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Heard of Saint Maarten (also known as Saint Martin) before ? Saint Maarten is a tropical island in the northeast Caribbean. The island is divided roughly in half between France and the Netherlands and it is the smallest inhabited sea island divided between two nations.

• The southern Dutch half comprises the Eilandgebied Sint Maarten (Island area of St. Martin) and is part of the Netherlands Antilles.
• The northern French half comprises the Collectivite de Saint-Martin (Collectivity of St. Martin) and is an oversea collectivity of France.

Sint Maarten, the Dutch side, is known for its festive nightlife, beaches, jewelry, exotic drinks made with native rum-based guavaberry liquors, and plentiful of casinos, while Saint-Martin, the French side, is known more for its nude beaches, clothes, shopping, and rich French and Indian Caribbean cuisine.

The island is served by many major airlines that bring in large jets, including Boeing 747s,Airbus A340s, and McDonnell Douglas MD-11s carrying tourists from across the world on a daily basis. This fuels the island's largest revenue source, tourism.Princess Juliana International Airport — which opened a major new terminal in November, 2006 — is famous for its short landing strip —only 2,130 metres/7,000 ft, which is barely enough for heavy jets. Because of this, the planes approach the island flying extremely low, right over the always crowded Maho beach. Check out this YouTube video taken by a tourist on the beach.You can check for more landing or takeoff videos by simply pressing the menu button on the YouTube player.