Sint Maarten History

History
In 1493, on Christopher Columbus second voyages to the West Indies, upon first sighting the island he named it Isla de San Martín after Saint Martin of Tours because it was November 11, St. Martin Day. However, though he claimed it as a Spanish territory, Columbus never landed there, and Spain made the settlement of the island a low priority.

The French and Dutch, on the other hand, both coveted the island. While the French wanted to colonize the islands between Trinidad and Bermuda, the Dutch found San Martín a convenient halfway point between their colonies in New Amsterdam, present day New York, and Brazil. With few people inhabiting the island, the Dutch easily founded a settlement there in 1631, erecting Fort Amsterdam as protection from invaders.

After abolition, plantation culture declined and the island's economy suffered. In 1939, St. Martin received a major boost when it was declared a duty-free port. The Dutch began focusing on tourism in the 1950s. It took the French another twenty years to start developing their tourism industry. Currently, tourism provides the backbone of the economy for both sides of the island.

On September 5 1995, Hurricane Luis severely pounded the islands causing numerous damages and on the 6th and 7th of September the island was hit by Category 5 Hurricane Irma, which caused widespread and significant damage to buildings and infrastructure.

Before 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten was known as the Island Territory of Sint Maarten, and was one of five island territories that constituted the Netherlands Antilles. 

Timeline
1631 - The Dutch founded a settlement there erecting Fort Amsterdam as protection 1633 - Spanish forces captured Saint Martin from the Dutch, seizing control and driving most or all of the colonists off the island 1648 - 1816 Conflicts between the Dutch and the French changed the border sixteen times 1795 - 1815 The entire island came under effective French control when Netherlands became a puppet state under the French Empire 1941 -The island was shelled by a German U-boat during World War II 1990's - The island's population increased from 5,000 people to around 60,000 people because immigration from the neighboring Lesser Antilles, Curaçao, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Europe, and Asia turned the native population into a minority 2017 - Hurricane Irma caused extensive damage and many inhabitants were devoid of basic necessities, looting became a serious problem