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The Work of God's Children
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Saint Martin
(overseas
collectivity of France)
Although sighted by
Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain,
it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about
exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633,
but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally
relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst
themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to
the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished
until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry
was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the
populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the
northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity.
Its languages are: French (official language), English, Dutch, French
Patois, Spanish, and Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles).
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