Sint Maarten/Saint Martin was once called Sualouiga, or Salt Lands, by the Arawak Indians who were the island's first known inhabitants. The Arawaks and Caribs roamed these islands between 800 an 1500 A.D. They introduced peanut, cassava, sweet potato, tobacco, cotton, avocado to the Europeans. The Arawaks were gentle, settled, peaceful people and lived from vegetables, fruit and seafood. The Caribs, who came later to the islands, were cannibals and hunters and chased the Arawaks away. The Caribbean region gets its name from the Carib people.

On the 11th of November 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered the island while looking for Hispaniola. Sualouiga was renamed Saint Martin, it being the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours. Other European countries such as England, Holland and France followed the example of Spain and came to the West. In the beginning of the 17th century the French, forced from Saint Kitts by the Spaniards, took refuge here. They formed the first European permanent settlement on the island. 

The Dutch settled here in 1631, making Sint Maarten the first Dutch colony in the Caribbean. Their first homes were built and by 1632 they had a small fort where the remains of Fort Amsterdam currently exist. The Dutch were not known as settlers but as traders were doing well and soon were trading salt and tobacco produced by the French colony as well. 

In 1633 the Spaniards returned and kicked-out both the French and Dutch from the island. In 1644, Peter Stuyvesant, who later became Director of New Amsterdam (now New York) led a force of 800 Dutch soldiers and tried to re-capture the island, but besides loosing the battle, he also lost his leg. Spain whose main interest was gold, did very little to make life livable on the island. In 1648 the Spaniards left the island.

After a struggle between the French and the Dutch an agreement was reached on the division of the Land of Salt. On March 23rd, 1648 on Mont des Accords (Mount Concordia), the partition Treaty was signed, justifying the presence of the French and the Dutch and dividing the island into two colonies. This agreement, signed by Commander Martin Thomas and Robert de Lonvilliers, has made peaceful co-existence possible for over three centuries. The monument on the boundary-line commemorates the success of this event.

A British satirist tells the following legend of how the French came into possession of the larger part of the island: Each commander selected a strong man from his forces. They were placed back to back at a fixed spot and ordered to march around the island in opposite directions. Where they met again would settle the opposite end of the boundary line. The Frenchman took his water bottle and stick and departed. The Dutchman also took his water bottle and stick, but carried along, on the sly, a flask of good old Dutch gin. 

As they continued their journey, the Frenchman quenched his thirst with water, but the Dutchman added a rightful portion of gin to his. Overcome by the heat, he stopped to take a nap in the shade of a tree and fell sound asleep. His opponent in the meantime advanced several miles in his own direction, which proved detrimental to the Dutch. This is the reason why the northern French part of the island is larger.

Until approximately 1940 salt was the main export product, besides fish and lobster. Sint Maarten's salt was exported to all parts of the world: Holland, U.S.A., Canada and South America. In the 18th and 19th century sugarcane and cotton were the most important crops on the island and fields of sugarcane and cotton covered the hills. Rockwell's built from rocks obtained when the land was cleared, divided the parcels. They can still be seen in many districts on the island, such as: Dutch and French Cul de Sac, Fort Willem Hill and Upper Princess Quarter. There were 35 sugar mills on the Dutch Side compared to 27 on the French side.

Between the two World Wars the economy of the island was at its lowest point. Many men left the island to work in the oil-refineries in Aruba and Caracao. Some left for the Dominican Republic to work in the sugar plantations. Many "old St. Martiners" settled themselves in the New York area and fought on the side of the Allies in the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Later many "St. Martiners" also fought in the Vietnam War. After the 1950's the tourist-industry grew to life. First on the Dutch side, later the French side followed. 

Tourism and tourism related activities are the main source of income for the island. Cruise tourism and resort/stay-over tourism are steadily growing. The friendly, always sunny island, of Sint Maarten/Saint Martin attracts many tourists yearly through the friendliness of its people, the attractive duty-free shops in Philipsburg and Marigot, the luxurious villas, hotels and casinos, the snowy white beaches and light blue crystal clear waters. "St. Martiners" are proud to welcome tourists to their island.