Everything about Sint Eustatius totally explained
Sint Eustatius, also known as
Statia, or
Saint Eustace, is one of the islands which make up the
Netherlands Antilles; it's in the northern,
Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, some distance southeast of the
Virgin Islands. It forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Island chain, lying immediately to the northwest of
Saint Kitts and
Nevis and to the southeast of
Saba at . 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.
History of Sint 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 anyone willing to pay, 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" of
16 November 1776, when Commander
Johannes de Graaff of Sint Eustatius decided to return the
salute fire of the visiting American brigantine
Andrew Doria. The United States gave the answering salute great publicity because the salute was the first international acknowledgment of the independence of the United States.
The
British didn't 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 between Sint Eustatius and 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 wasn't 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 was eclipsed by other Dutch ports on
Curaçao and
Sint Maarten.
Geography
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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sint Eustatius'.
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