Marigot (French pronunciation: [maʁiɡo]) is the main town and capital in the French Collectivity of Saint Martin.

Marigot
Top: Aerial vie of Marigot; Middle: Church of St. Martin of Tours, Fort Louis; Bottom:Marigot Main Plaza, Historic Rue de la Concordia
Marigot is located in Saint-Martin
Marigot
Marigot
Coordinates: 18°04′23″N 63°04′56″W / 18.0731°N 63.0822°W / 18.0731; -63.0822
CountryFrance
Overseas collectivitySaint Martin
Population
 (2006)
 • Total
5,700
Time zoneUTC−4 (AST)

History and features

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Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was named, Marigot was made capital during the reign of King Louis XVI of France, 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 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.[1]

Geography

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Fort St. Louis, 2010

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

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Marigot has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), with very warm to hot and humid weather throughout the year.[2] 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 hurricanes.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.7
(90.9)
31.6
(88.9)
32.6
(90.7)
33.6
(92.5)
34.0
(93.2)
35.2
(95.4)
34.2
(93.6)
35.1
(95.2)
35.0
(95.0)
34.3
(93.7)
33.9
(93.0)
32.1
(89.8)
35.2
(95.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 28.6
(83.5)
28.7
(83.7)
29.0
(84.2)
29.6
(85.3)
30.4
(86.7)
31.3
(88.3)
31.5
(88.7)
31.8
(89.2)
31.7
(89.1)
31.2
(88.2)
30.3
(86.5)
29.3
(84.7)
30.3
(86.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.7
(78.3)
25.6
(78.1)
25.8
(78.4)
26.6
(79.9)
27.5
(81.5)
28.4
(83.1)
28.6
(83.5)
28.8
(83.8)
28.8
(83.8)
28.3
(82.9)
27.4
(81.3)
26.4
(79.5)
27.3
(81.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23.3
(73.9)
23.2
(73.8)
23.5
(74.3)
24.2
(75.6)
25.3
(77.5)
26.2
(79.2)
26.3
(79.3)
26.5
(79.7)
26.4
(79.5)
25.9
(78.6)
25.1
(77.2)
24.1
(75.4)
25.0
(77.0)
Record low °C (°F) 18.6
(65.5)
18.8
(65.8)
19.1
(66.4)
19.3
(66.7)
20.2
(68.4)
21.8
(71.2)
22.1
(71.8)
21.4
(70.5)
22.0
(71.6)
21.8
(71.2)
20.8
(69.4)
19.9
(67.8)
18.6
(65.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 67.9
(2.67)
49.4
(1.94)
46.9
(1.85)
60.1
(2.37)
98.0
(3.86)
55.0
(2.17)
96.6
(3.80)
106.2
(4.18)
116.1
(4.57)
157.0
(6.18)
162.0
(6.38)
101.0
(3.98)
1,116.2
(43.94)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 13 11 8 8 10 9 13 14 13 14 14 14 141
Average relative humidity (%) 74.7 74.1 73.6 75.0 75.9 75.1 74.8 75.4 76.3 76.8 77.4 76.6 75.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 258.1 245.2 274.8 269.9 253.7 245.8 259.1 267.5 245.1 249.2 238.4 247.1 3,053.9
Source 1: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration[3]
Source 2: Meteorological Department Curaçao (humidity 1971–2000)[4]

Transport

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Marigot Lighthouse
 
 
LocationMarigot, Collectivity of Saint Martin, France  
Coordinates18°04′16″N 63°05′12″W / 18.071056°N 63.086528°W / 18.071056; -63.086528
Tower
Constructedest. 1886
Foundationconcrete base
Constructionmasonry tower
Height10 m (33 ft)  
Shapecylindrical frustum tower with light[5][6]
Markingswhite  
Power sourcesolar power  
Light
Focal height20 m (66 ft)  
Range11 nmi (20 km; 13 mi) (white), 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) (red), 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) (green)  
CharacteristicFl WRG 4s  

The city is served by Princess Juliana International Airport as well as L'Espérance Airport. There is a ferry to Blowing Point, Anguilla.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Catholic Church in Marigot". www.stmartinisland.org. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
  2. ^ "Marigot, Saint Martin Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase.
  3. ^ "Princess Juliana International Airport Climate Normals for 1991-2020" (CSV). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Summary of Climatological Data, Period 1971–2000" (PDF). Meteorological Department Curaçao. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  5. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Saint Martin". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. ^ List of Lights, Pub. 110: Greenland, The East Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. Except the East Coast of Florida) and the West Indies (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2016.
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