St Maarten

St Maarten / St Martin is the smallest piece of land anywhere to be shared by two governments. Dutch St. Maarten is part of the Netherlands Antilles and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while French St. Martin is a commune of Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France.

English is spoken island-wide, but you will also hear Papiamento, a blend of French, Creole, African, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch, reflecting the island's "visitors." On the French side, you'll hear a great deal of Creole.

The boundary between the island's two parts was created as the result of a walking contest between a Dutchman and a Frenchman in 1648 (the Frenchman walked 21 miles and the Dutchman wound up with a mere 16). But despite separate administrations, the two sides coexist peacefully without border crossings or customs inspections. Locals and visitors alike can cross back and forth with no problems.