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Compare Saint Martin (2008) - Christmas Island (2005)
Compare Saint Martin (2008) z Christmas Island (2005)
| Saint Martin (2008) | Christmas Island (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | - | none (territory of Australia) |
| Age structure | - | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
| Agriculture - products | - | NA |
| Airports | 1 | 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | more than one-third the size of Washington, DC | about three-quarters 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. | Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement was begun by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. |
| Birth rate | - | NA |
| Budget | - | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of 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 |
The Settlement |
| 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 with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season December to April |
| Coastline | 58.9 km (for entire island) | 138.9 km |
| Constitution | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) | Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) |
| 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 Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island |
| Death rate | - | NA |
| Dependency status | overseas collectivity of France | 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 | - | 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. | Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 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 | Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%
note: no indigenous population (2001) |
| Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) |
| 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 the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator Evan WILLIAMS (since 1 November 2003) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia |
| Exports | - | NA |
| Exports - commodities | - | phosphate |
| Exports - partners | - | Australia, NZ |
| Fiscal year | - | 1 July - 30 June |
| Flag description | the flag of France is used | the flag of Australia is used; note - in early 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly held a design competition for an island flag, however, the winning design has never been formally adopted as the official flag of the territory |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
| GDP - real growth rate | - | NA |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 05 N, 63 57 W | 10 30 S, 105 40 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 | located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean |
| Highways | - | total: 240 km
paved: 30 km unpaved: 210 km (2000) |
| Imports | - | NA |
| Imports - commodities | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items | consumer goods |
| Imports - partners | US, Mexico (2006) | principally Australia |
| Independence | none (overseas collectivity of France) | none (territory of Australia) |
| Industries | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry | tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion) |
| Infant mortality rate | - | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| International organization participation | UPU | none |
| Irrigated land | - | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court |
| Labor force | - | NA |
| Labor force - by occupation | 85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry | NA |
| 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% note: mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park (2001) |
| Languages | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) | English (official), Chinese, Malay |
| Legal system | the laws of France, where applicable, apply | under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law |
| 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 Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 3 May 2003 (next to be held in 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 |
| Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
| Literacy | - | NA |
| Location | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico | Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Southeast Asia |
| Maritime claims | - | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of France | defense is the responsibility of Australia |
| National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848) | Australia Day, 26 January (1788) |
| Nationality | - | noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island |
| Natural hazards | - | the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard |
| Natural resources | salt | phosphate, beaches |
| Net migration rate | - | NA |
| People - note | - | the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports a population of 1,508 as of the 2001 Census |
| 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 |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | - | none |
| Population | 33,102 (October 2004 census) | 361 (July 2005 est.) |
| Population growth rate | - | 0% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | - | Flying Fish Cove |
| Radio broadcast stations | FM 3 (2007) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu | Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997) |
| Sex ratio | - | NA |
| 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 |
general assessment: service provided by the Australian network
domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-891; satellite earth stations - one Intelsat earth station provides telephone and telex service (2000) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | - | NA |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | - | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | - | NA |
| Terrain | - | steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau |
| Total fertility rate | - | NA |
| Transportation - note | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten | - |
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