Compare Paracel Islands (2003) - Saint Martin (2007)

Compare Paracel Islands (2003) z Saint Martin (2007)

	Paracel Islands (2003)	Saint Martin (2007)

Airports	1 (2002)	1
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1
Area	total: NA sq km land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL
Area - comparative	NA	more than one-third the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.	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	tropical	temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season
Coastline	518 km	58.9 km (for entire island)
Constitution	-	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands	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
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Disputes - international	occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam	-
Economy - overview	China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism.	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: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m	lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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 - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
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 France is used
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000)
Geographic coordinates	16 30 N, 112 00 E	18 05 N, 63 57 W
Geography - note	composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group	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 (1998 est.)	-
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% (1998 est.)	-
Languages	-	French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)
Legal system	-	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	Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines	island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	NA	-
Military - note	occupied by China	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	typhoons	-
Natural resources	none	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	no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons (July 2003 est.)	33,102 (October 2004 census)
Ports and harbors	small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded	-
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	mostly low and flat	-
Transportation - note	-	nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten
Waterways	none	-

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