St. Martin’s Island

St. Martin’s Island is a small island (area only 3 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 kilometres (5 miles) west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River.

Only coral island in Bangladesh, St. Martin’s Island

History

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, in 18th century, by Arabian merchants who named the island ‘Jazira’. During British occupation the island was named after the then Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Mr. Martin as St. Martin Island. Likely because one or more of the Arabs were Saint and whose name could not be identified. 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.

Coral

Life on the Island

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 the mainland Bangladesh and Myanmar. As the centre and the south are mainly farmland and makeshift huts, most of the permanent structures are around the far north.

Fishing-boats, St. Martin’s Island

Fish market, St. Martin’s island

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 island is non motorized van (pulled by man.) The roads are made of concrete, and their condition are decent. All the hotels run generators until 11 PM which are not allowed afterwards, 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. During the day, it comes alive with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires.

M.V. Bengali

Keari Sindbad

Tourism 

St. Martin’s Island has become a  popular 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 Restort of St. Martin’s Island

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.  St. Martin’s lost 70% of its coral reef between 1980 and 2018 due to anthropogenic factors.

The island is a wonder of natural beauties.