Collectivity of Saint Martin - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Martin
Saint-Martin
Overseas collectivity of France
Collectivity of Saint Martin
Collectivité de Saint-Martin
Flag of Saint Martin
Flag
Official seal of Saint Martin
Coat of arms
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
Territorial song: "O Sweet Saint Martin's Land"
Location of Saint Martin in the Leeward Islands
Location of Saint Martin in the Leeward Islands
Location of Saint Martin
Sovereign stateFrance
Partition of island23 March 1648
Separated from Guadeloupe15 July 2007
Capital
and largest city
Marigot
Official languagesFrench
Demonym(s)Saint-Martinois
GovernmentDevolved parliamentary dependency
Emmanuel Macron
• Prefect
Sylvie Feucher
• President of the
Territorial Council
Daniel Gibbs
French Parliament
• Senate
1 senator (of 377)
• National Assembly
1 seat shared with Saint Barthélemy (of 577)
Area
• Total
53.2 km2 (20.5 sq mi)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2017 estimate
35,334 [1] (219th)
• 2014 census
35,107
• Density
682/km2 (1,766.4/sq mi)
Currency
Time zoneUTC-4:00 (AST)
Driving sideright
Calling code+590
ISO 3166 code
Internet TLD

Saint Martin (French: Saint-Martin), officially the Collectivity of Saint Martin (French: Collectivité de Saint-Martin), is a new overseas collectivity of France. It was created on 22 February 2007. It is in the northern parts of the island of Saint Martin and nearby small islands. The southern half of the island is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Demographics[change | change source]

The French part of the island has a land area of 53.2 square kilometres (20.5 sq mi). At the 2011 census, the population in the French part of the island was 36,286 (up from only 8,072 inhabitants at the 1982 census), which means a population density of 682 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,770/sq mi) in 2011.[2][3]

Historical population
1885 1954 1961 1967 1974 1982 1990 1999 2006 2011
3,400 3,366 4,502 5,061 6,191 8,072 28,518 29,078 35,263 36,286
Official figures from French censuses.

Politics and government[change | change source]

Map showing the former constituent parts of the Guadeloupe region/department among the Leeward Islands, including Saint-Martin, prior to February 2007.

Saint Martin was for many years a French commune. It was part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas région and overseas département of France. Because of this, it is in the European Union. In 2003 the population of the French part voted for a split from Guadeloupe. They wanted to make a separate overseas collectivity (COM) of France.[4] On February 9, 2007, the French Parliament passed a bill granting COM status to both the French part of Saint Martin and neighbouring Saint-Barthélemy.[5] The new took effect when the law was published in the Official Journal.[6]

Saint Martin remains governed as it was when a commune within Guadeloupe—by a mayor and a municipal council elected by the European citizens living on the French side of the island. As is the case in metropolitan France since the promulgation of the Maastricht Treaty, nationals of any member state of the European Union are allowed to vote at the municipal elections. Nationals from countries not part of the European Union, which represent a large part of the population on the French side of the island, are not allowed to vote in the elections. In 2003, the people of the French part of the island voted to separate from Guadeloupe.[2][7] In 2007, the French Parliament voted to make Saint Martin a overseas collectivity (COM) of France.[8] The new status took effect on 15 July 2007, once the local assemblies were elected,[9]

Saint Martin remains part of the European Union.[10] The official currency in Saint Martin is the euro (though the United States dollar is also widely accepted).

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ "Saint-Martin: Territory & Places - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "CIA World Factbook – Saint Martin". Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "Populations légales 2011 pour les départements et les collectivités d'outre-mer" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
  4. ↑ Staff reporter (2003-12-09). "French Caribbean voters reject change" (HTML). Caribbean Net News. Retrieved 2007-02-09. However voters on the two tiny French dependencies of Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin, which have been administratively attached to Guadeloupe, approved the referendum and are set to acquire the new status of "overseas collectivity".
  5. ↑ Staff reporter (2007-02-09). "Saint-Barth To Become An Overseas Collectivity" (PDF). St. Barth Weekly. p. 2. Retrieved 2007-02-09.
  6. ↑ "Les élections du futur conseil territorial font débat" (in French). Archived from the original on 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2007-03-05.
  7. ↑ Staff reporter (9 December 2003). "French Caribbean voters reject change". Caribbean Net News. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 9 February 2007. However voters on the two tiny French dependencies of Saint-Barthelemy and Saint-Martin, which have been administratively attached to Guadeloupe, approved the referendum and are set to acquire the new status of "overseas collectivity".
  8. ↑ Staff reporter (9 February 2007). "Saint-Barth To Become An Overseas Collectivity" (PDF). St. Barth Weekly. p. 2. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
  9. ↑ NewMedia. "Les élections du futur conseil territorial font débat - Politique - Ixprim News - NewMedia - Newmedia". newmedia-fr.info. Archived from the original on 18 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Consolidated version of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Article 355". Official Journal of the European Union. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
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