Sint Maarten: The Dutch Half in Future Perspective

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the emergence of Sint Maarten as the second most important member of the five islands that constitute the present Netherlands Antilles. Although this peculiarity has been converted into a public relations advantage in tourist brochures that advertise the island as "fantastically French, delightfully Dutch", it has also caused considerable problems, especially for the Dutch half. The increased autonomy which it seeks is, from all indications, limited to certain departments or central government agencies, the control of which it considers vital to the continued growth of its economy. Most of the studies done on the Netherlands Antilles have concentrated on the bigger islands of Curacao and Aruba, while the much smaller islands have been glossed over or completely ignored. Sint Maarten was the first Dutch colony in the Caribbean region. Dutchmen settled there in 1631. Strategic considerations and, above all, economic reasons brought them to the island.