Marigot () is the main town and capital in the French

Collectivity of Saint Martin The Collectivity of Saint Martin (french: Collectivité de Saint-Martin), commonly known as simply Saint Martin (, ), is an overseas collectivity of France in the West Indies in the Caribbean, on – but not identical with – the island of S ...

History and features

Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was named, Marigot was made capital during the reign of King

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, who built Fort St. Louis on a hill near Marigot Bay. Today, that building is the most important in Marigot. Marigot is typical of Caribbean towns, with gingerbread houses and sidewalk bistros. Market days are every Wednesday and Saturday morning. The crew of the 1997 motion picture ''

Speed 2 ''Speed 2: Cruise Control'' is a 1997 American action thriller film produced and directed by Jan de Bont, and written by Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson. It is the sequel to ''Speed'' (1994) and stars Sandra Bullock (who reprises her ro ...

'' shot the final scene here where the ''Seabourn Legend'' hits the island. The St. Martin of Tours' Church on rue du Fort Louis was built in 1941.

Geography

Marigot is located on the west coast of the island of St. Martin. It extends from the coast to the west, along the Bay of Marigot and the hills of the interior of the island to the east. On the south-west it is bounded by the Simpson Bay.

Climate

Marigot has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Aw''), with very warm to hot and humid weather throughout the year. Rainfall – which is reduced by the rain shadow of the mountains to the east – is not as extreme as in most climates of this type, with the peak occurring from August to November due to

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

Transport

The city is served by

Princess Juliana International Airport Princess Juliana International Airport is the main airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. The airport is located on the Dutch side of the island, in the country of Sint Maarten, close to the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon. In 2015, the ...

as well as

L'Espérance Airport L'Esperance or L'Espérance (French for "The Hope"), may refer to: * L'Espérance (newspaper), Guinean newspaper * L'Esperance, U.S. Virgin Islands, settlement * ''L'Espérance'' (ship), a French privateer ship captured in the action of 30 Septemb ...

. There is a ferry to Blowing Point,

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...

References

External links