Two nations, one island — Great Bay beach, duty-free Front Street, and the world's most dramatic airport approach
Philipsburg is the capital of Sint Maarten, the Dutch half of a 96-square-kilometre island shared with France in the northeastern Caribbean. The city sits on a narrow strip between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond, with a compact duty-free shopping strip on Front Street and a wide crescent beach just steps away. Princess Juliana International Airport is famous for the beach-level final approach where jets pass metres above the heads of sunbathers at Maho Beach.
Sint Maarten was divided between France and the Netherlands in 1648 by the Treaty of Concordia — a border established without a shot fired, making it the world's oldest bi-national island. The Dutch side developed around salt production and later as a free port under Dutch colonial administration. The island was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and has undergone extensive reconstruction, emerging as one of the region's most resilient post-disaster recovery stories.