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Ancient relics date the island's first settlers, probably the Ciboney (a subgroup of Arawaks), back to 3,500 years ago. [citation needed] Then another group of Arawaks migrated from South America's Orinoco basin around 800 A.D. [citation needed] Because of St. Martin's salt-pans they called it "Soualiga," or "Land of Salt."
The island's pre-colonial names include Oualichi (Arawakan, meaning 'the island of women') and Soualiga (Kalinago, meaning 'the island of salt'). [10] [11] Collectively, the two territories are known as "Saint-Martin / Sint Maarten", or sometimes "SXM", the IATA identifier for Princess Juliana International Airport, the island's main airport. St.
Sint Maarten (Dutch pronunciation: [sɪntˈmaːrtə(n)] ⓘ) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. [8] With a population of 58,477 [9] [2] as of June 2023 on an area of 34 km 2 (13 sq mi), it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 56% of the island constitutes the French ...
Philipsburg was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy; the settlement soon became a centre of international trade. Two historic forts bear witness to Philipsburg's strategic importance in St. Maarten's history: Fort Amsterdam and Fort Willem. [2]
The confusion of numerous poorly charted small islands in the Leeward Islands meant that this name was accidentally transferred to the island now known as Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten. [9] [10] Nominally a Spanish territory, the island became the focus of the competing interest of the European powers, notably France and the United Provinces ...
The island, and therefore the Fort, briefly changed hands many times between the Dutch Republic, England and France during the colonial era but has been primarily Dutch for most of its history. [2] Today, the fort is small, and in a decaying state of repair, but still worth visiting and commands a great view of the harbor.
History of Sint Maarten by period (4 C) D. Designated Monuments in Sint Maarten (4 P) Disasters in Sint Maarten (2 C, 1 P) E. Elections in Sint Maarten (1 C, 24 P)
Saint Martin (island), an island in the northeast Caribbean, divided between France and the Netherlands Collectivity of Saint Martin, French portion of the island; Sint Maarten, Dutch portion of the island; St. Martin's Island, a small island in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh; Saint Martin of the Tigers, ghost town in southern Angola