Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Philipsburg is the main town and capital of the country of Sint Maarten. The town is on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. It functions as the commercial center of Saint Martin island, whereof Sint Maarten encompasses the southern half. As of 2017, it has 1,894 inhabitants.[1]

Philipsburg
View on Great Bay towards Philipsburg
Nickname(s): 
Town
Philipsburg
Location in Sint Maarten
Coordinates: 18.0237°N 63.0458°W / 18.0237; -63.0458
State Kingdom of the Netherlands
Country Sint Maarten
IslandSaint Martin
Columbus landed11 November 1493
Established1763 (by John Philips)
Population
 (2017)
 • Total1,894
ClimateAw

History

Philipsburg was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy; the settlement soon became a bustling centre of international trade. Two historic forts bear witness to Philipsburg's strategic importance in St. Maarten's history: Fort Amsterdam and Fort Willem.[2]

See also
  • List of Designated Monuments in Philipsburg

Climate

Philipsburg has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw),[3] and is drier than most parts of the northeastern Caribbean due to a rain shadow from the island's mountains, drying the northeast trade winds. The driest months are from January to July, and the wettest from September to November, when hurricanes are a frequent occurrence in the region.

Climate data for Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (Princess Juliana Airport) 1971–2000
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.7
(90.9)		 31.6
(88.9)		 32.6
(90.7)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.5
(92.3)		 33.9
(93.0)		 34.2
(93.6)		 35.1
(95.2)		 34.8
(94.6)		 34.3
(93.7)		 33.9
(93.0)		 32.1
(89.8)		 35.1
(95.2)
Average high °C (°F) 28.6
(83.5)		 28.7
(83.7)		 29.2
(84.6)		 29.8
(85.6)		 30.4
(86.7)		 31.3
(88.3)		 31.6
(88.9)		 31.7
(89.1)		 31.6
(88.9)		 31.2
(88.2)		 30.2
(86.4)		 29.2
(84.6)		 30.3
(86.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.5
(77.9)		 25.4
(77.7)		 25.7
(78.3)		 26.5
(79.7)		 27.4
(81.3)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.3
(82.9)		 28.6
(83.5)		 28.5
(83.3)		 28.2
(82.8)		 27.3
(81.1)		 26.1
(79.0)		 27.2
(81.0)
Average low °C (°F) 23.2
(73.8)		 23.1
(73.6)		 23.5
(74.3)		 24.1
(75.4)		 25.1
(77.2)		 25.2
(77.4)		 26.1
(79.0)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.0
(78.8)		 25.7
(78.3)		 24.9
(76.8)		 23.9
(75.0)		 24.8
(76.6)
Record low °C (°F) 18.6
(65.5)		 19.2
(66.6)		 19.5
(67.1)		 19.3
(66.7)		 20.2
(68.4)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.1
(71.8)		 21.4
(70.5)		 22.0
(71.6)		 22.1
(71.8)		 21.2
(70.2)		 20.0
(68.0)		 18.6
(65.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 66.0
(2.60)		 50.7
(2.00)		 45.2
(1.78)		 64.0
(2.52)		 93.3
(3.67)		 61.8
(2.43)		 71.6
(2.82)		 98.8
(3.89)		 139.6
(5.50)		 113.0
(4.45)		 149.3
(5.88)		 93.8
(3.69)		 1,047.1
(41.22)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) 11.9 9.3 9.0 11.8 10.3 8.4 12.2 13.9 13.5 13.8 14.8 13.3 142.0
Average relative humidity (%) 74.7 74.1 73.6 75.0 75.9 75.1 74.8 75.4 76.3 76.8 77.4 76.6 75.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 257.2 235.2 271.6 265.4 251.0 245.1 257.2 288.1 232.4 244.6 235.0 246.7 3,009.4
Percent possible sunshine 73.5 72.7 72.2 70.6 62.4 62.0 63.2 67.7 62.8 67.0 68.3 71.4 67.8
Source: Meteorological Department Curaçao[4]

Tourism
Philipsburg Marketplace.

The main shopping district, Front Street, is in the heart of the city. The city also has a port that is visited by many cruise liners.

Transport

Princess Juliana International Airport
Corsair Boeing 747-300 on short final

World-famous for its close photographs of landing aircraft, Princess Juliana International Airport (IATA: SXM, ICAO: TNCM), west of Philipsburg, has become a tourist destination in its own right. Jet blast from departing aircraft is another 'attraction' as it creates artificial waves. However, jet blast is physically hazardous so viewers need to exercise caution; local authorities placed a warning on the airport's fence to alert people to the dangers of jet blast.

Education

Schools include:[5]

  • Oranje School (public primary)
  • Sr. Borgia Primary (subsidized primary)
  • St. Joseph Primary (subsidized primary)
  • Sundial School (subsidized secondary)

Philipsburg Jubilee Library is in Philipsburg.[6]

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References
  1. "Statistical Yearbook 2017" (PDF). Department of Statistics Sint Maarten. 2017. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  2. "Accenting St. Maarten, Dutch Caribbean". geographia.com.
  3. "Philipsburg, Sint Maarten Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  4. "Summary of Climatological Data, Period 1971-2000" (PDF). Meteorological Department Curaçao. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 2, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  5. "School Directory ." Sint Maarten Government. Retrieved on February 28, 2018.
  6. "Contact Us." Philipsburg Jubilee Library. Retrieved on February 28, 2018. "Our Address: Ch. E.W. Vogestreet 12 Philipsburg, St. Maarten."
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