Saint Martin (2007) | Turks and Caicos Islands (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 32.5% (male 3,202; female 3,094)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 6,484; female 5,848) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 321; female 401) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish |
Airports | 1 | 8 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Area | total: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | more than one-third the size of Washington, DC | 2.5 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. | The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands are presently a British overseas territory. |
Birth rate | - | 23.51 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997-98 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 |
Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) |
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; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
Coastline | 58.9 km (for entire island) | 389 km |
Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 |
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: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
Currency | - | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | - | 4.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | - | $NA |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | - | none |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $4.1 million (1997) |
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 Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the 93,000 visitors in 1998. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002 but appeared to be picking up at yearend. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 4.65 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 5 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
Environment - current issues | fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater |
Ethnic groups | creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian | black 90%, mixed, European, or north American 10% |
Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) | the US dollar is used |
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 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Derek H. TAYLOR (since 31 January 1995) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | - | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | - | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells |
Exports - partners | - | US, UK |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
Flag description | the flag of France is used | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | 4.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 05 N, 63 57 W | 21 45 N, 71 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 | about 40 islands (eight inhabited) |
Highways | - | total: 121 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe |
Imports | - | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials |
Imports - partners | US, Mexico (2006) | US, UK |
Independence | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
Industries | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry | tourism, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 16.87 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 19.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | 4% (1995) |
International organization participation | UPU | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 14 (2000) |
Irrigated land | - | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court |
Labor force | - | 4,848 (1990 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | 85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry | about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services |
Land boundaries | total: 15 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km |
0 km |
Land use | - | arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (1998 est.) |
Languages | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) | English (official) |
Legal system | the laws of France, where applicable, apply | based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas |
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 Legislative Council (19 seats, of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 74 years
male: 71.82 years female: 76.3 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | - | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | - | none (2002 est.) |
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) | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) |
Nationality | - | noun: none
adjective: none |
Natural hazards | - | frequent hurricanes |
Natural resources | salt | spiny lobster, conch |
Net migration rate | - | 12.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
People - note | - | destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US |
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] | People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Washington MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | - | NA |
Population | 33,102 (October 2004 census) | 19,350 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
Population growth rate | - | 3.14% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Grand Turk, Providenciales |
Radio broadcast stations | FM 3 (2007) | AM 3 (one inactive), FM 6, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu | Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2003 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: fair cable and radiotelephone services
domestic: NA international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 3,000 (1994) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 0 (1994) |
Television broadcast stations | - | 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; cable television is established) (1997) |
Terrain | - | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps |
Total fertility rate | - | 3.15 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Transportation - note | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten | - |
Unemployment rate | - | 10% (1997 est.) |
Waterways | - | none |