| ST EUSTATIUS
Sint Eustatius (also
Saint Eustace and Statia), pop. 3,600, 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.
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
claimed by the Netherlands, and despite the occasional invasion since then
has remained under Dutch sovereignty since. It is named after the legendary
Catholic saint Eustace.
Geographically, the island is saddle-shaped,
with the 602 meter-high Mount Mazinga (an extinct volcano) to the southeast
and the smaller pair Signal Hill/Little Mountain and Boven Mountain to the
northwest. Quill Crater on Mount Mazinga 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.
The citizens of Sint Eustatius take pride in being the first "nation" to
recognize the United States, having fired an official salute to the visiting
American ship Andrew Doria in 1776. At the time, the island was of some
importance for sugar cultivation, enhanced even further as an entrepot for
goods headed to the blockaded American colonies: 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.
|
