Life on St. Martin: An Island Paradise

St. Martin, an island in the Caribbean, is located about 190 miles east of Puerto Rico. The island is about evenly divided between France and the Netherlands Antilles. St. Martin is the smallest island on the planet that is divided between two separate nations.

The total population of the island is about 85,000 people. Approximately 50,000 reside on the Dutch side of the island while about 35,000 reside on the French side of St. Martin. Being nothing less than a true tropical paradise, the island hosts about 1,000,000 tourists each and every year at the present time.

It is believed that Christopher Columbus anchored on what is know St. Martin on the Feast Day of St. Martin of Tours, a Catholic Saint. Hence, the name of the island. There is some debate as to whether this did occur; however, it is the generally accepted tale about the naming of the island.

The island has been divided between the French and the Dutch for many, many years. The countries agreed to divide the island between them in 1648 pursuant to the terms of what is known as the Treaty of Concordia.

Tourism is the main industry on both the French and the Dutch sides of St. Martin. The island is home to some world class hotels and resorts. There are numerous private beaches on the island. (There are even some nude beaches that attract a great many sun worshipers as well.)

Through the years, St. Martin has garnered the reputation of being a shoppers' paradise. There is a wide array of different shops and boutiques on the island, including outlets that trade in local art and other items that are native to the island.

There are a number of stores and shops that sell original designer clothing. Because of the duty free nature of the island, a shopper normally can purchase these fine garments on the island at a cost that is upwards to 40% of what a person would pay in a nation like the United States for the same merchandise.

Overall, the climate of the island is idyllic. Because of its location, however, it can lie in the path of tropical storms beginning in the late summer. However, throughout the bulk of the year (and even during this part of the season) the climate at St. Martin is splendid.

Travel to St. Martin is easy. Many major airlines serve the island with flights from most larger countries the world over. The ease to which the island can be accessed combined with its beauty and great climate take it to the top of the list of popular travel destinations for people the world over.