Director of tourism Charles Lindo says St. Eustatius was spared the worst by Hurricane Irma – telephone, electricity, and internet are back up and both the airport and seaport are open.
St. Eustatius, affectionately called Statia, is approximately 5 miles/8 km long and 2 miles/3.2 km wide, covering a total of 11.8 square miles or approximately 30.6 square kilometres. The island has a population of 3183 as of September 2006 and is located in the north eastern Caribbean. It is 150 miles / 240 km east of Puerto Rico (latitude 17.00, longitude 63.04), 90 miles / 144 km east of St. Croix, 38 miles / 60.8 km south of St. Maarten and 17 miles / 27.2 km southeast of Saba.
Statia is only a few hours by air from major USA cities and a mere 15 minutes flying time from St. Maarten. Together with sister islands Saba and St. Maarten, Statia forms the Windward Islands of the Dutch Caribbean.
Oranjestad, the smallest capital in the world.
Dutch is the official language used in government administration and schools. English is spoken everywhere.
St. Eustatius has always recognized its nature and marine life is one of its most valuable assets.