Introduction
St. Martin's Island (Bengali: সেন্ট মার্টিন্স দ্বীপ) is a small island (area only 36 km2) in the
northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. There is a small adjoining island that is separated at high
tide, called Chera Dwip. It is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of the northwest
coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River.
History and Description
Millennia ago, the island used to be an extension of the
Teknaf peninsula, but at a later time some portion of this peninsula got
submerged and thus the southernmost part of the aforementioned peninsula became
an island and was disconnected from the Bangladesh mainland. The first
settlement started 250 years ago by Arabian sailors who named the island
'Jazeera'. During British occupation, the island was named after the then Deputy
Commissioner of Chittagong Mr. Martin as St. Martin Island. The local names of the island are "Narikel jinjira" which means 'Coconut Island', and "Daruchini
Dwip" which means "Cinnamon island". It is the only coral island in Bangladesh.
Inhabitants
Most of the island's approximately 3,700 inhabitants live primarily from fishing. The other staple
crops are rice and coconut. Being very common on the island, algae are
collected, dried, and exported to Myanmar. Between October and April, the
fishermen from neighboring areas bring their caught fishes to the island's
temporary wholesale market. However, imports of chicken, meat, and other foods
come in from mainland Bangladesh and Myanmar. As the center and the south
are mainly farmland and makeshift huts, most of the permanent structures are
around the far north.
During the rainy season,
because of the dangerous conditions on the Bay of Bengal, the inhabitants have
no scope to go to the mainland (Teknaf) and their life can become dangerous.
There is a hospital on the island, but in the past, there has often been no
doctor.
Transportation
The only way to reach St. Martin's Island is by water
transportation: boats and ships (mostly for tourists) from Cox Bazar and
Teknaf. The only internal transport for the island is a non-motorized van (pulled by a man.) The roads are made of concrete, and their condition is decent. All the
hotels run generators until 11 PM which are not allowed afterward, so they
then rely on solar power, which is popular throughout the island. There is no
electricity supply from the national grid since a hurricane in 1991.
The island is all about sun, sea and palm trees. During the day, it comes alive
with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires lighting up the
evening skies.
Tourism
From 1989 to 2004, non-residential Bangladeshis and foreigners were the only people permitted on the island; however, this has changed and now residential Bangladeshis are allowed. St. Martin's Island has become a tourist spot, and five shipping liners run daily trips to the island. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar. The surrounding coral reef has an extension named Chera Dwip. A small bush is there, which is the only green part. People do not live on this part, so it is advisable for the tourists to go there early and come back by afternoon.
A number of efforts have been
proposed to preserve the several endangered species of turtles that nest on the island, as well
as the corals, some of which are found only on
Narikel Jinjira. Pieces of the coral reef are being removed to be sold to
tourists. Nesting turtles are sometimes taken for food, and their
hatchlings are often distracted by the twinkling lights along the beach. Fish,
a few recently discovered, are being overfished. Every year the fishermen must
venture further out to sea to get their catch. Most of them use motorless
boats.
It is possible to walk around
the island in a day because it measures only 8 km2 (3 sq. mile), shrinking to about 5 km2 (2 sq. mi) during high tide. The island exists only
because of its coral base, so removal of that coral risks erosion of the beach.
Because of this, St., Martin's has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the
past seven years.
Climate and Weather
The best weather is usually between November
and February; this is the major tourist season. Between March and July,
cyclones can strike. The island was devastated by a cyclone in 1991 but has fully recovered, and was untouched by the 2004 tsunami. Thus, March to July is the off-season for tourists.
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