Natural Beauty of St. Martin's Island

  Natural Beauty of St. Martin's Island

St. Martin's island is a beautiful coral island under Teknaf upazila. Local people call it Narikel Zinjira. It is also called the 'beauty spot of the Bay'. The 13 Sq.km island is a tropical treasure, situated 17 km away from Teknaf, with beaches fringed with coconut palms, seashells and bountiful marine life. Visitors can see live corals here.

An overnight stay on St. Martin's island is really an extraordinary experience: you can lie in bed and listen to the murmuring of endless waves. It would be a bonanza for anyone to experience the beauty of the moonlit night on this island. Tourists may also plan a visit to Chhera dwip, which is close to St. Martin's island, and famous for its tranquil beauty.

Native name: Narical Gingira (Bengali), Daruchini Dip (Bengali)

Location: Bay of Bengal

Coordinates: 20°37′38.12″N 92°19′21.28″E

Area: 8 km2 (3.1 sq mi)

Country: Bangladesh

Demographics: Population 7,000 (as of 2006)

Density: 875 /km2 (2,266 /sq mi)

St. Martin's Island is a small island (area only 8 sq. km) 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 Chhera island. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. The first settlement started just 250 years ago by some Arabian Sailors who named the island ‘Zajira’. During British occupation the island was named St. Martin Island. The local names of the island are "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Jinjira/Jinjera", which means 'Coconut Island' in Bengali, and "Daruchini Dip". It is the only coral island in Bangladesh.

Most of the island's approximately 7,000[1] inhabitants live primarily from fishing. Besides, the other staple crops are rice and coconut. Being very common in the island, Algae is collected, then dried and finally exported to Myanmar. Between October and April, the fishermen from neighboring areas bring their caught fishes to the island's temporary wholesale market. As the centre and the south are mainly farmland and makeshift huts, most of the strenuous[clarification needed] things are around the far north of the island. However exports of chicken, meat and other foods do come in from the mainland Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma) . During the rainy season because of the terrible bay of bengal the inhabitats have no scope to go to mainland (teknaf) and their life has became dangerous as there is no doctor in this remote island

The only way to reach the place is the water transportation i.e. boats and ships (mostly for tourists) from Teaknaf. Do not expect to find taxis, tarred roads or electricity here in the island. Except for the larger hotels that run on generators, there is no electricity supply from National grid in the island since after dangerous hurricane on year 1999. The island is all about sun, sea and palm trees. During the day, the island comes alive with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires lighting up the evening skies.

From 1989 - 2004 Non residential Bangladeshis and foreigners were the only people permitted on the island, however this has changed and now residential Bangladeshi's are allowed. St. Martin's Island has become a popular tourist spot. Currently, five shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Shahid Sher Niabat, L C T Kutubdia, Eagle, Keari Cruise & Dine and Keari-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension named Chera Dwip. A small bush is there, which is the only green part of Chera Dwip, enhancing the beauty of this island. People do not live on this part of the island, so it is advisable for the tourists to go there early and come back by afternoon.

In the past 5 years St. Martin's visitor population has increased dramatically. While this situation has proven to be lucrative for the islanders, it is causing the natural beauty of the island to deteriorate. Presently there are many efforts being put forth 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 Jinjera. Pieces of the coral reef are being removed in order 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. Species of fish, a few just 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's 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 beaches. Sadly, St. Martin's has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the past 7 years.