music and literature and the talented islanders who have created it. The island also offers a number of land-based sporting opportunities, from hiking through rain a forest to lobbing a tennis ball or horseback riding.
 
 Life in the Caribbean revolves around the sea. Your visit to Saint Martin is a perfect time to launch or renew a passion for the ocean. And there are many ways on Saint Martin to celebrate the splendor of the sea at one of its 37 beaches-- one for each of the island's 37 square miles.
 
 Saint Martin's past illustrates quite well how turbulent and adventurous the era of the great discoveries was. This was a period of history in which humanity went through a sometime painful change in its fundamental beliefs and social structures.
 
 In 1492 under the Spanish flag, Christopher Columbus set off to prove that the world was not flat, but round and that the world was not the center of our universe, but revolved around it. It was against this background that Saint Martin was discovered.
 
 Before the island became part of modern history, this corner of the Caribbean was an idyllic place. Around 2000 BC friendly Arawak Indians came up from South America, surviving off the local vegetation and seafood, a seemingly endless source of nutrition. They named the island "Soualiga" meaning "Land of Salt" for the saltpans and the brackish water.

St. Martin Day

This time in the form of the cannibalistic Carib tribes, who migrated from the jungles of the Amazon Basin. They gradually took over the area and drove out the peaceful Arawaks. The Carib and Arawak settlements came to an end in the fifteenth century when Spain claimed all the land west of 50-degrees longitude. Reportedly on the 11th of November 1493, Columbus sailed past the island, claimed it for Spain and named it after the holy man, the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours. This day is now commemorated each year as Saint Martin Day.

Because of the Spaniards, who were too occupied by the discovery of great Indian civilizations and treasures in the New World, the islands were left alone in their natural beauty for over 130 years.

In 1631 the Dutch, seeking an outpost between their colonies in Brazil and New Amsterdam (New York), occupied the island and began to mine salt. In 1633, when the Spanish became aware of this invasion, they recaptured the island to maintain their monopoly on this essential preservative. Over the next fifteen years, a number of attempts were made by the Dutch to reclaim their lost possession. The Spanish abandoned all claims the island in 1647, having no further use for this part of the Caribbean. According to legend, a small contingent of French and Dutch were left behind and they sent out to their neighboring colonies for reinforcements.

 

The treaty

After some further armed struggles, both parties sat down and negotiated a cohabitation agreement so that the two nations could live peacefully together and help each other in time of need. The treaty, signed on top of Mount Concordia in 1648, divided the island in two and laid the foundations of the present day Saint Martin. France, because of its superior naval presence in the region, received 21 square miles; the Netherlands got the remaining 16 square miles.

It was because of the growing of sugarcane, both the Dutch and French, in keeping with the rest of the Caribbean, imported slaves from Africa to work the island plantations. By 1819 the island's economy was shaky and many plantations collapsed, spelling an end to slavery.

The rediscovery

Saint Martin was rediscovered again in the 20th century, when in 1939 it was declared a duty-free port. Then in 1950 with the opening of the international airport on Saint Martin, The Dutch began developing a tourist industry, though the French didn't take advantage of this opportunity until the 1970's.

Luxury resort hotels replace fortresses and pirate hideouts and tourists bring a newly discovered wealth to the island. At the turn of the millennium, the island's main attractions are the unique presence of two cultures in so small an island and a variety of stunning beaches. It is evident from the remarkable history of Saint Martin that its inhabitants indeed have created a culture that is charming and unique.

 

Traffic on the island

Although the island is quite small, it is hardly possible to travel by neither foot nor bicycle. There are no side walks where you can walk safely. Public transportation is hard to find. There are taxi's you could take and there are local buses, but these buses do not drive according to a schedule and they only drive on the main street. Therefore it is very recommendable to have a (rental) car for your own transportation.

 

Languages

The official language on the Dutch side of the island is Dutch while French is the official language on the French side. Many people however are multilingual and speak English, Dutch, French, Papiamentu, Spanish and Creole.

Treasures of the island

Apart from its stunning stretches of sandy shore and quaint, colorful villages, St. Martin boasts a wealth of art,

St. Martin is the smallest Island in the world to be shared by two sovereign governments-namely the Dutch and French. The Dutch side, with Philipsburg as its capital occupies the southern 17 square miles of this 37-square-mile island; St. Martin, a French dependency, occupies the northern half. The dual nationality adds variety to this most unique of island gems in the Caribbean Sea.

Both Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin have maintained a peaceful coexistence for over 350 years, the longest of any two bordering nations. The two territories have enjoyed harmonious relations through their history and have shared the prosperity of many years without dispute. The Treaty of Concordia executed on March 23rd 1648 established this coexistence and has the unique distinction of being the oldest Treaty still in force today.

Choosing a Saint Martin vacation is choosing sunshine, beautiful topography, clean white sand beaches, crystal blue and turquoise waters, and friendly hospitality.

St. Martin is a unique combination of delightful ingredients-- from abundant shopping at duty-free prices to gastronomic delights with a special blend of cultures and tradition. The island offers a wide array of activities ranging from boating and yachting excursions, parasailing and skydiving, golf, and tennis, hiking by day and casinos and nightclubs by night.