Saint Martin (2007) | Saint Pierre and Miquelon (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions approved by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years:
25.85% (male 917; female 874) 15-64 years: 64.22% (male 2,273; female 2,176) 65 years and over: 9.93% (male 291; female 397) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
Airports | 1 | 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
total:
242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups |
Area - comparative | more than one-third the size of Washington, DC | 1.5 times 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. | First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions. |
Birth rate | - | 15.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues:
$70 million expenditures: $60 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.) |
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 |
Saint-Pierre |
Climate | temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season | cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy |
Coastline | 58.9 km (for entire island) | 120 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | 28 September 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:
Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon |
Currency | - | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) |
Death rate | - | 6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | - | self-governing territorial collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | - | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | approximately $65 million in annual grants from France |
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. | The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 37.2 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | - | 40 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 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 | Basques and Bretons (French fishermen) |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) | euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) |
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:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Remi THUAU (since NA) head of government: President of the General Council Bernard LE SOAVEC (since NA 1996) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 7 May 1995 (next to be held NA May 2002); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council |
Exports | - | $12 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Exports - commodities | - | fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts |
Exports - partners | - | US 43%, Egypt 14%, Japan 11%, Colombia 8% (1999) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with a black wave line under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the square into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one on top of the other; the flag of France is used for official occasions |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $74 million (1996 est.); supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1996 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 18 05 N, 63 57 W | 46 50 N, 56 20 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 | vegetation scanty |
Highways | - | total:
114 km paved: 69 km unpaved: 45 km (1994 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | - | $55 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items | meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials |
Imports - partners | US, Mexico (2006) | France 44%, Canada 40% (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry | fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism |
Infant mortality rate | - | 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 2.1% (1991-96 average) |
International organization participation | UPU | FZ, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | - | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
Labor force | - | 3,000 (1997) |
Labor force - by occupation | 85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry | fishing 18%, industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 15 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km |
0 km |
Land use | - | arable land:
13% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 4% other: 83% (1993 est.) |
Languages | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) | French |
Legal system | the laws of France, where applicable, apply | French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation |
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 General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: elections last held NA April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population:
77.77 years male: 75.51 years female: 80.13 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.) |
Location | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico | Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | North America |
Maritime claims | - | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | 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) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun:
Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French |
Natural hazards | - | persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard |
Natural resources | salt | fish, deepwater ports |
Net migration rate | - | -4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 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] | Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | 33,102 (October 2004 census) | 6,928 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 0.43% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Saint Pierre |
Radio broadcast stations | FM 3 (2007) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 4,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu | Roman Catholic 99% |
Sex ratio | - | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 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:
adequate domestic: NA international: radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 4,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 0 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997) |
Terrain | - | mostly barren rock |
Total fertility rate | - | 2.12 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Transportation - note | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten | - |
Unemployment rate | - | 9.8% (1997) |
Waterways | - | none |