The majority of the people are of African descent, largely the descendants of slaves brought to Statia to work in the warehouses in Lower Town and on a handful of long-vanished plantations. The culture is a mix of African and Dutch heritage. The lifestyle is casual, but a bit more conservative than on neighboring islands - bathing suits are frowned upon outside of beach areas and hotel pools. There are Methodist, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist, Anglican, Baptist, Apostolic and Baha'i churches on Statia. While Dutch is the official language, English is most commonly spoken.
Cliffs drop straight to the sea along much of the shoreline and the island has precious few beaches.
At the northern side of Statia there are a few low mountains, while the island's central plain contains the airport and town. Statia has few roads and is easy to get around. Oranjestad, the island's sole town, is just south of the airport. Most of the island is dry, with scrubby vegetation, although oleander, bougainvillea, hibiscus and chain of love flowers add a splash of color here and there. The greatest variety of flora grows on the slopes of the Quill, which collects enough cloud cover for its central crater to harbor a rainforest of ferns, elephant ears, bromeliads, bananas and tall trees.