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Saint Martin

Translation
Saint Martin

Island, Leeward Islands, eastern West Indies.

Located northwest of Saint Kitts and Nevis, it covers an area of 33 sq mi (85 sq km). Discovered by Christopher Columbus, it was divided in 1648 between the French and the Dutch. The northern section of the island (20 sq mi [52 sq km]) is a dependency of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe; its chief town is Marigot (pop., 1990: 26,000). The island's southern section (13 sq mi [34 sq km]) is administratively part of the Netherlands Antilles; its main town is the island's capital, Philipsburg (pop., 1990: 32,000). The island's economy is based on tourism.

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 island at the northern end of the Leeward (Leeward Islands) group of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. The island is hilly and receives about 45 inches (1,140 mm) of rain annually. The southern third is tied historically and administratively with the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the northern two-thirds with France.

      The island was named by Christopher Columbus (Columbus, Christopher) in honour of the saint on whose feast day he sighted it. Valued for its natural lakes of salt, a scarce commodity in Europe, it changed between Dutch and Spanish hands several times. In 1648 the Dutch returned to the island to find it occupied by the French, with whom they signed a partition treaty. Sugarcane plantations, worked by black slaves (ancestors of most of the present inhabitants), were important for a time but declined in the 19th century.

      The Dutch (southern) part of the island, Sint Maarten, has coastal lagoons, salt pans, and sand spits. It became a part of the Dutch West Indies in 1828, and in 1845 it became one of the original territories of the Netherlands Antilles. The capital is Philipsburg. The economy draws increasingly on tourism as the government encourages exploitation of the island's most valuable natural resources, the clean beaches and pleasant climate.

      The French (northern) part of the island, Saint-Martin, has beaches and forest-covered hills. It formerly belonged to the French overseas département of Guadeloupe but attained separate status as an overseas collectivity of France in 2007. Tourism developed rapidly in the late 20th century, and Saint-Martin is now a major Caribbean tourist destination. Trade flourishes in Marigot, the capital. Most of the people are of African or mixed African-European heritage. French is the official language, and English is widely spoken. Area, Dutch Sint Maarten, 13 square miles (34 square km); French Saint-Martin, 20 square miles (52 square km). Pop., Dutch Sint Maarten, (2005 est.) 35,035; French Saint-Martin, (1999) 29,078.

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Universalium. 2010.

  
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  • Saint-Martin — oder St Martin steht für den Familiennamen von Albert Frédéric Saint Martin (1865–1947), kanadischer Sozialaktivist und militanter Sozialist Jacques Donnedieu de Saint Martin, französischer Staatsphilosoph Léonce de Saint Martin, französischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Saint Martin — ist der Familienname von Jacques Donnedieu de Saint Martin, französischer Staatsphilosoph Léonce de Saint Martin, französischer Komponist Louis Claude de Saint Martin (1743 1803), französischer Philosoph (Martinismus) Louis Vivien de Saint Martin …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Saint Martin — Martin de Tours « Saint Martin » redirige ici. Pour Les noms de lieu, voir Saint Martin. Pour Les personnes, voir Martin. Pour les articles homonymes, voir Sai …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint-martin — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom.  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Saint Martin (homonymie).  Sommaire 1 …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • Saint-Martin — * * * Saint Martin (en néerl. Sint Maarten) île des Petites Antilles, partagée depuis 1648. La partie française, au N. (52 km²; 28 524 hab.; ch. l. Le Marigot), est rattachée à la Guadeloupe (V. dossier France d outre mer, p. 1442). La partie… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Saint-Martin — (spr. ßäng martäng), 1) Louis Claude, Marquis de, franz. Theosoph, geb. 18. Jan. 1743 in Amboise, gest. 13. Okt. 1803 in Auluay bei Châtillon, durchreiste, durch die Werke Jakob Böhmes angeregt, Deutschland, England, die Schweiz und Italien, wo… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Saint Martin — (spr. ßent), Insel der Kleinen Antillen in Westindien, 98,6 qkm groß, wovon 51,8 qkm mit (1899) 3577 Einw. und dem Hafen Marigot Frankreich und 46,8 qkm mit (1901) 3216 Einw. und dem Hafen Philippsburg den Niederlanden gehören. Drei Viertel der… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Saint Martin — Infobox Islands name = Saint Martin image caption = image size = locator map custom = no native name = Sint Maarten nl icon Saint Martin fr icon native name link = nickname = The Friendly Island location = Caribbean Sea coordinates =… …   Wikipedia

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  • Saint-Martin — ▪ overseas collectivity, France  overseas collectivity of France on the island of Saint Martin, Lesser Antilles, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The collectivity of Saint Martin occupies the northern two thirds of the island; the southern third,… …   Universalium