Flag of St. Martin
The St. Martin flag is the French tricolor of blue, white and red. The northern part of the Caribbean island is a French overseas collectivity, while the south, Sint Maarten, belongs to the Netherlands and has a different flag.
What the flag of St. Martin looks like
The official flag of French Saint-Martin is the national flag of France: three vertical bands of equal width in blue, white and red, with blue at the hoist and a ratio of 2:3. It flies at the collectivity's offices in Marigot and across the French side of the island. A separate Saint Martin Unity Flag, adopted in 1990 to represent both halves of the island, is flown on some houses and by some churches, but it is not an official government flag.
The St. Martin flag emoji shows the French design. Similar tricolors are used on other French overseas lands such as Réunion.
St. Martin flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#FFFFFFRGB
255, 255, 255CMYK
0, 0, 0, 0 HEX
#002654RGB
0, 38, 84CMYK
100, 55, 0, 67 HEX
#CE1126RGB
206, 17, 38CMYK
0, 92, 82, 19 Meaning of the colors
Blue and red are the colors of Paris, and white was the color of the royal house. Together they became the symbol of the French Revolution. Later readings link blue to liberty, white to equality and red to fraternity, though none is official.
History of the island and its two flags
Columbus anchored off these islands on 11 November 1493, the feast day of Saint Martin, and gave the name to what is now Nevis; the name was later transferred to this island through confusion among poorly charted islands. French and Dutch settlers arrived in the 17th century, and in 1648 the two sides agreed to divide the island under the Treaty of Concordia. The border has been stable since 1816. The French part covers roughly 53 square kilometers, and the Dutch part about 34.
The north was a commune of Guadeloupe until 2007, when it became a separate overseas collectivity. The Dutch side, Sint Maarten, became a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010 and has a flag of its own. Checks between the two sides are rare.
The island today
The island is a popular Caribbean tourist destination, and visitors move between the two sides with rare border checks. The main town of the French side is Marigot, and Philipsburg is the capital of Sint Maarten.
St. Martin flag facts
| Country | St. Martin |
|---|---|
| Proportions | 2:3 |
| Colors | #FFFFFF, #002654, #CE1126 |
| Flag emoji | 🇲🇫 |
| Country code | MF, MAF (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Marigot |
| Continent | North America |
| Population | 32,358 |
| Area | 53 km² |
| National anthem | La Marseillaise |
St. Martin flag: frequently asked questions
Does St. Martin have two flags?
Yes. The French north uses the French tricolor, and the Dutch south, Sint Maarten, has its own flag. The two share one island of about 87 square kilometers.
What country is Sint Maarten?
Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on the southern part of the island.
What does the Saint-Martin flag look like?
The French part uses the blue, white and red tricolor. The Saint Martin Unity Flag of 1990 is not an official government flag.
Why is the island called Saint Martin?
Columbus anchored off the islands on 11 November 1493, Saint Martin's feast day, and named what is now Nevis after the saint; the name was later transferred to this island by mistake.
