Saint-Martin, the northern French half
(Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an overseas
collectivity of France.
On March 23, 1648, France and the Dutch Republic
agreed to divide the island between their two nations, so they
signed the Treaty of Concordia.
The northern French half comprises the
Collectivity de Saint-Martin (Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an
overseas collectivity of France.
Marigot is the main town and capital on
the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. As
of 2006[update], it has 5,700 inhabitants.
Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was
named, Marigot was made capital during the reign of King
Louis XVI, who built Fort St. Louis on a hill near Marigot
Bay. Today, that building is the most important in Marigot.
Marigot is typical of Caribbean towns, with gingerbread
houses and sidewalk bistros. Market days are every Wednesday
and Saturday morning, where one can find everything from
coconuts, avocados, sweet potatoes and plenty of other
tropical fruits and vegetables, all kinds of spices and
fresh fish, to fine batik wraps, local arts, crafts and
paintings.
Folklore surrounds the history of the
once ever-changing border division between St. Martin and
Sint Maarten, and a popular story among locals narrates that
"to divide the island in two sections, [in 1648] the
inhabitants were told to choose two walkers, one chosen by
the French-dominated community and the other one by the
Dutch-dominated community, who were put back to back in one
extreme of the island, making them walk in opposite
directions while stuck to the litoral line, and not allowing
them to run. The point where they eventually met was set as
the other extreme of the island, and the subsequently
created line was chosen as the frontier, dividing
Saint-Martin from Sint Maarten. Seemingly, the French walker
had walked more than his Dutch counterpart (each one earned
his land, respectively, 54 km? and 32 km?). As the first man
chose wine as his stimulant prior to the race, while the
latter chose beer, the difference between such beverages'
lightness was said to be the cause of the territorial
differences by French locals, while Dutch locals tended to
blame the French walker for running. In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France
signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border
controls, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border
controls on so-called "risk flights". After some delay, the
treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands, and
subsequently entered into force on 1 August 2007. Though the
treaty is now in force, its provisions are not yet
implemented as the working group specified in the treaty is
not yet installed.
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A newer monument, crossing from St. Martin to
Sint Maarten, dedicated in 2008.
Older border monument crossing between St.
Martin and Sint Maarten.
.Saint. Martin received the ISO 3166-1 code MF in
October 2007 The status of the Dutch side was due to change to a
country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in December 2008, but
this has been postponed to 10 October 2010. It is expected the Dutch
part will also get its own ISO 3166-1 code when the status change
goes into effect. The island's French side is known for its
nude beaches, clothes, shopping (including outdoor markets), and
rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine. English is the most
commonly spoken language. The official languages are French for
Saint Martin
Saint Martin is home to accommodations
including hotels, villas, and timeshares, many of which are
privately available for rent or sale.
Shopping on Saint Martin offers duty-free goods in
numerous boutiques. Popular goods include local crafts & arts,
exotic foods, jewelry, liquor, tobacco, leather goods, as well as
most designer goods. Most often the designer goods are offered at
significant discounts, often up to 40% lower than US retail prices.
Neither side of the island is part of the Schengen
Area; full border checks are performed when travelling between the
island and Europe. There are rarely checks at the border between the
two sides of the island. The Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin
border controls is being implemented to harmonize external checks at
the two main airports.
The island is served by many major airlines that
bring in large jet aircrafts, including Boeing 747s, Airbus A340s,
and McDonnell Douglas MD-11s carrying tourists from across the world
on a daily basis. The short length of the main runway at Princess
Juliana International Airport, and its position between a large hill
and a beach causes some spectacular approaches. There is a small
airport on the French side of the island at Grand Case, L'Esp?ance
Airport for small jet and propeller planes serving neighboring
Caribbean islands. Due to its location, Grand Case-Esperance Airport
frequently suffers from heavy fog during the hurricane season.
