ST. MARTIN (PHILIPSBURG)

Saint Martin (French: Saint-Martin; Dutch: Sint Maarten) is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 190 miles east of Puerto Rico. The 34 square mile island is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Repub-lic (20 sq mi) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (13 sq mi), but the two parts are roughly equal in population. The division dates to 1648. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The northern French part comprises the Collectivity of Saint Martin and is an overseas collectivity of France. As part of France proper, the French part of the island is part of the European Union. On 1 January 2009, the population of the whole island was 77,741 inhabitants, with 40,917 living on the Dutch side, and 36,824 on the French side.

French: Green

Dutch: Pink

The main cities are Philipsburg (Dutch side) and Marigot (French side). The Dutch side is more heavily populated. The The largest settlement on the entire island is Lower Prince's Quarter, on the Dutch side.

St. Martin is a fascinating mix of France and Holland, lush with Caribbean beauty all its own. The island has been shared by the two nations since 1648. The early economy relied on cotton, tobacco, salt, and sugar. A large salt pond remains, once harvested by The Dutch East India Company for trade. Today, the Dutch side of the island, anchored by its capital, Philipsburg, is dotted with resorts and casinos; the French capital, Marigot, exudes the romance of a quaint village. The renowned Rotary Lookout Point offers stunning international views of the vast Simpson Bay Lagoon and surrounding islands. And the famous Orient Beach is a stunning 1.5 miles swath of white sand.

The highest hilltop is the Pic Paradis (1,391 ft) in the center of a hill chain on the French side. Both sides are hilly with large mountain peaks. This forms a valley where many houses are located. There are no rivers on the island, but many dry gullies. Hiking trails give access to the dry forest covering tops and slopes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Martin

Sentry Hill by Sky Explorer Chairlift We admired sweeping panoramic views of the island of St. Martin during a chairlift ride to the top of Sentry Hill. We embarked on our motor coach for a drive to Rockland Estate, a restored plantation that was originally built in the 18th century. We visited its museum, where exhibits showcase the history of the island and life on a plantation. Then, we boarded our Sky Explorer chairlift; we relaxed as we leisurely transported up to the top of Sentry Hill—one of St. Martin’s highest elevations at 1,125 feet. We took in the 360° views as the landscape spread out below us. We also were able to see neighboring islands, such as Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barts, and Anguilla. After time at the peak, we boarded our chairlift and descend down the mountain. We headed to a nearby restaurant, nestled between authentic colonial walls, and enjoyed cold appetizers and seafood paella for lunch.

Sentry Hill— elevation 1,125 feet.

Chair lift with museum in foreground.

Iron boiler to cook off water from cane to yield sugar granules.

Freed slave who bought this land that is great-grandmother was raised and became a slave.

Shy Iguana.

Can you see the two Iguanas?

Pictures from the chair lift.

Intermediate stop for those wishing to ride tubes down from fraction of way up.

Mid-way station to transfer to second lift.

Our tour guide, Rohan. Super guide, very knowledgeable.

Second lift, steeper but shorter.

Views from on top of Sentry Hill.

Area to right of airport is on French portion.

Advertised to be world's steepest zip line. Takes 45 seconds to reach the bottom!

Bottom end of zip line.

Cricket field.

Beautiful blue waters.

French side with Anguilla Island in background.

Looking down on transfer point of the two lifts.

Views as we are descending lower lift.

Another Iguana.

Plumeria as in Hawaii.

Outside of restaurant; we had a great paella lunch.

The speck in the sky is a zip liner.

Restaurant.

Freedom tree for emancipation in early 1800s.

Only a second away from a quick stop!

Quick stop at strong coil springs.

Great Salt Pond.

The history of the island of Saint Martin is centered on the salt industry. The first inhabitants called it Soualiga - the "Land of Salt." The Dutch settled the southern half of the island in order to exploit the salt deposits found in three large salt pans that provided as much as 400 boat loads of salt per year.

The salt industry was a very hard life for those involved. Workers included children, senior citizens, slaves, and free citizens from the Dutch and the French side of the island. Each would would work at a different special task to harvest the salt. The Dutch side stopped production of salt in 1949 and, thus, the salt industry came to an end.

In honor of their salt industry heritage, the government of Sint Maarten has erected a group of sculptures, called the Salt Pickers, showing workers engaged in the various aspects of salt harvesting. Five figures are depicted. The central figure is a man using a shovel to mine the salt. A man and a woman are transporting a large tray of salt while two women are shown gathering salt.

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WME0PK_Salt_Pickers_Philipsburg_Sint_Maarten