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Overview

Introduction

If you listen carefully to the Creole language that's spoken on Martinique, you'll be able to hear what this island is all about: It's partly French and it's partly something different.

Like France, Martinique has stylish food, stylish clothing and great pride in all things French. But it's also very much a part of the Caribbean, with its beautiful mountains, tangled rain forests, long beaches and African-influenced heritage.

Martinique is a place where knowing a little French goes a long way. Those who can talk the talk, or who like the challenge of a language barrier, are most likely to be enchanted by Martinique's blend of French and tropical experiences.

Must See or Do

Sights—Sacre Coeur de Balata; Memorial de l'Anse Caffard, a haunting sculpture in Le Diamant that commemorates the sinking of a slave ship; Memorial 1902 in Saint-Pierre, honoring victims of the Mount Pelee volcano and Saint-Pierre, the city destroyed by its 1902 eruption.

Museums—Musee de la Pagerie, set on the spot where Empress Josephine, Napoleon's wife, was born; La Savane des Esclaves.

Memorable Meals—New Cap, where diners can feast on fresh seafood while enjoying views of Diamond Rock; La Mandoline for its high-end French cuisine prepared with local ingredients.

Late Night—African, Asian and West Indian cooking and music at Zanzibar; live music and dancing at Sunset 972.

Walks—Strolling and picture-taking at LaSavane, the central park in Fort-de-France; walking through the menagerie of tropical plants at Jardin de Balata in the suburbs north of Fort-de-France.

Especially for Kids—Tree-top tours on a zipline at Mangofil, a nature adventure park situated near the resort town of Trois Islets; the zoo in Le Carbet.

Geography

Martinique is the southernmost island of the French Antilles (which include nearby Guadeloupe and the French dependencies St. Barthelemy and St. Martin). The island is about 400 mi/650 km southeast of Puerto Rico, just south of Dominica and north of St. Lucia.

Martinique is a rugged and fertile volcanic island, 50 mi/80 km long by 22 mi/35 km wide. Its mountains, the Pitons du Carbet, rise to more than 4,000 ft/1,240 m. The capital and main port, Fort-de-France, sit at the entrance to a large sheltered bay on the southwestern coast.

History

Columbus sighted the island in 1493, but word of the fierce Carib inhabitants discouraged him from landing until 1502. His stay was brief, and the island remained isolated until 1635, when the Frenchman Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc and 100 settlers from St. Kitts established a permanent settlement on the leeward coast. Martinique prospered for a century, becoming the seat of the French crown in the Caribbean and one of the richest islands in the region.

The wars in Europe, however, spread to the Caribbean. Between 1762 and 1820 the island changed hands between the French and the British many times. The French regained sovereignty and permanently abolished slavery in 1848. Shortly thereafter, thousands of immigrants from India were brought to Martinique to work in the sugarcane fields. But by then the island's once prosperous sugar industry was in ruins. The final blow to the island's economy came in 1902, when Mount Pelee erupted and buried Saint-Pierre, the capital city at the time, killing 30,000 residents. The capital was relocated to Fort-de-France.

Martinique has one of the highest standards of living in the Caribbean: Many of its residents live in modest comfort. In 1946, Martinique's designation as a French colony was elevated to that of an overseas departement of France, and in 1974, the island's status was raised to region. Residents hold French citizenship, vote in French elections and are represented in the French National Assembly in Paris by democratically elected senators and deputies. Martinique and nearby Guadeloupe—along with the French dependencies, St. Barthelemy and St. Martin—are often referred to as the French West Indies. About three quarters of Martinique's overnight visitors each year are from France, which only heightens the French ambience of the island.

Martinique is economically dependent on France. However, Martinicans have a strong sense of national pride. This is reflected in the presence of political parties who favor independence from France.

Snapshot

Martinique's foremost attractions are lush scenery, magnificent tropical rain forest, Mount Pelee, French and Creole food, scuba diving, snorkeling, beaches, casinos, nightlife, shopping and Diamond Rock.

Martinique is for those seeking a relaxing Caribbean holiday amid beautiful scenery and French culture. Those who are looking for a place where English is widely spoken may prefer another island.

Potpourri

Those who like music can enjoy some good Caribbean tunes while in Martinique. Tune into 104.4 Nouvelle Radio des Jeunes (NRJ) and 96.4 Radio Caraibes International (RCI). The stations play a mix of zouk, reggae and other styles from the islands.

There is some sentiment among the islanders for independence from France, but most residents seem to be quite happy as part of the French Republic and are aware that losing that connection could make economic conditions worse.

The Chateau Dubuc on the Caravelle Peninsula was the home of Aimee Dubuc de Rivery, a young girl who was captured by pirates in the 1700s, sold as a slave and then given as tribute to the Sultan of Constantinople. She became the Sultana Valide.

It's said that the British navy, under the command of Samuel Hood, commissioned Diamond Rock as a sloop-of-war in 1804, during the Napoleonic wars. They fortified H.M.S. Diamond Rock with cannons and more than 100 sailors and managed to block French access to Martinique for 17 months. The French eventually overtook the rock after they floated a skiff loaded with rum to the British soldiers stationed there. When the Englishmen became drunk on the hooch, Diamond Rock fell to France.

The Carib Indians called the island Madinina—The Land of Flowers.

To Have and Have Not, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (and based on a Hemingway novel), was set in Martinique in the 1940s, when the island supported the pro-Nazi Vichy regime in France. In 1943 Martinique was forced to shift its allegiance to the French Resistance because of pressure from the U.S.

Martinique was the setting of the 1999 MGM film The Thomas Crown Affair. Scenes were shot in Le Vauclin and Saint-Pierre.

World-renowned poet and long-time mayor of Fort-de-France Aime Cesaire was born in Basse Pointe, Martinique in 1913. He died in Fort-de-France in April 2008. One of his best-known works is Return to My Native Land, a book-length poem in which he coined the term negritude. The airport on Martinique is named in his honor.

Euzhan Palcy, a native of Martinique, is the first black woman director to have produced a feature-length film in Hollywood. Among her productions are Sugar Cane Alley and A Dry White Season.

The Martinique city of Le Diamant renamed a street in honor of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the U.S. Rue Obama extends from the heart of the coastal city to the sea and measures 472 ft/144 m.

Location

Fort-de-France, Martinique's cruise-ship port, is on the southwestern side of the island. Some cruise ships tie up at Quai des Tourelles terminal, the main cruise-ship and commercial dock. It takes 15-25 minutes to walk east from the dock to downtown on busy sidewalks. Taxis line up in front of the dock.

The Pointe Simon wharf has two cruise ship berths, and the nearby Tourelles cruise terminal can accommodate up to three ships. Occasionally ships are required to anchor off the coast and transfer passengers to the ferry dock in smaller craft.

Pointe Simon extends out into the harbor from downtown. If your ship docks there, it is only a five-minute walk to downtown.

Each terminal has an information desk, restrooms, and duty-free and souvenir shops. In the main terminal (Quai des Tourelles), passengers can access Wi-Fi.

Shore Excursions

Overview

Introduction

The Grenadine island of Petite Martinique, 2.5 mi/4 km northeast of Carriacou, is tiny but spectacularly beautiful: It's dominated by a 750-ft-/230-m-high mountain at its center. Its 600 inhabitants are mostly boatbuilders. You won't find a lot to do on Petite Martinique. There's a beach on the northwest coast that's good for swimming, or you can hike to the top for postcard-pretty views of the Grenadine island chain.

There are no hotels (just four small guesthouses), but it's a pleasant place to spend a day on the beach. There are a few good restaurants and a handful of shops selling rum. If you want to go there for the day, an Osprey high-speed catamaran, owned by a group of Petite Martinique residents, makes the trip from Carriacou to the island.