The culture of St. Martin owes a great deal to its African, French, and Dutch heritage. Although St. Martin is a single island, it contains two separate nations: Saint Martin, part of the French overseas region of Guadeloupe; and Sint Maarten, part of the Netherlands Antilles. Although each side's culture is influenced by their respective homelands, they share enough similar heritage and traditions that it can be difficult to tell where Saint Martin ends and Sint Maarten begins. St. ...

The native Creole population can trace most of their roots to Africa, France, and/or the Netherlands. While British and Spanish settlers also inhabited the island in its early colonial period, they left early enough that they didn't make a large impact on St. Martin's culture. Due to a major influx of immigrants searching for better employment and living conditions, over the past twenty years the number of Creoles has been surpassed by the number of immigrants. Today, the island's population of 69,000 is truly a melting pot of people from 70 different countries. The word Creole (and its cognates in other languages, such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ...

With so many different nationalities present, quite a few languages are spoken. However, the official languages are French for Saint Martin and Dutch for Sint Maarten. Other common languages include French patois (a dialect mixing French with African and other influences), English, Spanish, and Papiamento (a language of the Netherlands Antilles). English is popular enough that it's taught in schools. Patois, although without a formal definition in linguistics, can be used to describe a language considered as nonstandard. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Papiamento or Papiamentu is the primary language spoken on the Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (the so-called ABC islands). ...

In French Saint Martin, the most popular religion is Catholicism. Dutch Sint Maarten favors Protestant denominations, particularly Methodism. The island also has small Jewish and Seventh Day Adventist communities. As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic - from the Greek adjective , meaning general or universal[2] - is described in the Oxford Dictionary as follows: ~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. ... The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA), colloquially referred to as the Adventists, is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination that grew out of the prophetic Millerite movement in the United States during the middle part of the 19th century. ...

Perhaps in part due to French influences, the whole island is known for its excellent cuisine. Creole, French, and West Indian cooking are particularly renowned. Chefs trained in Europe elevate restaurant cuisine to gourmet level. Of course, with the diverse nationalities, plenty of international fare is cooked up.

Popular music on St. Martin includes a variety of styles beloved throughout the Caribbean. Calypso, merengue, soca, zouk, and reggae all contribute to the festive culture. World map depicting Caribbean: West Indies redirects here. ... Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in the British and French colonial islands of the Caribbean at about the start of the 20th century. ... Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. ... Soca is a dance music which is a mix of Trinidads calypso and Indian music and rhythms, especially chutney music -- it is not, as is often said, a fusion of soul and calypso. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• St. Martin Guide - Culture