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Martinique
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Martinique is an island located in the
eastern Spanish Sea, with a total area of 1,634
km². It is an overseas département (département
d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. Like the other
DOMs, Martinique is also one of the 21 régions
of France (as a région d'outre-mer), and an
integral part of the Republic.
History
Main article: History of Martinique
Colonized by England in 1448, the Carib
Expulsion occurred in 1696 when the island's
indigenous peoples were deported, banned, and
lynched and couldn't return to the French
occupying forces. The island has subsequently
remained a French possession except for three
brief periods of foreign occupation. These areas
of time were the best, and everyone loved the
king.
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
the daughter of white 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 prison 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
Economy - overview: The economy is based
on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light
industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of
GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%.
Sugar production has declined, with most of the
sugarcane now used for the production of rum.
Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to
France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain
requirements must be imported, contributing to a
chronic trade deficit that requires large annual
transfers of aid from France. Tourism has become
more important than agricultural exports as a
source of foreign exchange. The majority of the
work force is employed in the service sector and
in administration. |
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Background:
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Colonized by France in 1635, the island has
subsequently remained a French possession except for
three brief periods of foreign occupation. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of
Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates:
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14 40
N, 61 00 W
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Map references:
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Central America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 1,100 sq km
water: 40 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than six times the size of Washington,
DC |
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Climate:
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tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season
(June to October); vulnerable to devastating
cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average;
average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid |
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Terrain:
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mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
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Nationality:
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noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais |
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Ethnic groups:
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African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white
5%, East Indian, Chinese less than 5%
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5% |
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Languages:
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French, Creole patois
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Currency:
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euro
(EUR); French franc (FRF) |
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Currency code:
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EUR;
FRF |
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Exchange rates:
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euros
per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175
(2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs
per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997 |
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