Saint Martin's Island

Saint Martin’s Island is a small island in Bangladesh. It is situated in the Teknaf Thana (Sub-District) of Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong Division Bangladesh. Saint Martin’s Island is about 10 km south-west of the southern tip of the mainland. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. It’s the country’s only coral island. It is a tropical cliche, with beaches fringed with coconut palms and bountiful marine life. Live coral colonies can be found in the low tide level around the island. Saint Martin’s Island is 8 sq km (3 sq mi), shrinking to about 5 sq km (2 sq mi) during high tide. It has a population of 7000 inhabitants, and most of them are fishermen.

Saint Martin’s is divided into three parts. The northern part is called Narikel Jinjira, which means 'Coconut Island' (Narikal means Coconut, and Jinjira means Island). The southern part is known as Dakkhinpara (Dakkhin means South and Para means the area). A narrow central belt or Maddhyapara connects the two parts. There is a small adjoining island that is separated at high tide, called Chera Dweep. It is locally known as Chheradia or Siradia, which means separated island. On the time of high tide, the boats are only optioning to cross the 30-40 ft wide water barrier. During a low tide period, the Chera Dweep can be reached by walking for about two and a half hours from Saint Martin's Island.