Compare Baker Island (2006) - Saint Martin (2008)

Compare Baker Island (2006) z Saint Martin (2008)

	Baker Island (2006)	Saint Martin (2008)

Airports	one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and unusable (2006)	1
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1
Area	total: 1.4 sq km land: 1.4 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL
Area - comparative	about 2.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	more than one-third the size of Washington, DC
Background	The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization was begun on this island - as well as on nearby Howland Island - but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. Presently the island is a National Wildlife Refuge run by the US Department of the Interior; a day beacon is situated near the middle of the west coast.	Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity.
Capital	-	name: Marigot geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour
Climate	equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun	temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season
Coastline	4.8 km	58.9 km (for entire island)
Constitution	-	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island	conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin conventional short form: Saint Martin local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin local short form: Saint-Martin
Dependency status	unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system	overseas collectivity of France
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Disputes - international	none	-
Economy - overview	no economic activity	The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 8 m	lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m
Environment - current issues	no natural fresh water resources	fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water
Ethnic groups	-	creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian
Exchange rates	-	euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007) head of government: President of the Territorial Council Louis-Constant FLEMING (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Louis-Constant FLEMING unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007
Flag description	the flag of the US is used	the flag of France is used
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000)
Geographic coordinates	0 13 N, 176 28 W	18 05 N, 63 57 W
Geography - note	treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife	the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten
Imports - commodities	-	crude petroleum, food, manufactured items
Imports - partners	-	US, Mexico (2006)
Independence	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Industries	-	tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry
International organization participation	-	UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	-
Labor force - by occupation	-	85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	-
Languages	-	French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)
Legal system	the laws of the US, where applicable, apply	the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1
Location	Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia	island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Oceania	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard	defense is the responsibility of France
National holiday	-	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	-
Natural resources	guano (deposits worked until 1891), terrestrial and aquatic wildlife	salt
Political parties and leaders	-	Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET]
Population	uninhabited note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and remnants of structures from early settlement are located near the middle of the west coast; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (2005 est.)	33,102 (October 2004 census)
Radio broadcast stations	-	FM 3 (2007)
Religions	-	Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu
Suffrage	-	18 years of age, universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: fully integrated access domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Gudaloupe
Terrain	low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef	-
Transportation - note	there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast	nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten

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