Saint Martin

It's easy to become a little confused when it comes to a relatively small island in Eastern Caribbean.

Saint Martin is east of Puerto Rico and checks in at only 34 square miles in size. The problem is that two countries share the island. The French side calls it Saint-Martin, while the land controlled by the Netherlands is Sint Maarten. The Dutch side is on the south, more or less, while the French is the northern part. There are two capitals - Philipsburg to the south (where the cruise ships come in), and Marigot to the north. 

There are some signs on the roads when one goes from one country to the other. They share just about everything, except currencies ... and they seem to be working on that. In fact, during the pandemic, the governing authorities both thought it would be a good idea if everyone spent more time by themselves. The response was laughter, with a "try and stop us" approach.

Want to be more confused? The French portion is considered the Collectivity of Saint Martin and part of the French Republic. Meanwhile, Sint Maarten is part of the four countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. (The two others besides the Netherlands itself are Aruba and Curacao.) What does this mean if you are the type of person who counts countries visited? Darned if I know. But I'm claiming two checks on the list, and I'll wait for someone official to tell me I'm wrong. In the title listings here, I'll stick to the generic Saint Martin to describe both sides.

This is sort of left over from the days when European powers were busy carving up the world for colonies. France and the Netherlands agreed to split it in 1648, so that's more than 400 years of division. The border was changed a few times, but it has been stable for more than 200 years. Most people think a formal unification wouldn't change anything and therefore isn't really necessary.

The island has become a popular resort for the rich and famous, and income distribution is obviously a problem. And the next hurricane may only be a few months away; the 2017 storm did a number on the island.  It's something of a Caribbean custom to sit back, relax, and not worry about the small stuff. It's a nice place to visit. 

Here's Saint Martin: