St. Martins in the Caribbean (and the world)
A Patron Saint of World Fame
As is the case with many patron saints, there is a lot of locations in the world named after bishop, later Saint Martin of Tours (? – 397). Though a Hungarian of origin, the fact that this bishop became the official patron saint of the third French republic (1870-1939) and many cultures, children and adults alike celebrate his namesake day on November 11th tells you about the global impact of “Martin the Merciful”. Most indicative of his fame, next to St. Vincent and St. Lucia, he is one of only three saints a nation is called after: St. Maarten.
The binational island of Saint Martin / Sint Maarten in the Caribbean is probably globally the best known location named after this Roman soldier who generously cut his mantle in half to help a beggar. The discovery of the island by Columbus on St. Martin Day, giving the name to the island and the southern side nation, is a holiday celebrated on both sides of the island.
A Guide Not To Confuse St. Martins
Because of the popularity of St. Martin the Merciful, Caribbean St. Maarten / St. Martin is in good company. Where there is (or was) a sizeable Anglican or catholic community, you are prone to find (depending on the language) a Saint Martin, San Martin, Sankt Martin or Sint Maarten church, parish or island. The fact that one of South America’s most famous liberators Jose de San Martin also carried the name of the patron saint led to additional popular use of the name in Latin America.
That also means there is a variety of wholly different tourism destinations with the same name that also became famous, not rarely leading to confusion for people looking to book their holidays. The more as the internet translates for you, you do not want to book your trip to the wrong continent – let us guide you through St. Martins in the Caribbean region and beyond to avoid mistakes.
Caribbean “St. Martins”
St. Maarten / St. Martin
Chances are very high that when you started searching St. Martin on the internet you intended to explore opportunities of a great Caribbean holiday with pristine beaches. What does not help you in first instance is that the Caribbean island named after the patron saint is divided into a northern ”French side” using the French / English name Saint Martin and an autonomous southern “Dutch Side” Sint Maarten. These are simply the Dutch and French language versions of how to write the patrons name. Many locals even avoid using either name by using the airport code SXM when writing or texting about the island as a whole.
“Saint Maarten”
There is a series of renowned airliners and media mixing up the French and Dutch spelling of the name of the Caribbean island. “Saint Maarten” does not exist anywhere in the world, but is a combination of partial translations of the French / English “Saint” and the Dutch “Maarten” of the patron saint and hence always refers to the unique smallest land mass in the world divided by two nations.
When intending to visit the island, it is best to search for either the full French (Saint Martin) or Dutch (Sint Maarten) name. In most cases, websites will understand you mean both sides of the island and offer lodgings and activities for both. As the border is open and can be transgressed without hassle or delay at all five crossings, your search outcomes do not matter as everything on the compact binational island is only a 30 minute drive away.
St. Marteen, St. Martins or St. Maartens are also well known incorrect versions of the island name – often by prominent companies.
Martinique
There is a tiny village Martins on Jamaica, and various Caribbean churches in honor of the saint from Tours – for starters the biggest catholic Church on St. Maarten.
For many new to the region, most confusion however arises between the French Caribbean destinations of St. Martin and Martinique. Both islands are part of the French republic, but they have a distance of 440 kilometers in between and are wholly distinct islands.
Though their names sound alike, contrary to St. Martin the name Martinique is derived from the indigenous Indian Taino language. It either comes from Madinina or Matinino. The first means “island of flowers”, the second “island of women”. So though the island is part of the French republic where St. Martin of Tours is much revered, its name does not derive from the patron saint.
Due to its relation within the French republic, the hub function of St. Maartens and Martiniques proximity within the Caribbean, connections between St. Martin / St. Maarten and Martinique are great in case you decide to go . Local carrier Winair has recently expanded its flights between the two Caribbean islands.
Nevis
Though Nevis is only 80 kilometers from St. Martin / St. Maarten, it is within eyesight on bright days. Nevis’ visibility is helped by its imposing 985 metres volcano Nevis Peak. Like Martinique, it is a popular day trip island hopping destination from St. Maarten with Winair.
Nevis’ current day name hails from “Nuestra Señora de las Nieves”, meaning our lady of the snow. Allegedly, Columbus called the island this way because he thought he saw snow on top of the volcano. Other sources say however that with the many islands in the region, Columbus got confused himself for a short period of time in 1493 and temporarily named the island “Isla San Martin” or St. Martins island. It is unknown if this was because he confused the island with its binational counterpart further up north, or like with current St. Martin he spotted the island on the 11th of November (St. Martin Day). Nowadays, it is unlikely this island is going to cause confusion when searching for information about St. Martin.
Other Famous St. Martins Outside the Caribbean
Isla San Martin (San Martin Island) near the Iguazu Waterfalls
The next most visited island called after the patron St. Martin of Tours in the Americas is only an island in the eyes of the beholder because it is not located in the sea, but in a river. Isla San Martin or San Martin island is one of the best viewpoints for the famed Iguazu Waterfalls on the border of Brazil and Argentina. Though it is uninhabited, you will find many tourists visiting this sole island in the lower Iguazu river on a daily basis amazed by the “Cataratas” plunging into the river.
European St. Martins
When looking at namesake tourism destinations in Europe, ski resorts prevail. French St. Martin de Belleville (Les Menuires) and Austrian Sankt Martin im Tennengebirg are destinations for a wholly different winter audience than its Caribbean counterpart.
Northern French island Saint-Martin-de-Re also attracts tourists by the dozens, but would be more of a summer destination. The same counts for scenic St. Martin town on the island of Jersey or its counterpart on its fellow channel island Guernsey. With only 142 inhabitants, St. Martins isle in the western most British isles of Scilly is also worth a mention.
Saint Martins Island (Bangladesh)
The furthest away from Caribbean St. Martin but possibly leading to the most confusion in between, is Saint Martins Island in Asia. This tiny island lies on the Teknaf Peninsula on the southern tip of Bangladesh.
“Senṭmarṭin dip” (Saint Martins Island in Bengal) and neighboring Chera Dwip are very popular tourism destinations. Next to visitors from hotels on Saint Martin’s Island itself it receives tourists from Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar, to the level that its ecology has come under pressure and worldwide advocacy is ongoing to preserve such.
This global discourse online sometimes leads to unfortunate confusion with French side St. Martin in the Caribbean, which has clearly demarcated nature reserves or “Reserves Naturelles”, Pinel Island being its most famous one, and active programs to preserve nature.
Another feature the Caribbean island of St. Martin and Saint Martin’s Island (Senṭmarṭin Dip) have in common is its vicinity to another country, and some border disputes stemming from this. In case of St. Maarten / St. Martin, some 400 year border disputes were officially settled on May 26th 2023 by a quadripartite committee of the Netherlands, France, St. Martin and St. Maarten government officials. These long standing disputes pertained to small discussions on where the exact border meanders over land and through the waters of the Oyster Bay area.
Saint Martins island in turn borders Myanmar (Burma). Border disputes here mostly pertain to sovereignty over fishing grounds, leading to some violent confrontations between fishermen in the 1990s. In addition, the Myanmar government mistakenly added St. Martins island to its territory on a 2018 map – a mistake corrected after diplomatic steps following the publication.
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