Sint Maarten
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- 1634 - 15 Dec 1959
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- 15 Dec 1959 - 13 Jun 1985
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- Adopted 13 Jun 1985
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![[Saint-Martin / Sint-Maarten Island
unity flag] [Saint-Martin /
Sint-Maarten Island unity flag]](sx-mf.gif) - Unofficial St. Martin Unity Flag
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Map
of Sint Maarten |
Hear
National Anthem
"Wilhelmous van Nassouwe"
(William of Nassau) |
Hear Local Anthem
"Volkslied van Sint Maarten"
(St. Martin National
Anthem)
(a.ka. O Lieve Land van Sint Maarten [O' Sweet
Saint
Martin's Land]) From
c.1958 |
Constitution
(10 Oct
2010) |
Capital:
Philipsburg
(Fort Amsterdam 1631-1633,
1648-1763)
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Currency:
Netherlands
Antillean Guilder (ANG)
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National Holiday:
27 Apr (1967)
King's Day (Koningsdag)
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Local Holiday: 11 Nov
(1493)
Saint Martin's Day
(Sint-Maarten
Dag)
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Population: 44,564 (2021) |
GDP: $1.43 billion (2018)
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Exports: $1.09 billion (2019)
Imports: $1.23 billion
(2019) |
Ethnic groups: Saint Maarten
29.9%, Dominican
Republic 10.2%, Haiti 7.8%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint
Martin 5.9%, Guyana 5%, Dominica 4.4%, Curacao
4.1%, Aruba 3.4%,
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.8%, India 2.6%,
Netherlands 2.2%,
U.S. 1.6%, Suriname 1.4%, Saint Lucia 1.3%,
Anguilla 1.1%,
other 8%, unspecified 1.7% (2011) |
Total Police Force: 370 (2012)
Defense is the Responsibility
of The Netherlands
Merchant marine: None
(2018) |
Religions: Protestant 41.9%
(Pentecostal 14.7%, Methodist 10.0%,
Seventh Day Adventist 6.6%, Baptist 4.7%,
Anglican 3.1%,
other Protestant 2.8%), Roman Catholic 33.1%,
Hindu 5.2%,
Christian 4.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.7%,
Evangelical 1.4%,
Muslim/Jewish 1.1%, other 1.3% (includes
Buddhist, Sikh,
Rastafarian), none 7.9%, no response 2.4% (2011)
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International
Organizations/Treaties: ACS (associate), AOSIS (observer), Caricom
(observer), DLU (cooperation), FATF, ILO, IMF, Interpol, LAP, OECS
(observer), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO |
Sint Maarten
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Chronology
13 Nov
1493
Once
past St. Kitts Spanish explorer Capt.
Cristóbal Colón may
have sighed Saint Martin.
According to tradition he names the island
Isla
San Martín
(a name in fact given to Nevis).
The Caribs called the island Soualiga.
1516
First mentioned as "Sam Mtim" on the Reinel
map.
5 Oct
1624
First recorded European, Dutch sailor Pieter
Schouten (d. 1625), lands on Sint Maarten.
1631 - 2 Jul 1633
Dutch
settlement in southern end of the
island.
2 Jul 1633 - 1648
Spanish occupation.
23 Mar
1648
Divided into French Saint-Martin
(north) and Dutch
Sint Martin (Martijn)(south) parts by the
Treaty
of Concordia
(Mont des Accords).
1648 - Apr
1672
Dutch Sint Martin a
grantee-concession
(subordinated to St. Eustatius).
Apr 1672 - 15 Jun
1676 French
occupy entire island (see Saint-Martin).
15 Jun 1676 - 30 Jun
1676 Dutch occupy entire
island.
30 Jun 1676 - 27 Jan
1690 French occupy entire
island (see Saint-Martin).
1690 - 1699
No
organized administration on the island.
20 Sep
1697
English agree to restore conquered territories
(incl. Saint
Martin) to status quo ante by the
Treaty of Ryswick (Tractatus
Pacis).
1699 - 1702
French
control entire island (see Saint-Martin).
1702 - 10 Apr
1703
Abandoned, both countries having evacuated.
1703 - 16 Mar 1792
Dutch part under the Dutch West
India Company
administration.
10 Apr 1703 - Aug 1715
Dutch control the
entire island.
15 May
1733
Philipsburg founded.
14 Jul
1734
Franco-Dutch Treaty of Neutrality of the
island of
Saint Martin in case of war between France and
the Netherlands.
24 Feb 1779 - 5 Feb 1781 French
occupy Dutch part (see Saint-Martin).
5 Feb 1781 - 27 Nov 1781
British occupy entire island.
27 Nov
1781 - 11 Feb 1784 French occupy the
Dutch part (the Dutch part civil
administration continues).
18 May 1793 - 5 Apr
1795 Dutch control entire island.
28 Apr
1795 - 24 Mar 1801 French occupy entire
island (the Dutch part Dutch
administration continues with French
commissioners)
(see Saint-Martin).
24
Mar 1801 - 1 Dec 1802 British
occupy entire island.
1
Dec 1802 - 15 Feb 1810 French and Dutch
parts resumed.
17
Jan 1803 - 15 Jan 1821 Saba a dependency of
Sint Maarten.
15 Feb 1810 - 24 Jan 1815 British occupy
entire island.
9
Jul
1810
Annexed along with Holland by France (not
effected).
24 Jan 1815 - 6 Jan 1816
British occupy the Dutch part (and the French
part
again Jul 1815 - 22
Nov 1816).
6 Jan
1816
Dutch
Sint
Martin part resumed.
1816
- 15 Jan 1821
Sint Maarten, Saba
subordinated to Sint Eustatius.
15 Jan 1821 - 20 May
1828 Sint Eustatius, Saba a dependency
of Sint Maarten.
20 May 1828 - 29 Oct 1845 Sint
Martin, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba,
Sint Eustatius, and Dutch Guiana united as
the
Dutch West Indies; with the governor of
Dutch
Guiana as the governor-general (see Suriname).
28 Nov
1839
Franco-Dutch Convention confirms the 1648
accords.
29 Oct
1845
Suriname colony is separated from Curaçao and its
dependencies.
27 Jan
1848
Dutch
Islands united under the name of Curaçao and
Dependencies (from 20 Sep 1948, renamed
the
Netherlands Antilles: see under Curaçao).
1919 - 1 Apr
1983
Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten united
as
the
Netherlands Windward Islands Territory
(Eilandgebied de Bovenwindse
Eilanden).
1936
Dutch part officially adopts the Dutch
spelling
Sint Maarten.
12 May
1904 - Jul 1940 French
garrison (Dutch administration continues).
20 Sep
1948
Netherlands Antilles a coequal part of
Netherlands
realm.
29 Dec 1954
Netherlands Antilles an
autonomous part of
the Netherlands.
14 Oct
1994
Referendum supports remaining within
Netherlands
Antilles over
becoming autonomous country 59%-32%.
23 Jun
2000
Referendum supports a "status aparte" as a
separate entity within The Netherlands by
68.9%.
2
Nov 2006
Sint Maarten and Curaçao
sign an agreement with
The Netherlands on "status
aparte"
10 Oct 2010
Sint Maarten an autonomous country of
Netherlands.
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Dutch Commander
1631 - 2 Jul
1633 Jan
Claeszoon van
Campen
(d. 1642)
Spanish Governors
2 Jul 1633 - 1635
Cebrián de
Lizarazu
1635 - 1639
Luis de Valdes
1639 - 1648
Diego Guajardo Fajardo
Dutch Commanders
14 Feb 1648 -
1650
Martin (Marten) Thomas
1650 -
1655
Adriaan de Vos
1655 -
1660
Edmond de Fosse
1667?
Jan Sympson
1672?
Jan Simonsz. de Buck
Apr 1672 - 15 Jun 1676
French occupation
15 Jun 1676 - 30 Jun 1676 Jacob
Binckes
(b. 1637 - d. 1677)
30 Jun 1676 - 27 Jan 1690 French
occupation
1690 - 1699
Vacant
1699 -
1702
French administration
1702 - 10 Apr
1703 abandoned
Vice-commanders (Vice
Commandeurs Sint Martin [Nederlandsch
gedeelte])
10 Apr 1703 -
170. Lucas
van
Beverhoudt
(b. c.1665 - d. c.1722)
1705?
Olivier Graval
1708?-
1710
Charles Devezaen
1710 - Feb 1712
François Lemaire
1712 -
1713
Jean Buretel
1713 -
1718
Martinus Meyer (1st
time)
(d. 1733)
12 May 1718 -
1720
Louis Guillaume du Repaire
1720 - 1721
Jan de Windt, Sr.
1721 - 10 Jun 1733
Martinus
Meyer (2nd
time)
(s.a.)
Jun 1733 -
1735
Jacobus Barry
16 Feb 1735 - 16 Jun 1736 John Philips
(1st time) (b.
1689? - d. 1746)
(commander)
17 Jun 1736 - 22 Jul 1737 Pieter Hassell
(acting) (b.
c.1677 - d. 175.)
22 Jul 1737 - 16 Dec 1746 John Philips
(2nd time)
(s.a.)
(commander)
17 Dec 1746 - 15 Jan 1748 Jan de Wever (acting)
17 Jan 1748 - 27 Nov 1781 Abraham
Heyliger Pzn.
(b. 1717 - d. 1783)
5 Feb 1781 - 26 Nov 1781 Andrew
Edhouse -British commander
(b. c.1723 - d. 1788)
Governors (gouverneurs)
26 Nov 1781 - 23 Jul 1783 Abraham Heyliger
Pzn.
(s.a.)
1783 -
1784
Charles Chabert, Jr.
(b. 1761 - d. 1810)
11 Feb 1784 - 5 Feb 1785 Councillors
(acting)
- Thomas
Aertsen
-
Jacob M. Gumbes
Commanders
5 Feb 1785 - 11 Feb 1790 Johannes
Salomons Gibbes
(b. 1735 - d. 1802)
(vice-commander to 26 Sep
1786)
12 Feb 1790 - 19 Jun 1800 Willem Hendrik
Rink (1st time) (b. 1756 - d. 1848)
28 Apr 1795 - 1801
with
French commissioners (see St. Martin)
1800 -
1801
Remt Folkerus Muller
20 Jan 1801 - 24 Mar 1801 Willem Hendrik
Rink (2nd time) (s.a.)
24 Mar 1801 - 1 Dec 1802 Robert
Nicholson
(b.
17.. - d. 1810)
Governors
(gouverneurs)
1 Dec 1802 - Aug? 1806 Willem Hendrik
Rink (3rd time) (s.a.)
Aug? 1806 - 14 Feb 1810 Jan
Verveer
Jzn.
(b. 1775 - d. 1838)
15 Feb 1810 - 1810
George William Richard Harcourt (b.
1775 - d. 1812)
(British commander)
14 Feb 1810 - 3 Apr 1810 John
Skinner
(b. c.1750 - d. 1827)
3 Apr 1810 - Jan
1813 Robert Nicholas
(b. 17.. - d. 1814)
Jan 1813 - Feb 1814
James Alexander Farquharson
(b. 1775 - d. 1834)
(1st time)
Feb 1814 - 5 Apr
1815 William McCaskill
(b.
c.1750 - d. 1815)
Mar 1815 - May 1815
Robert Ferry (acting)
May 1815 - Jul 1815
James Alexander Farquharson
(s.a.)
(2nd time)
Jul 1815 - Aug 1815
Francis Edden
(acting)
Aug 1815 - 6 Jan
1816 Robert
Douglas
(b. c.1745 - d. 1828)
Lieutenant governors (gezaghebber)
12 Feb 1816 - 5 Feb 1820 Paulus
Roelof
Cantz'laar
(b. 1771 - d. 1831)
(commander)
5 Feb 1820 - 1 Jan 1840
Diederik Johannes van Romondt (b.
1781 - d. 1849)
(president of Police Council [acting
to 15 Jan 1821] to 20 Nov 1833)
9 Mar 1822 - 15 Mar 1823 Abraham Heijlinger
(acting for van Romondt)
1 Jan 1840 - 12 Jun 1849 Johannes
Willem van Romondt (b. 1805 -
d. 1849)
12 Jul 1849 - 16 Apr 1850 Pieter Petersen
(acting)
16 Apr 1850 - May 1859 Johannes
Didericus Crol
(b. 1806 - d. 1870)
May? 1859 - 1 Nov 1860 Lucas
Percival (acting)
(b. 1808 - d. 1877)
1 Nov 1860 - 25 Oct 1865 Willem
Hendrik Johan van Idsinga (b. 1822 - d.
1896)
7 May 1864 - 7 Mar 1865
Diederik Chr. van Romondt
(b. 1807 - d. 1865)
(acting for Idsinga)
25 Oct 1865 - 23 Feb 1866 Philogène
Philippe Maillard (b. 1806 -
d. 1886)
(acting)
23 Feb 1866 - 18 Nov 1870 Herman
François Gerardus Wagner (b. 1822 - d.
1904)
18 Nov 1870 - 28 Aug 1871 Robert van
Romondt
(acting) (b.
1842 - d. 1878)
28 Aug 1871 - 1883
Edouard Dénis Ernest van
den (b. 1831 - d.
1908)
Bossche
9 Feb 1874 - 19 Feb 1877
Diederik Charles van Romondt (b.
1835 - d. 1904)
(1st time)(acting for van den Bossche)
1883 - 1 Aug 1883
Diederik
Charles van Romondt (s.a.)
(2nd time) (acting)
1 Aug 1883 - 17 Sep 1885 Jan
Hendrik Rudeloff
Beaujon (b. 1838 -
d. 1930)
1885 - 1 Jul 1889
Theophilus
George
Groebe
(b. 1838 - d. 1919)
1 Jul 1889 - 7 Jul 1891 Jan
Hero Adriaan van
Daalen (b.
1842 - d. 1899)
7 Jul 1891 - 17 Apr 1893 Frans
Johannes Olivier
(b. 1850 - d. 1914)
17 Apr 1893 - 26 Nov 1894 Diederik
Charles van Romondt (s.a.)
(3rd time) (acting)
26 Nov 1894 - Dec 1901
Jozef Möller
(b.
1849 - d. 1909)
18 May 1898 - 1 Dec 1900
Diederik Charles van Romondt (s.a.)
(4th time)(acting for Möller)
Dec 1901 - 28 Sep 1918
Abraham Jan Cornelis
Brouwer (b. 1858 -
d. 1919)
28 Sep 1918 - 2 Jun 1919 Frits
Koenraad Thielen (acting) (b.
1875 - d. 1943)
Lieutenant governors for
the Windward Islands (Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint
Eustatius)
(gezaghebbers van de Bovenwindse
Eilanden)
2 Jun 1919 - 24 Aug 1920
G.J. Tymstra (interim)
24 Aug 1920 - 29 Dec 1920 A.W. de Haseth
(interim)
29 Dec 1920 - 15 Nov 1923 J. Van der Zee
15 Nov 1923 - 1 Feb 1927 Richard
Johannes "Hensi" (b.
1883 - d. 1959)
Beaujon, Jr.
1 Feb 1927 - 28 Jul 1927 Carel
Frederik Boskaljon (acting) (b. 1901 -
d. 1929)
28 Jul 1927 - 21 May 1930 Willem Frederik
Meinhardt Lampe (b. 1896 - d. 1973)
(interim)
17 Jul 1930 - 3 Dec 1943 Johann
Diedrich Meiners
(b. 1889 - d. 19..)
16 Apr 1938 - 9 Jan 1939 Anthony
Hendrik Marinus van Weel (b. 1900 - d. 1987)
(acting for Meiners)
7 Oct 1943 - 23 Feb 1948
Pieter Hendrik van
Leeuwen
(b. 1893 - d. 1953)
16 Mar 1946 - 31 Oct 1946 Maximillian Joseph Huith
(b. 1909 - d.
1993)
(acting for Leeuwen)
16 Dec 1947 - 23 Feb 1948 Maximillian
Joseph Huith (s.a.)
(acting for Leeuwen)
23 Feb 1948 - 21 Jul 1958 Johannes Christiaan
Paap
(interim to 10 Nov 1948)
8 Apr 1953 - 3 Nov 1953 Ir.
K.A. van Rijswijk (Ryswick)
(acting for Paap)
1 Jul 1957 - 16 Oct 1957 Walter Granville
Buncamper
(b. 1908 - d. 1978)
(1st time)(acting for Paap)
16 Oct 1957 - 7 Jul 1958 Hendrik Anthonius
Hessling
(b. 1901 - d. 1966)
(acting for Paap)
7 Jul 1958 - 10 Aug 1959 Walter
Granville Buncamper
(s.a.)
(2nd time) (acting)
10 Aug 1959 - 1968
Jan Jacob "Japa" Beaujon
(b. 1921 - d. 1999)
Aug 1968 - 1 Mar
1975 Reinier Oswald van
Delden (b.
1928 - d. 2011)
(acting to 3 Mar 1969)
1 Mar 1975 -
1981
Theodore Maxwell "Max" Pandt (b.
1939 - d. 2017)
(acting to 1 Sep 1975)
1981 - 1 Apr 1983
Ralph
R.H.
Richardson
(b. 1937)
Lieutenant governors (gezaghebber)
1 Apr 1983 -
1992
Ralph R.H.
Richardson
(s.a.)
1 Mar 1992 - 1 Sep 1994
Wilfred Russell
Voges
(b. 1943)
1 Sep 1994 - 22 Sep 2000 Dennis
Leroy
Richardson
(b. 1946)
22 Sep 2000 - 10 Aug 2010
Franklyn E. Richards
(b. 1950)
10 Aug 2010 - 10 Oct 2010 Reynold Amando
Groeneveldt (b.
19.. - d. 2022)
(acting)
Governors
10 Oct 2010 - 10 Oct 2022 Eugene Bernard
Holiday
(b. 1962)
10 Oct 2022
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Ajamu G.
Baly
(b. 1977)
Leaders of the government
(of Windward Islands Council 1951-1982)(unofficial
post until 1997)
1951 -
1991
Claude
Wathey
(b. 1926 - d. 1998) DP
(= Albert Claudius Wathey)
1991 -
1995
Edgar Hubert
Lynch
(b.
1952)
SPA
1995 - 1 Jul
1999
William Marlin (1st time)
(b.
1950)
SPA
1 Jul 1999 - 8
Jun 2009 Sarah A. Wescot-Williams
(f) (b.
1956)
DP
8 Jun 2009 - 10
Oct 2010 William Marlin (2nd time)
(s.a.)
SPA + NA
Prime ministers
10 Oct 2010 - 19 Dec 2014
Sarah A. Wescot-Williams
(f) (s.a.)
DP
19 Dec 2014 - 19 Nov 2015 Marcel Faustiano
Augustin Gumbs (b. 1953)
UPP
19 Nov 2015 - 24 Nov 2017 William
Marlin
(s.a.)
SPA + NA
24 Nov 2017 - 15 Jan 2018 Rafael Boasman (acting)
(b. 1953)
USP
15 Jan 2018 - 10 Oct 2019 Leona
Marlin-Romeo
(f)
(b. 1973) UDP
10 Oct 2019 - 19 Nov 2019
Wycliffe Sylvester Smith (acting) (b.
1948)
SMCP
19 Nov 2019
-
Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs
(f) (b.
1968)
NA
Party abbreviations: NA
= National Alliance/Nationale Alliantie
(electoral alliance of SPA and National Progressive
Party/Nationale Progressieve Partij, est.18 Jan 2002); SMCP
= Sint Maarten Christian Party (christian democratic,
est.Nov 2015); SPA = St.
Maarten Patriotic Alliance/Sint Maarten
Patriottische Alliantie (part of NA from 18 Jan 2002,
named 1979-1990 as St. Maarten
Patriotic Movement, est.1989); UDP = United
Democratic Party/Verenigde Democratische Partij (merger of
UPP and DP, est.Nov 2017); USP = United
St. Maarten Party/ Verenigde Sint
Maarten Partij
(split from NA, est.22 Dec 2013);
- Former parties: DP
= Democratic Party of Saint Martin/Democratische
Partij van Sint Maarten (Democratic Party
of St. Maarten, christian-democratic,
centrist, 1951-Nov 2017, merged into UDP); UPP
= United People's Party/Verenigde
Volkspartij (populist, 24 Jul 2010-Nov 2017, merged
into UDP)
© Ben Cahoon
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