Compare Saint Martin (2007) - Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005)

Compare Saint Martin (2007) z Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005)

	Saint Martin (2007)	Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005)

Airports	1	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1	-
Area	total: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL	total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island
Area - comparative	more than one-third the size of Washington, DC	about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Background	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.	These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve.
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	temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season	tropical
Coastline	58.9 km (for entire island)	74.1 km
Constitution	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)	-
Country name	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	conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Dependency status	-	territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas collectivity of France)	none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas collectivity of France)	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	-	Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian traditional fishing and created a national park in the region while continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity
Economy - overview	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.	no economic activity
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m
Environment - current issues	fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water	NA
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	the flag of Australia is used
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000)	-
Geographic coordinates	18 05 N, 63 57 W	12 14 S, 123 05 E
Geography - note	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	Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983
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	total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2001)
Languages	French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)	-
Legal system	the laws of France, where applicable, apply	the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, 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	island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico	Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	-	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
National holiday	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)	-
Natural hazards	-	surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards
Natural resources	salt	fish
People - note	-	the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem
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	33,102 (October 2004 census)	no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	none; offshore anchorage only
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 with sand and coral
Transportation - note	nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten	-

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