[3] The district contains the towns and villages of Santa Rosa,[4] Spaanse Water,[5]: 6  Montaña,[6] Seru Grandi,[7] and Oostpunt.

[8] The plantations were small-scale due to the infertile ground and produced yams, mangos, oranges, or raised livestock.

[10] In the 19th century, the Roman Catholic church founded the villages of Santa Rose and Montaña in order to educate and convert the former slave population.

[5]: 6  In 1875, a large-scale phosphate mine was opened near the Tafelberg,[11] In 1927, Royal Dutch Shell built an oil terminal at Spaanse Water.

[14] The village of Oostpunt, the most eastern point of the island, is private property of the Maal family,[3] and most of the 54 square kilometres (21 sq mi)[15] area surrounding the villages of Oostpunt, Sint Joris, and Santa Catharina[16] is off limits.