Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Philipsburg (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfilɪpsˌbʏr(ə)x]) is the main town and capital of Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 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^[update], it had 1,894 inhabitants.^[1]

Philipsburg
Capital city
View of Great Bay towards Philipsburg
Nickname:  Town
Philipsburg Location in Sint Maarten Show map of Sint Maarten Philipsburg Philipsburg (North America) Show map of North America
Coordinates: 18.0237°N 63.0458°W / 18.0237; -63.0458
State	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Country	Sint Maarten
Island	Saint Martin
Columbus landed	11 November 1493
Established	1763 (by John Philips)
Population  (2017)
• Total	1,894
Time zone	UTC−4 (AST)
Climate	Aw

History

Philipsburg was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy; the settlement soon became a 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]

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

A 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 have placed a warning on the airport's fence to alert people to the dangers of jet blast.

Education

Schools include:^[3]

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

Philipsburg Jubilee Library is in Philipsburg.^[4]

Climate

Philipsburg has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw),^[5] 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.

v t e Climate data for Saint Martin (Princess Juliana International Airport) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2020)
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)	34.0 (93.2)	35.2 (95.4)	34.2 (93.6)	35.1 (95.2)	35.0 (95.0)	34.3 (93.7)	33.9 (93.0)	32.1 (89.8)	35.2 (95.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	28.6 (83.5)	28.7 (83.7)	29.0 (84.2)	29.6 (85.3)	30.4 (86.7)	31.3 (88.3)	31.5 (88.7)	31.8 (89.2)	31.7 (89.1)	31.2 (88.2)	30.3 (86.5)	29.3 (84.7)	30.3 (86.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	25.7 (78.3)	25.6 (78.1)	25.8 (78.4)	26.6 (79.9)	27.5 (81.5)	28.4 (83.1)	28.6 (83.5)	28.8 (83.8)	28.8 (83.8)	28.3 (82.9)	27.4 (81.3)	26.4 (79.5)	27.3 (81.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23.3 (73.9)	23.2 (73.8)	23.5 (74.3)	24.2 (75.6)	25.3 (77.5)	26.2 (79.2)	26.3 (79.3)	26.5 (79.7)	26.4 (79.5)	25.9 (78.6)	25.1 (77.2)	24.1 (75.4)	25.0 (77.0)
Record low °C (°F)	18.6 (65.5)	18.8 (65.8)	19.1 (66.4)	19.3 (66.7)	20.2 (68.4)	21.8 (71.2)	22.1 (71.8)	21.4 (70.5)	22.0 (71.6)	21.8 (71.2)	20.8 (69.4)	19.9 (67.8)	18.6 (65.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	67.9 (2.67)	49.4 (1.94)	46.9 (1.85)	60.1 (2.37)	98.0 (3.86)	55.0 (2.17)	96.6 (3.80)	106.2 (4.18)	116.1 (4.57)	157.0 (6.18)	162.0 (6.38)	101.0 (3.98)	1,116.2 (43.94)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	13	11	8	8	10	9	13	14	13	14	14	14	141
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	258.1	245.2	274.8	269.9	253.7	245.8	259.1	267.5	245.1	249.2	238.4	247.1	3,053.9
Source 1: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[6]
Source 2: Meteorological Department Curaçao (humidity 1971–2000)[7]

See also

• List of Designated Monuments in Philipsburg