Total	$ 400 million (_)
-	Per capita	$ 11,400 (2003 est.) (_)
HDI (2003)		n/a (unranked) (n/a)
Currency		Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)
Time zone		(UTC-4)
Internet TLD		.an
Calling code		+599 until May 31, 2010 +1-721 thereafter[1]

The Island Territory 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^[2], 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.

Contents 1 Urban areas 2 Politics and Government 3 Colleges and universities 4 Popular Tourist Destinations 5 See also 6 References 7 External links 7.1 Government 7.2 Organizations 7.3 Universities 7.4 Secondary Education 7.5 Tourism 7.6 News and Opinion

[edit] Urban areas

• Philipsburg with 1,228 inhabitants
• Lower Prince's Quarter with 8,123 inhabitants
• Cul de Sac with 7,880 inhabitants
• Cole Bay with 6,046 inhabitants
• Upper Prince's Quarter with 4,020 inhabitants
• Little Bay (Fort Amsterdam) with 2,176 inhabitants
• Simpson Bay with 736 inhabitants
• Lowlands with 232 inhabitants

[edit] Politics and Government

Sint Maarten is an "island territory" (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 will see Sint Maarten become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (like Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are now). This dissolution was scheduled to enter into force on December 15, 2008, but has subsequently been postponed.^[3]

The governments of The Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and the island governments of Curaçao and St. Maarten reached an agreement regarding a new date^[4] for country status in early October 2009. As of October 10, 2010 (10/10/10), the Netherlands Antilles will cease to exist. The countries of Curaçao and St. Maarten will be formed in its place, whereas the remaining islands will become public entities of The Netherlands.

The island territory of Sint Maarten is ruled by an island council, an executive council, and an administrator (gezaghebber in Dutch) appointed by the Dutch Crown.

e • d  Summary of the Sint Maarten Island Council election results, 2007

Parties	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats
Democratische Partij (DP)	Sarah Wescott-Williams	6,639	49.38	6
National Alliance (NA)	William Marlin	5,583	41.53	5
People's Progressive Alliance (PPA)	Gracita Arrindell	1,107	8.23	—
Democratic Labour Party (DLP)	Johan van Heyningen	69	0.51	—
National Democratic Party (NDP)	Theophilus Priest	26	0.19	—
St. Maarten People's Believers Independent Movement (SPBIM)	Harold Jack	20	0.15	—
Total		13,623	71.13	11

[edit] Colleges and universities

• American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), founded in 1978, was previously located on Montserrat. Because of the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in 1995, AUC moved its campus to St. Maarten later that year. A permanent campus was completed in 1998 in Cupecoy.

• University of St. Martin (USM) in Philipsburg. USM is an affiliate of Johnson & Wales University.

[edit] Popular Tourist Destinations

• Border Monument in honor of the 1648 Treaty of Concordia.
• The Philipsburg Historical foundation museum.
• The Heineken airline Jet-Bar/Restaurant (aka Air LekkerBeck) (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 Pic Paradise
• The Courthouse on Frontstreet
• The newly renovated Boardwalk spanning the beachfront on Frontstreet,Philipsburg

[edit] See also

• Saint Martin, the Caribbean island.
• Saint Martin (France)
• 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)
• Princess Juliana International Airport
  • Maho Beach -- famous viewing area for airport takeoffs and landings.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Government

• Lt. Governor of St. Maarten — Official site

[edit] Organizations

• Philipsburg Jubilee Public Library
• St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Official site
• St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association - Official trade association site

[edit] Universities

• American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine
• University of St. Maarten

[edit] Secondary Education

• Caribbean International Academy
• Learning Unlimited Preparatory School
• Milton Peters College
• St. Dominic High School
• St. Maarten Academy
• Sundial Secondary School

[edit] Tourism

• Sint Maarten travel guide from Wikitravel
• St. Maarten Tourist Bureau - Official site of St. Maarten's Airport
• Princess Juliana International Airport - Official site
• St. Maarten Directory - Business directory
• St. Martin / St. Maarten Restaurants - Dining guide
• St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (visitor information) - Destination site

[edit] News and Opinion

• St. Maarten Daily Herald - Local newspaper
• St. Maarten Island Times - News and current events
• St. Martin News Network - Local news and opinion
• SXM Private Eye - Current events blog and discussions

v • d • e Island areas of the Netherlands Antilles Bonaire · Curaçao · Saba · File:Flag of Sint Eustatius.svg Sint Eustatius · File:Flag of Sint Maarten.svg Sint Maarten

v • d • e Outlying territories of European countries Territories under European sovereignty but closer to or on continents other than Europe (see inclusion criteria for further information) Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island · French Guiana · French Polynesia · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Mayotte · New Caledonia · Réunion · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna French Southern and Antarctic Lands Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean (Banc du Geyser • Bassas da India • Europa Island • Glorioso Islands • Juan de Nova Island • Tromelin Island) · Île Amsterdam · Île Saint-Paul · Crozet Islands · Kerguelen Islands · Adélie Land Italy Pantelleria · Pelagie Islands (Lampedusa • Lampione • Linosa) Netherlands Aruba · Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire • Curaçao • Saba • Sint Maarten • Sint Eustatius) Norway Bouvet Island · Peter I Island · Queen Maud Land Portugal Azores · Madeira Russia Russian Far East · Khabomai Rocks · Kuril Islands · Kunashir · Ratmanov Island · Sakhalin · Shikotan  · Siberia Spain Canary Islands · Plazas de soberanía (Ceuta · Melilla · Isla Perejil • Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera • Peñón de Alhucemas • Islas Chafarinas) United Kingdom Anguilla · Bermuda · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Montserrat · Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha · Turks and Caicos Islands · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · Pitcairn Islands · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

v • d • e Dependencies of European Union states Denmark Faroe Islands · Greenland France Overseas department French Guiana · Guadeloupe · Martinique · Réunion Overseas territories Clipperton Island · French Polynesia · French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Adélie Land, Île Amsterdam, Crozet Islands, Îles Éparses, Kerguelen Islands, Île Saint-Paul) · Mayotte · New Caledonia · Saint Barthélemy · Saint Martin · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · Wallis and Futuna Netherlands Aruba · Netherlands Antilles (Bonaire,Curaçao,Saba,Sint Eustatius,Sint Maarten) United Kingdom Crown dependencies Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey Sovereign Base Areas Akrotiri and Dhekelia Overseas territories Anguilla · Bermuda · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar · Montserrat · Pitcairn Islands · Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Turks and Caicos Islands