General Information

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ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT OF SINT MAARTEN Sint Maarten attained its current status as Country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on October 10th , 2010 (10-10-10) through the restructuring of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Sint Maarten is a Parliamentary Democracy with autonomy regarding internal affairs. The Government of the Netherlands is responsible for Defense, Foreign Affairs, and the Judiciary.

The Council of Ministers consist of the Prime Minister and six Ministers that are appointed for a four year term and governs the executive administration, along with the Governor of Sint Maarten. The Governor, who represents the Dutch Kingdom, serves for a six year term, sanctions appointments and governmental activities. The Minister Plenipotentiary in the Netherlands is the representative of the Government of Sint Maarten in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The Council of Ministers are responsible for the following seven ministries, Ministry of General Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Ministry of Public Health , Social Development & Labor, Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication.

CLIMATE

The island enjoys sunshine all year round. Average wind speed of 4.1 m/s; average temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) in the winter and 86 degrees (30 degrees) in the summer.

The sun shines for approximately eight hours a day and the average rainfall annually is approximately 40 inches. The water temperature is approximately 78 degrees Fahrenheit (25.6 degrees Celsius). Gentle trade winds keep the humidity low.

POPULATION

The population of Sint Maarten is approximately 60,400 as of the end of 2016 comprising of more than 150 nationalities. Apart from persons born on Curacao, Aruba, Saba, St. Eustatius, Bonaire, Sint Maarten and Dutch nationals, the 10 countries with the highest populations on the Dutch side of the island are: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Dominica, Jamaica, Guyana, India, Great Britain, France, St. Kitts & Nevis, and St. Lucia according to statistical information provided by the Civil Registry Department.

TIME ZONE

St. Maarten is on Atlantic Standard Time, which is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) minus four (4) hours.

LANGUAGES

The official languages are Dutch and English as stated in the Constitution of Sint Maarten.

CURRENCY

The official currency of Sint Maarten at this time remains the Netherlands Antillean Florin (Guilder; Naf./Fls.) and is fixed to the U.S. Dollar at an exchange rate of 1.79 and 1.82. The official currency of the North side of the island is the Euro. No official rate exists. The Euro value depends on the international exchange rate and is between 1.25 and 1.40 US$. The US Dollar is widely accepted on both sides of the island.

ELECTRICITY

110 volts A.C. (50 cycles) on the Dutch side or 208/220 volts (60 cycles) on the French side.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telephone service is all over as well as cellular phone and internet service. The island is well connected with the international community.

2021 PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

All government offices and businesses are officially closed on the following annual public holidays:

New Year’s Day Friday, January 1st, 2021 Good Friday Friday, April 2nd, 2021 Easter Sunday Sunday, April 4th, 2021 Easter Monday Monday, April 5th, 2021 King’s Day Tuesday, April 27th, 2021 Carnival Day Friday, April 30th, 2021 Labour Day Saturday, May 1st, 2021 Ascension Day Thursday, May 13th, 2021 Whit Sunday Sunday, May 23rd, 2021 Emancipation Day Thursday, July 1st, 2021 Constitution Day Monday, October 11th, 2021 Sint Maarten Day Thursday, November 11th, 2021 Christmas Day Saturday, December 25th, 2021 Boxing Day Sunday, December 26th, 2021

Copies of these National Public Holidays Schedules may be obtained via the Government website www.sintmaartengov.org