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Compare Saint Martin (2007) - Western Sahara (2008)
Compare Saint Martin (2007) z Western Sahara (2008)
| Saint Martin (2007) | Western Sahara (2008) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | - | none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
| Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)
15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | - | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish |
| Airports | 1 | 9 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007) |
| Area | total: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | more than one-third the size of Washington, DC | about the size of Colorado |
| 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. | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. |
| Birth rate | - | NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Budget | - | revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA |
| 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 |
none
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Climate | temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
| Coastline | 58.9 km (for entire island) | 1,110 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: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
| Death rate | - | NA |
| Debt - external | - | $NA |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none |
| Disputes - international | - | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria |
| 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. | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. |
| Electricity - consumption | - | 79.05 million kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
| Electricity - production | - | 85 million kWh (2005) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
| Environment - current issues | fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water | sparse water and lack of arable land |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian | Arab, Berber |
| Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002) | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) |
| 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 |
none |
| Exports | - | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
| Exports - commodities | - | phosphates 62% |
| Exports - partners | - | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) |
| Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
| Flag description | the flag of France is used | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% |
| GDP - real growth rate | - | NA% |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 05 N, 63 57 W | 24 30 N, 13 00 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 | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Imports | - | 1,698 bbl/day (2004) |
| Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners | US, Mexico (2006) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) |
| Independence | none (overseas collectivity of France) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | - | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
| Infant mortality rate | - | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA% |
| International organization participation | UPU | none |
| Irrigated land | - | NA |
| Labor force | - | 12,000 |
| Labor force - by occupation | 85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry | agriculture: 50%
industry and services: 50% |
| Land boundaries | total: 15 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km |
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
| Land use | - | arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005) |
| Languages | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
| 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 |
- |
| Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Literacy | - | NA |
| Location | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | - | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
| Military - note | 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) | - |
| Nationality | - | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
| Natural hazards | - | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
| Natural resources | salt | phosphates, iron ore |
| 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] | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | - | none |
| Population | 33,102 (October 2004 census) | 382,617
note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | - | NA% |
| Population growth rate | - | NA |
| Radio broadcast stations | FM 3 (2007) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu | Muslim |
| Sex ratio | - | NA |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age, universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed |
| 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: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
| Telephones - main lines in use | - | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 0 (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | - | NA |
| Terrain | - | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
| Total fertility rate | - | NA |
| Transportation - note | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten | - |
| Unemployment rate | - | NA% |
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