Geography
Spanning roughly 10 kilometers, the international border dividing the French and Dutch sides lacks these physical structures, allowing free movement.
What are physical barriers?
While French and Dutch are the official administrative languages, this English-based dialect is what you will most commonly hear native islanders speaking in their daily lives.
What is Virgin Islands Creole (or St. Martin Creole English)?
To prevent Napoleon from using the Caribbean as a naval staging ground, this global superpower fleet sailed in and seized military occupation of both sides of Saint Martin in 1801, and again from 1810 to 1816.
What is Great Britain? (Or the Royal Navy)
This reality TV royalty and multi-billionaire makeup mogul caused a massive internet stir in 2015 when she and Kanye West named their second child this holy, four-letter moniker.
Who is Saint West?
If you want to try your luck at the slot machines or table games in a flashy, Vegas-style commercial casino, you have to cross over to this side, as gambling is illegal on the other.
What is the Dutch side? (Sint Maarten)
Spanning roughly 10% of the island's surface, this is one of the largest landlocked saltwater lagoons in the West Indies.
What is the Simpson Bay Lagoon?
The island's modern economy and infrastructure underwent massive rebuilding efforts after being devastated in 2017 by this catastrophic Category 5 Atlantic storm.
What is Hurricane Irma?
Peace finally returned to the island following Napoleon’s total defeat at Waterloo, when this massive 1815 European diplomatic conference officially restored the original 1648 French-Dutch borders.
What is the Congress of Vienna?
This smooth-talking fictional thief and master of disguise—played by Val Kilmer in 1997—shares his name with a holy figure, despite stealing high-tech secrets for a living.
Who is The Saint?
If you want to hike to the historic ruins of Fort Amsterdam, built by early settlers in 1631 on a peninsula separating Great Bay and Little Bay, you must visit this side.
What is the Dutch side?
The highest point of both the Dutch and French side, which stands at 1,391 feet (424 meters) and is located on the French side.
What is Pic Paradis?
Aviation fans flock to this specific southern beach to experience the extreme thrill of commercial jet liners flying just dozens of feet directly over their heads.
What is Maho beach?
Built by the French in 1789 to defend Marigot, this prominent hilltop fortress was heavily targeted and captured by the British during the West Indies campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars.
What is Fort Louis?
This famous American football franchise from Louisiana features a fiercely loyal fan base known for shouting the incredibly loud, grammatical nightmare of a catchphrase, "Who Dat?!"
What are the New Orleans Saints?
Two capitals of the same island, one with a Dutch name and one with a French.
What is Marigot and Philipsburg?
Located just north of the Dutch capital of Philipsburg, this massive pond dominated the southern economy for centuries. Though no longer used for commercial salt reaping, it remains a major geographic landmark.
What is the Great Salt Pond?
Environmental groups are working tirelessly to replant these specific salt-tolerant coastal trees, which act as natural wave buffers and fish nurseries along the lagoon shores.
What are Mangroves?
A popular border was established by this historic 1648 treaty, which was negotiated on Mount Concordia, a hill straddling the international line.
What is The Treaty of Concordia?
Though her name sounds incredibly devout, this legendary American pop star and modern fashion icon ruled the 2010s with mega-hits like Masseduction and Cruel.
Who is St. Vincent?
While it won't handle massive transatlantic Boeing jets, this side's smaller Grand Case-Espérance Airport (SFG) is where you'll go to catch a regional island-hopper flight.
What is the French side? (Saint-Martin)
This flat, uninhabited 200-acre islet located two miles off the northeast coast of Saint Martin is a protected nature reserve famous for its white sand beaches, steep red clay cliffs, and sea turtle populations.
What is Tintamarre island?
In 2023, the French and Dutch governments finally settled a nine-year territorial dispute regarding the exact placement of the border line running through this body of water.
What is Oyster Pond?
Because Napoleon overran and absorbed the Dutch Republic into France in 1795, the 147-year-old power-sharing agreement on Saint Martin was briefly broken when this side took total control of the whole island.
What is the French side (or France)?
He didn't build an ark, but this real-life American fashion designer and cultural icon achieved legendary status by creating a luxury French fashion house famed for its sleek, rebellious tuxedo suits.
Who is Yves Saint Laurent?
If you want to pay for your dinner using the Euro as the official local currency, you must dine on this side of the island.
What is the French side? (Saint-Martin)