Full name: Department of Martinique

Capital City:

Fort-de-France

Language: French, Antillean, English, Creole patois

Currency: Euro
Religion: Roman Catholic (90%), Seventh Day Adventist, Hindu,
Jewish
National Anthem:"La Marseillaise"
Newspaper:

Caribbean Net News is an online newspaper in

Martinique.

Places to Visit: Les Salines, Saint-Pierre, La Savane, Les Ombrages,

Muse de la Pagerie and many other interesting places.
Transport: Airways: Air France, AOM, Air Libert and Nouvelles
Frontires in the island and in Caribbean Fly the Air
Martinique, Air Guadeloupe and Air France.
Shopping: Several handmade dolls, local shells-made handicrafts, straw
works, crystals, jewellery etc can be found in cheap price in this country.

Introduction
Martinique is an overseas territory of France. Government: Unitary state,
Constitutional republic, Semi-presidential system. Martinique is one of
the twenty-seven regions of France and an integral part of the French
Republic. As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union
and that is why French influence is heavily perceptible in this country's
traditions.

Location of Martinique
Department of Martinique is an island in the Lesser Antilles in the
Eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km. The island lies
between Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. To the northwest lies
Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados and
Trinidad and Tobago are located on the southern side of the country.

Physical Map of Martinique

Martinique is characterized by mountainous lands. The famous Mount
Pelee is situated in this island. However this is a volcanic mountain and
it broke out in the year 1902, on 8th May.

It was a horrible day for the inhabitants of the city Saint Pierre that was
closest to the volcano. The entire city was destroyed in that calamity.

Except for these mountainous regions, some coastal areas are also there
in the island. The peak, Montagne Pelee, rises to an astounding 1,397
meters above the sea level. It claims to be highest altitude in the country.

Flag of Martinique
A flag of a country represents the characteristic of the nations an also its
individuality. It also bears some symbolic significance. The flag of the
country is coloured in light blue and white. The background is blue and
this background is divided into four small parts by a cross that is white.
All these four blue quadrants feature a white snake separately. The snake
is drawn in the centre of each blue section. Each of the snakes has a
black eye.
N.B. However this flag is not used for their official purposes. Rather
they use the flag of France for official causes.

Climate of Martinique
Climate of a country is always very important matter to the travellers. It
helps you if you know the best time to visit the country. The climate of
Martinique can be termed as tropical.
Weather Patterns
Weather is rain-patched during June and October.

While September and November faces the major wet spells. In April
rainfall is almost negligible.
Typhoons (also known as hurricanes in this country) occur often in
the country. The temperature remains 21-31C almost throughout the
year in the country.

Flora and Fauna of Martinique

Flora: Martinique has a beautiful vegetation stock. Though many
of the plants in this country have been brought from other states;
these are now a part of this country's vegetation. Some of the
plants that came from the foreign states are the South Americanguava tree and the Central American-cacao tree. Some other
unique species are the anthurium, Bougainvillea, the hibiscus and
many others like those found in other tropical islands like these.

Fauna: The animal world of the country is also very rich with
various species. You will find a variety of bird in Martinique.
Some of the unique species are the Lesser Antillean Bullfinch,
humming bird, The Fall-jaune, Frigate and so on. The green
lizards that are also known "Anolis" in this country can be found
in all places. The Bothrops lanceo and The Ground Crab are also
found.

People of Martinique
Martiniques population numbers might vary: 412,305 (2012). The total
population of the Department of Martinique is almost 414,516. The
native Africans and the African-white-Indians cover the major portion of
this population. East Indians and Chinese are found in small numbers.
Martinique is an overseas of France, therefore French is the official
language of the country. However, Antillean is spoken mostly all over
the country.

Creole patois is also a local language that is spoken widely in some

regions of Martinique. This language originated from the languages
French, Portuguese, English, Spanish and some Caribbean dialects. That
is why these languages have left their mark in the language Creole.

Art, Culture and Music of Martinique:

Art: Painting and sculpture are two very important sections of
Martinique art. In some regions of the country dolls and various
handicrafts are made. People make these by seashells and
sometimes with straws.

 Culture: Martinique has gradually developed a very rich and

diverse culture in the presence of the various religions, tribes,
castes and races. French influence is heavily seen in its culture.
Theatre, dance and music are the three very important aspects of
Martinique culture. Carnival is a very big festival.

Music: Music is a very appreciated art form in Martinique. Among

the various forms of music, Zouk is very common in the country.
Music of this country is highly influenced by West Indian Creole
traditions. The instruments that are primarily used are synthesizers,
digital samplers, and drum machines etc.

Economy of Martinique
The economy of Martinique depends highly on its agriculture and also
on some of the growing industries. The primary agricultural products are
sugarcane, pineapples, bananas, flowers, and avocados. Some of the
industries are rum industry, tourism industry, cement industry, oil
refining industry, construction industry, sugar industry and so on. A huge
portion of the country's revenue is earned by the export trade. Some of
the primary materials that are exported to the foreign states are
sugarcane, pineapples, bananas and also rum. The partner states involved
in this export trade are France, Guadeloupe and some other states.