Saint-Martin is located about 250km north from Continental-Guadeloupe and belonged to the so-called Northern Archipelago. Since February 2007, after a poll, the island became a French Territorial Collectivity. The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus on November 11th, 1493, on Saint Martin's day. In 1648, after a historical foot-race, she was split in a Dutch and a French (3/5 of the territory) section. This partition is signaled by an almost imperceptible border.

Since then, the peaceful cohabitation of the two communities has allowed this island of only thirty-seven square miles, to become the unique holiday and shopping paradise of the Caribbean.

Geographically, the island is partitioned in two: Grande-Terre and Terres-Basses (Lowlands), joined by two narrow landstrips encircling the salt-water pond, "étang", of Simsonbaai. All along the coasts, where 37 beaches with glittering white sand are awaiting you, you'll find other landstrips, seperating salt-water ponds from the open sea. Most of the villages have settled there : Marigot, Grand Case, Philipsburg, Simsonbaai. Except for the picturesque village of Colombier, the inland is almost uninhabitated. Thus, hikers are undisturbed strolling through sumptuous green valleys and rolling hills. The island's highest point is the Pic du Paradis (1,400 feet), revealing a spectacular panorama of the scenery and the tropical rain forest below.

Don't spend all your time on the hotel beach - everybody can find the place he's dreaming of. Each one has its own distinctive caracter and attraction. Some are rocky, offering their cliffs in a dramatic landscape, others have sandy slopes diving gently into the crystal clear water shaded by palm trees.

Those who cannot stand to laze in a beach chair all day long can be kept busy with all kinds of watersports in the warm and clear sea: snorkelling, scuba diving in the coral reefs, windsurfing, parasailing, excursions or cruises by motorboat or sailboat. Gamefishers will enjoy the great variety of marlins, tunas, dolphins ... in the offshore waters. In the months of March and June every year big Fishing Tournaments are taking place.

Hiking and horseback riding on clearly defined paths through the mountains or along the shore will let you know some of the island's natural beauty.

You'll be sure to find a place to practice your favorite sport. Several tennis and squash courts are available as well as an 18-hole golf course on the Dutch side.

Owing to her status as a free trade zone, Saint Martin has become the paradise for duty and tax free shopping in the West Indies. In Phillipsburg on Front Street, where the big cruise ships moore, and in Marigot, on the French side, you'll find luxury items, clothing, electronics, jewelry, liquors or porcelain. But most famous is Saint-Martin perhaps for the elegance and the variety of her cuisine. You may choose from traditional French cooking taking advantage from the abundance of seafood, Creole, Chinese and Indian cooking. There are fashionable restaurants, bistros, brasseries or "lolos" on the beach - everyone will find the one suitable for him and his purse.

In Marigot, the French capital, beside its shops and restaurants, don't miss to mingle with the crowd on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when tropical fruits, spices and fresh fish are offered on the market at the base of Fort St. Louis.

Climb up to Fort St. Louis, built in 1767 to protect the settlement, from where the panoramic view as far as to Anguilla wil reward your effort. Make a stop at the Museum of Saint Martin, next to the Marina Port la Royale, detailing the island's history from the pre-Columbian period to the colonial period and up to the modern development.

Traces of Saint Martin's history can also be found in the other villages of the island. In Phillipsburg with its houses painted in pastel colors and its tulips. The Fort Amsterdam on the peninsula is protecting the town. In Grand Case near the northern tip of the island with its small wooden "gingerbred style" cottages, considered nowadays as the gourmet capital. In Quartier d'Orléans at the Atlantic coast, the original settlement of the French on the island, that has preserved much of the old structures and atmosphere.

For informations about Saint Martin, also call upon:
	The Tourist Office of Saint-Martin Port de Marigot - 97150 St. Martin Tel.: 0590-87.57.21 - Fax: 0590-87.56.43 E-mail: contact@iledesaintmartin.org