Saint Martin

History Saint-Martin

Two runners of each nationality started running the longest distance possible. The French runner having run the longer distance, France obtained a surface representing more than the two thirds of the island. A legend tells that the French runner having drunk " just a little red wine " was allowed to take some short cuts explaining thus its remarkable performance.
Another characteristic, Saint Martin is the smallest island in the world by its surface with a division between two countries.

In 1816, the signature of the Traité de Vienne puts a term to the colonial fights, ensuring the Dutch and French prevalence.

In 1848, slavery is abolished in the French part of the island and in 1863 for the Dutch part. Little by little, trade declines: the sugar production of the island ceases in 1875. That of cotton in 1923.

The saltworks stop in the 1950s.

This economic decline obliged many Saint Martin inhabitants to exile. They emigrated towards new poles of employment: refineries of Curaçao and Aruba, plantations of Santo Domingo and the United States, weaving links with the American continent. During the war, the French part of the island recognized the Vichy government and thus was subject to the blockade of the allied forces.

The war contributed largely to the Americanization of the island, the United States was the only supplier. This period was also interesting for the traffickers who established great fortunes.
The economic stagnation of the island will persist until the Fifties. Since then, an economic development, related to tourism with the impulse of the Dutch sector in the 1955s, transformed Saint Martin into one of the most attended tourist centers of the Caribbean.