Saint Martin (2007) | Guernsey (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 15% (male 4,998/female 4,842)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 21,752/female 22,170) 65 years and over: 17.8% (male 4,926/female 6,721) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle |
Airports | 1 | 2 (one on Alderney) (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006) |
Area | total: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
Area - comparative | more than one-third the size of Washington, DC | about one-half the size of 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. | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. |
Birth rate | - | 8.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $539.2 million
expenditures: $448.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2002) |
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 |
name: Saint Peter Port
geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Climate | temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast |
Coastline | 58.9 km (for entire island) | 50 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
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: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
Death rate | - | 10.01 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | - | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
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. | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates. |
Electricity - consumption | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | - | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 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 | UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound |
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 |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian MALBON (since 28 October 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA |
Exports | - | $NA |
Exports - commodities | - | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables |
Exports - partners | - | UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 3% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 05 N, 63 57 W | 49 28 N, 2 35 W |
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 | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | $NA |
Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment |
Imports - partners | US, Mexico (2006) | UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2004) |
Independence | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry | tourism, banking |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 4.9% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU | UPU |
Irrigated land | - | NA |
Judicial branch | - | Royal Court |
Labor force | - | 32,290 (2001) |
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: NA%
permanent crops: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | the laws of France, where applicable, apply | English law and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
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 |
unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for four years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 80.42 years
male: 77.41 years female: 83.53 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | - | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | - | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | - | NA |
Natural resources | salt | cropland |
Net migration rate | - | 3.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
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] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | none |
Population | 33,102 (October 2004 census) | 65,409 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.26% (2006 est.) |
Radio broadcast stations | FM 3 (2007) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age, universal | 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 |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 55,100 (2004) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 43,800 (2004) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | - | mostly level with low hills in southwest |
Total fertility rate | - | 1.39 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Transportation - note | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten | - |
Unemployment rate | - | 0.5% (1999 est.) |