Look at a globe. Now, zoom into the Caribbean Sea, specifically the northeast corner where the Greater Antilles start trailing off into the smaller, sun-drenched bits of land known as the Leeward Islands. You’ll see it. Or maybe you won't. St Maarten on the map looks like a literal speck of dust dropped into the turquoise expanse of the Atlantic and Caribbean. It is tiny. We are talking 37 square miles. To put that in perspective, you could fit about 14 St Maartens inside the city limits of Los Angeles.
But don't let the size fool you.
This little rock is one of the most geopolitically weird and culturally dense places on the planet. It’s the smallest landmass in the world shared by two sovereign nations. To the north, you have the French Collectivity of Saint-Martin. To the south, you have Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There is no hard border. No guards. No barbed wire. Just a couple of signs and maybe a change in the quality of the asphalt. Honestly, it’s a miracle of diplomacy that has lasted since the Treaty of Concordia back in 1648.
Where Exactly Is St Maarten on the Map?
If you're trying to pin it down for a flight or a cruise, the coordinates are roughly $18.0425^\circ N$ and $63.0548^\circ W$. It sits about 190 miles east of Puerto Rico. If you draw a line south from New York City and a line east from the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, they basically collide right on top of Princess Juliana International Airport.
Locating St Maarten on the map means looking at the northern end of the Lesser Antilles chain. It’s a neighbor to Anguilla to the north—which you can see clearly on a sunny day—and St. Barthélemy to the southeast. Because of its central location in the Leeward Islands, it has become the "hub" of the region. If you want to get to Saba or Statia, you're likely flying through here first.
The geography is rugged. It’s not a flat coral atoll like the Caymans or the Bahamas. It’s volcanic. The highest point is Pic Paradis on the French side, reaching about 1,391 feet. From the top, the view explains the island's appeal better than any brochure. You see the massive Simpson Bay Lagoon, the largest in the West Indies, which acts like a giant protected bathtub for multi-million dollar superyachts.
The Weirdness of Two Countries, One Speck
You’ve got to understand how bizarre the division is. The Dutch side is famous for its "anything goes" vibe—casinos, duty-free electronics, and a bustling cruise port in Philipsburg. The French side? It’s basically the Côte d'Azur with better weather. Marigot feels like a Mediterranean village where people actually take two-hour lunches and the croissants are genuinely flaky.
Most people think there must be some catch to moving between the two. There isn't. You can have breakfast in Marigot (French), lunch on a boat in the Simpson Bay Lagoon (split), and dinner in the culinary capital of Grand Case (French), then go hit the slots in Maho (Dutch). It’s seamless.
The Dutch side, Sint Maarten, is technically more populous and urbanized. It's where the big planes land. The French side is more about "l'art de vivre"—the art of living. It’s quieter, greener, and arguably more scenic, though the Dutch side has the energy. This duality is why looking for St Maarten on the map is often confusing for first-timers; they expect two islands, but it’s just one very colorful, very divided, yet very united rock.
The Famous Airport That Isn't a Myth
You've seen the videos. A massive KLM or Air France jet comes screaming in just dozens of feet over the heads of tourists on a beach. That’s Maho Beach. It sits right at the end of the runway at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM).
It is one of the only places on Earth where geography forced an airport to be built so close to the water that the approach path is a public spectacle. The thrill-seekers stand behind the jet blast fences, which is—to be blunt—pretty dangerous. People have been seriously injured by the force of the engines. But for the map-obsessed, it’s the landmark that defines the island’s southern coast.
Beyond the Beach: The Salt and the Sugar
Why is this island even on the map? Historically, it wasn't for the rum or the sun. It was for the salt. Back in the 17th century, salt was "white gold," essential for preserving food. The Great Salt Pond in Philipsburg was the engine of the economy. The Dutch and French kept fighting over it, eventually deciding that sharing was better than constant war.
The story goes—and this is largely considered a local legend rather than a hard historical fact—that a Dutchman and a Frenchman stood back-to-back and started walking in opposite directions around the coast. Where they met on the other side became the border. The Frenchman supposedly covered more ground because he drank wine, while the Dutchman drank gin and got slowed down. Regardless of the myth, the French ended up with about 21 square miles and the Dutch with 16.
The Environmental Reality
We need to talk about the lagoons. The Simpson Bay Lagoon is a massive inland body of water that is shared by both sides. It’s the heart of the island’s maritime industry. However, it’s also a fragile ecosystem. For decades, rapid development on the Dutch side put immense pressure on the water quality.
Groups like EPIC (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean) and the Nature Foundation St. Maarten have been working tirelessly to protect what’s left of the mangroves and the seagrass beds. If you look at St Maarten on the map, you'll see how the lagoon is almost entirely enclosed. That makes it a perfect harbor, but it also means it doesn't "flush" out into the ocean very well. Managing that balance between being a world-class yachting destination and a living ecosystem is the island's biggest ongoing challenge.
Navigating the Practicalities
If you are planning to visit, don't overthink the "two countries" thing.
- Currency: The Dutch side uses the Antillean Guilder (ANG), but the US Dollar is accepted everywhere. The French side uses the Euro. However, most places on the French side will take dollars at a 1-to-1 parity to stay competitive, though you should check the current exchange rate.
- Language: English is the "lingua franca." You'll hear it everywhere. On the Dutch side, Dutch is official but rarely the primary language of the street. On the French side, French is the official language, and while everyone in tourism speaks English, knowing a few words of French goes a long way.
- Driving: You drive on the right side of the road. One main road basically circles the island. Warning: Traffic can be a nightmare. When a bridge opens in the lagoon to let the yachts through, the whole island basically stops for 20 minutes.
The Hurricane Factor
You cannot talk about St Maarten on the map without mentioning Hurricane Irma in 2017. It was a Category 5+ storm that devastated the island. It changed the landscape. For a while, the map looked different—the greenery was gone, stripped bare by the wind.
But the "Friendly Island" (the official motto) is resilient. The recovery has been massive. New resorts have popped up, the airport is being modernized, and the infrastructure is tougher. When you visit now, you see a mix of ultra-modern luxury and the occasional "Irma relic"—a reminder that the Caribbean is as powerful as it is beautiful.
📖 Related: Salisbury State Beach Reservation: What Most People Get Wrong About This Massive Massachusetts Park
Why the Location Matters for Your Trip
Because St Maarten is so central, it serves as the ultimate base camp. You can take a 20-minute ferry to Anguilla for some of the best white-sand beaches in the world. Or a 45-minute high-speed ferry to St. Barts to see how the 1% live. You can even take a small plane to Saba, which is basically a vertical jungle mountain rising out of the sea.
Basically, being in the middle of the map gives you access to four or five different island experiences without ever having to switch your "home" hotel.
Actionable Steps for the Map-Obsessed Traveler
If you’re ready to stop looking at the map and start packing, here is how you handle St Maarten like a pro:
- Rent a car. Do not rely on taxis; they are expensive and won't give you the freedom to explore the hidden corners like Loterie Farm or the heights of Pic Paradis.
- Download offline maps. Google Maps is generally great here, but signal can drop in the hilly interior or when switching between international towers on the border.
- Check the cruise ship schedule. Philipsburg is a different world when five ships are in port versus when there are zero. Use a site like Cruise-Schedules to plan your "Dutch side" days for when the crowds are thinnest.
- Eat in Grand Case. It’s on the French side, north-west. It’s a single street lined with some of the best restaurants in the entire Caribbean. From high-end French gastronomy to "lolos" (local BBQ stands), it’s the heartbeat of the island's soul.
- Respect the flags. You are crossing a national border. While there are no checks, be mindful that laws (especially regarding things like public nudity on beaches or drone usage) can differ slightly between the two sides.
St Maarten is a geographic anomaly that shouldn't work, but it does. It's a place where you can find a piece of Europe in the heart of the tropics, all contained on a patch of land you can drive around in two hours. Whether you’re there for the planes, the plates, or the ports, it’s a tiny spot on the map that leaves a massive footprint on anyone who visits.