The unification of Saint Martin (; ) is the proposed unification of the small island of

Saint Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (c. 595–655), bishop of R ...

, located in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

. Currently, it is divided into

Sint Maarten Sint Maarten () is a Countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean region of North America. With a population of 58,477 as of June 2023 on an area of , it encompasses ...

(the southern portion of the island, one of the constituent countries within the

Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...

) and the

Collectivity of Saint Martin The Collectivity of Saint Martin (), commonly known as simply Saint Martin (, ), is an overseas collectivity of France in the West Indies in the Caribbean, on the northern half of the Saint Martin (island), island of Saint Martin, as well as so ...

(the northern portion of the island, an integral part of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

). The island has been divided since the signing of the

Treaty of Concordia The Treaty of Concordia, or the Partition Treaty of 1648, was signed on 23 March 1648, between the Kingdom of France and the Dutch Republic and divided the island of Saint Martin (island), Saint Martin. Signature The treaty was signed atop Saint ...

in 1648, which today remains as one of the oldest treaties still in effect. The Treaty of Concordia allows

freedom of movement Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights'' ...

between both parts of the island, which has promoted a common sentiment among the island's inhabitants, although this is also the reason why some see a formal unification as unnecessary. Other arguments against unification of the island are that neither France nor the Netherlands would allow it and that both sides would require full independence to achieve it.

Unity Flag

On 31 August 1990, the "Unity Flag" of Saint Martin was adopted at the Preliminary Conference on National Symbols at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, in Sint Maarten. This flag was created to represent the people of both halves of the island and the unification of the latter, and could be seen before officialization hoisted on some houses and sometimes by churches and religious groups in the island of Saint Martin. In August 2020, when restrictions and controls were added to the

Saint Martin–Sint Maarten border In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

to contain the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, some protesters against these measures flew this flag with them. In September 2020, these restrictions were lifted, and people from both sides of the island started chanting "One island, one people, one destiny". The Unity Flag was officially adopted by the authorities of both halves of the island in a ceremony held in Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten, on 8 November 2022, in presence of the

Prime Minister of Sint Maarten The prime minister of Sint Maarten became the head of government of Sint Maarten after the Netherlands Antilles had been dissolved on 10 October 2010. The prime minister, together with the Council of Ministers and the governor of Sint Maarten ...

Silveria Jacobs Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs (born 31 July 1968) is a Sint Maarten politician and the former Prime Minister of Sint Maarten from 2019 to 2024. Early life and education Silveria Elfrieda Jacobs was born on 31 July 1968 on Aruba to Nadia Willemsberg ...

, and the President of the

Territorial Council of Saint Martin The Collectivity of Saint Martin was a French commune for many years and formed part of Guadeloupe, which is an overseas ''région'' and ''département'' of France and is therefore in the European Union. In 2003, the population of the French pa ...

Louis Mussington Louis Mussington (born 11 November 1961) is a French Saint-Martinois politician. A member of the Saint-Martinois Rally (RSM), he has served as the president of the Territorial Council of Saint Martin since 3 April 2022, following his party's wi ...

. The flag is now raised every 11 November, on

St. Martin's Day Saint Martin's Day or Martinmas (obsolete: Martlemas), and historically called Old Halloween or All Hallows Eve, is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated in the liturgical year on 11 November. In the Middle Ages and early mod ...

, on both halves of Saint Martin.

Notable supporters

Notable supporters of the movement for uniting the island include Albert Fleming, former leader of the Collectivity of Saint Martin, who in 2014 stated his support for the unification of the island.

References

{{Irredentism Saint Martin (island) Politics of the Collectivity of Saint Martin Politics of Sint Maarten Society of the Collectivity of Saint Martin Society of Sint Maarten

France–Netherlands relations Proposed political unions Public policy proposals

Unity Flag

Notable supporters

See also

References