Sint Eustatius

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Sint Eustatius (also Saint Eustace and Statia) is one of the islands making up the Netherlands Antilles; it is in the northern, Leeward Islands portion of this territory, to the east of the Virgin Islands at 17°30′N 62°58′W. The regional capital is Oranjestad. It is named after the legendary Catholic Saint Eustace.

Sint Eustatius has a land area of 21 km² (8.1 sq. miles). At the 2001 Netherlands Antilles census, the population was 2,292 inhabitants, which means a population density of 109 inh. per km². In 2004 the population was estimated at 2,498 inhabitants.

[edit] History of Saint Eustatius

The island was seen by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and claimed by an astonishing welter of nations over the next 150 years. In 1636 it was colonized by the chamber of Zeeland of the Dutch West India Company. As of 1678 the islands Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Saba fell under direct command of the Dutch West India Company. At Sint Eustatius a commander was stationed, who also governed over the islands Sint Maarten and Saba. At the time, the island was of some importance for sugar cultivation. The island was also home to one of the first Jewish settlements in the New World, dating back at least to the early 18th century. The Honen Dalim Synagogue, built in 1739, now stands in ruins.

In the eighteenth century the island became known as the Golden Rock, since the island's economy flourished by ignoring the trade embargoes between the great powers.

Since the island sold arms and ammunition to everyone who wanted to pay for it, the island was one of the few ways for the rebellious Thirteen colonies to obtain weaponry. This good relationship between Sint Eustatius and the United States resulted in the famous flag incident, when Commander Johannes de Graaff of Sint Eustatius decided to answer the salute fire of the Andrew Doria that visited the island on 16 November 1776. The United States gave the answering salute great publicity since the island de facto recognized the independence of the United States. (See The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman)

The British did not take the incident too seriously, although they protested against the continuous trade between the United States and Sint Eustatius. In 1778 Lord Stormont claimed in Parliament that 'if Sint Eustatius had sunk into the sea three years before, the United Kingdom would already have dealt with George Washington'. The trade of Sint Eustatius with the United States was the main reason for the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, which was disastrous for Dutch trading.

As a result of the war, Sint Eustatius was taken by the British on 3 February 1781. Commander de Graaff, who at the moment was not informed about the declaration of war but seeing that he was facing superior forces, surrendered the island to the British Admiral Rodney. Ten months later the island was conquered by the French, allies of the Dutch in this war. The Dutch regained command over the island in 1784.

At its peak Sint Eustatius may have had a population of over 20,000 people. In the time since, this has gradually slumped to 3,600, and Sint Eustatius is eclipsed by Curaçao and Sint Maarten.

[edit] Geography of Sint Eustatius

Geographically, the island is saddle-shaped, with the 602 meter-high Mount Mazinga, colloquially called the Quill (a dormant volcano) (from Dutch Kuil, meaning 'pit' - because of its crater) to the southeast and the smaller pair Signal Hill/Little Mountain and Boven Mountain to the northwest. The Quill Crater is a minor tourist destination. The bulk of the island's population lives in the "dip" between the two areas, which crosses the center of the island.

[edit] External links

• Sint Eustatius Tourist Office's homepage
• Sint Eustatius info in Lonely Planet website
• Sint Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research