Saint Martin is the smallest inhabited island in the world shared by two sovereign nations; the island of New Guinea is the largest. The French control the northern area and have a larger territorial share; the Dutch sector, referred to as Sint Martin, is larger in population. The island was divided in 1648 by the Treaty of Concordia.
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Gorgonia flabellum - The Venus sea fan is common in the waters around the Bahamas and Lesser Antilles. It prefers depths not exceeding 10 meters and is usually found in areas of strong and steady wave action. The intricate mesh skeleton does not consist of hardened calcium carbonate; it is a soft coral made of sclelites, small mobile structures able to flex back and forth against on-coming waves and currents to better feed on the passing plankton. Venus sea fans reach heights of 1.5 meters and are either yellow, white or lavender.
