Saint Martin is a small coral
island of the Bay of Bengal, about 10 km south-west from the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf
in Bangladesh. It’'s a clean and peaceful place with coconut palms. The local
name of this island is ‘Narikel Jinjira’ that’s mean Coconut Island. St. Martin
Island is one of the most beautiful places of beautiful Bangladesh.
The island is 7.315 km long and is
aligned NNW and SSE. Geographically, it is divided into three parts. The
northern part is called Narikel Jinjira or Uttarpara and is 2,134m long and
1,402m wide. The southern part is known as Dakshinpara, which is 1,929m long,
with a narrow tail of 1,890m towards the southeast, and a maximum width of
975m. A narrow central belt or Maddhyapara connects the two parts. The length
and the width of this belt are about 1,524m and 518m respectively and the
narrowest collar is known as Golachipa. In addition to the main island there
are a number of tiny islets ranging from 100 to 500 sq m which are locally
known as Chheradia or Siradia which means separated island.
There is a shallow lagoon in the
middle of Uttarpara and it is connected to the sea during high tide by a narrow
channel on the western coast. The topsoil of Uttarpara consists of alluvial
sands mixed with shells of molluscs. There are two small dead lagoons and a
stretch of marshy land in Dakshinpara. Fish landing sites, bazars and schools
are present only in Uttarpara.
St. Martin's Island has become a
popular tourist spot. Launches and country boats ply between the island and
teknaf regularly. The population is about 3,700 and most of them are fishermen
belonging to 535 families. One hundred eighty-two species of wildlife are
recorded from the island. Of these, 4 species are amphibians, 28 reptiles, 130
birds and 20 mammals. tourism to the northern part of the island exists during
four months (November to February). The most densely populated part is Jinjira.
There is scarcity of sweet water on the island. Only a few ponds and a number
of tube wells supply sweet water for drinking as well as for cultivation. Though
the island falls in the monsoon zone, the climate is much influenced by the
sea. The main vegetation is coconut, betel nut and bamboo. Coconut trees are
abundant and more concentrated in the Jinjira area. The soil of the island is
not so fertile. The main agricultural products are onion, watermelon and some
rice.