Saint Martin
- ISS006-E-38024
- 13 March 2003
- 13:04 UTC
Saint Martin (Sint Maarten) is the largest and northernmost of the three members of the Netherlands Antilles that are located in the northeastern Caribbean. With an area of 96 km², Saint Martin is jointly administered by the French and Dutch: the northern 52 km² forms a territory of the French island of Guadeloupe (located 225 km to the southeast, beyond Saint Kitts, Antigua and Montserrat); the southern 44 km² forms part of the Dutch territory of the Netherlands Antilles (Nederlandse Antillen). Saint Martin lies immediately south of the UK-administered island of Anguilla, from which it is separated by the 7.5 km wide Anguilla Passage (see panoramic image).
The island has a low and convoluted coastline of wide sandy bays, salt flats, lagoons and hilly headlands. With the exception of the western regions, the interior consists of rolling hills that are generally laid out into three ridges running southeast to northwest. The heavily forested hills are steep, but low, rising to 422 m at the Pic du Paradis. Numerous coastal ponds and lagoons are found on the island — the largest of these is the visually dominating Simpson Bay Lagoon (at top of the image) covering some 20 per cent of the island. Other major lagoons include, the Etang aux Poissons (bottom right) and the Great Salt Pond (bottom left). Patch reefs with spur and groove formations are located along the east and southeastern coasts, although coral cover is generally low. Offshore are a number of smaller islands, the largest of these being the Île Tintamarre, located to the northeast.
Saint Martin's wetlands provide important nesting or feeding grounds for several regionally important populations of waterbirds, such as the American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates), Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) and the Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus).
