Editing Saint Martin (island) (section)

==Demographics==
On 1 January 2019, the population of the whole island was 73,777 inhabitants, with 41,177 living on the Dutch side<ref name=Sint_Maarten_population /> and 32,489 on the French side.<ref name=Saint_Martin_population /> Note that the figure for the French side is based on censuses that took place after the devastation of [[Hurricane Irma]] in September 2017, whereas the figure for the Dutch side is only a post-censal estimate still based on the 2011 census. The first census since Hurricane Irma on the Dutch side of the island is scheduled to take place in October 2022.<ref name="census_2022">See job offer as census interviewer for the Oct. 2022 census: [https://www.facebook.com/356754787783279/photos/a.461785480613542/4989793044479407/?type=3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240906092457/https://www.facebook.com/356754787783279/photos/a.461785480613542/4989793044479407/?type=3|date=6 September 2024}}.</ref> Population of the island on 1 January 2017, before Hurricane Irma, was 75,869 (40,535 on the Dutch side,<ref name=Sint_Maarten_population /> 35,334 on the French side<ref name=pop_2017 />).

Due to a major influx of immigrants searching for better employment and living conditions over the past 30 years, the number of Creoles has been surpassed by the number of immigrants. The island's population is highly diverse, containing people from more than 70&nbsp;countries.

With so many nationalities present, quite a few languages are spoken. [[Netherlands Antilles Creole|An English-based creole]] is the main local vernacular.<ref>Holm (1989) ''Pidgins and Creoles'', vol. 2</ref> However, the official languages are French for Saint-Martin, with Dutch and English being official for Sint Maarten. Other common languages include various French creoles (spoken by [[French Caribbean]] immigrants), Spanish (spoken by immigrants from the [[Dominican Republic]], [[Puerto Rico]], and various South American countries), and [[Papiamento]] (spoken by immigrants from [[Aruba]], [[Bonaire]] and [[Curaçao]]).<ref>[http://www.st-maarten.com/culture.htm Culture of St. Maarten] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206035057/http://www.st-maarten.com/culture.htm|date=6 December 2006}}. St. Maarten Tourism Office.</ref>