If you take a good look at the map of St. Maarten you'll notice that the French part is a bit bigger than the Dutch side. If this was done on purpose, we'll never know, but the fact is that in 1648 the two nations agreed to divide the island with the signing of the Treaty of Concordia. This was done to prevent any further skirmishes between the two nationalities, which had erupted from time to time. Popular folklore claims that two people, one Dutch and one French, started walking toward one another from opposite ends of the island. Both men were not allowed to run and where they met would be the new border. In the end the French hiker walked faster than his Dutch counterpart and this could be due to their preferences for alcohol. Whereas the Frenchman drank wine before his trek, the Dutchman's progress was hampered by his consumption of Jenever (Dutch gin). In 1948 a border monument with the usual flags was erected on the main highway between Philipsburg and Marigot, thus celebrating 300 years of coexistence between St. Maarten and St. Martin. It's the smallest land mass in the world shared by two larger nations.