Sent Martin Dip Inhabitants

Most of the island's approximately 3,700^[1] inhabitants live primarily from fishing. Besides, the other staple crops are rice and coconut. Being very common in the island, algae are collected, then dried and finally exported to Myanmar. Between October and April, the fishermen from neighboring areas bring their caught fishes to the island's temporary wholesale market. However exports of chicken, meat and other foods do come in from the mainland Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma). As the centre and the south are mainly farmland and makeshift huts, most of the permanent structures are around the far north of the island.
During the rainy season, because of the dangerous conditions on the Bay of Bengal, the inhabitants have no scope to go to the mainland (teknaf) and their life can become dangerous. There is now a hospital on the island, but in the past there has often been no doctor.