Martinique

Martinique is an overseas département (Département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Caribbean Sea. Like the other DOMs, Martinique is also a région (Région d'outre-mer) of France.

Région Martinique

(Unofficial région flag) (Région logo)
Capital	Fort-de-France
Land area…	1,128 km²
Regional President	Alfred Marie-Jeanne (MIM) (since 1998)
Population  - Jan.1, 2004 estimate  - March 8, 1999 census  - Density	(Ranked 24th) 393,000 381,427 348/km² ( 2004)
Arrondissements	4
Cantons	45
Communes	34
Départements	Martinique
1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers

History

Colonized by France in 1635, the Carib Expulsion occurred in 1660 when the island's Indigenous peoples were deported and banned from returning by the French occupying forces. The island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.

From 1635 (arrival of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, a French aristocrat who took possession of the island for France) to 1946, Martinique lived as a French colony producing tropical trade goods such as cane sugar, coffee, rum or cocoa. African captives were brought from West Africa to form the slave population who is at the origin of most of today's population.

Martinique was the birthplace of Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was not black, but the offspring of colonial slave-owning aristocrats. The remnants of her parent's plantation, La Pagerie, can still be seen at Les Trois Ilets, across the bay from Fort-de-France.

On May 8 1902 Mount Pelée, a Volcano on the island erupted, destroying the town of St. Pierre killing over 30,000 people. Only one resident survived the blast - a prisoner by the name of Ludger Sylbaris, who was protected by the thick walls of his cell.

Martinique became an overseas département of France on March 19, 1946. This means it is treated equally to every other département in France and has full representation in the National Assembly and Senate.

Martinique is especially well known for the number of great authors that have come from the island and become extremely famous in France and throughout the world. It has also become known for a form of music called Zouk, which developed in the 1980s.

Politics

Subdivisions

See also Communes of the Martinique département

Geography

Economy

Demographics

Culture

See also: Music of Martinique and Guadeloupe

See also

• List of media outlets in Martinique
• French overseas departments and territories
• Administrative divisions of France

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Martinique
• Foreign relations of Martinique
• Holidays in Martinique
• Military: defense is the responsibility of France.

• Thomas Voeckler
• Transportation in Martinique

External links and references

• Some material from the CIA World Factbook
• The active and festive guide of Martinique
• Vintage Postcards of Martinique.
• Martinique at Google Maps