World Factbook
Sint Maarten
Land Sint Maarten (Dutch)/ Country of Sint Maarten (English)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
34 sq km
note
note: Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin
water
0 sq km
total
34 sq km
Climate
tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures; average rainfall of 150 cm/year; hurricane season stretches from July to November
Terrain
low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin
Land use
other
89.1% (2022 est.)
forest
10.9% (2022 est.)
agricultural land
0% (2022 est.)
Location
Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Sint Maarten lies east of the US Virgin Islands
Coastline
58.9 km (for entire island)
Elevation
lowest point
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point
250 m SW of Mount Flagstaff summit, 383 m
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Land boundaries
total
16 km
border countries
Saint Martin (France) 16 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
subject to hurricanes from July to November
Geography - note
note 1: the northern border is shared with the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin; together, these two entities make up the smallest landmass in the world that is shared by two self-governing states note 2: Simpson Bay Lagoon (aka, Simson Bay Lagoon or The Great Pond) is one of the largest inland lagoons in the West Indies; the border between the French and Dutch halves of the island of Saint Martin runs across the center of the lagoon, which is shared
Natural resources
fish, salt
Area - comparative
one-fifth the size of Washington, D.C.
Geographic coordinates
18 4 N, 63 4 W
Population distribution
the most populous areas are Lower Prince's Quarter (north of Philipsburg) and Cul de Sac