INTRODUCTION

Salut et bienvenue a Martinique (Hello and welcome to

Martinique!)
Look on the inside and discover what makes Martinique termed
as the The Isle of Flowers. At its greatest points, Martinique
measures 50 miles long and 24 miles wide, delivering 425
square miles of rugged mountainous landscape, dense forests,
rivers, waterfalls, rolling hills, and most importantly many
picturesque bays and coves.

History
History: Name of Martinique
Martinique owes its name to Columbus who landed on the
island on 15 June 1502. The island was then called
"Jouanacara-Matinino", which came from a mythical
island described by the Tainos of Hispaniola. But
according to historian Sydney Daney, the island was
called "Jouanacara" by the Caribs, which would mean
"the island of iguanas". After Columbus' initial discovery,
the name then evolved along the pronunciations
Madinina ("Island of Flowers"), Madiana, and Matinite.
When Columbus returned to the island in 1502, he
rechristened the island as Martinica. It finally, by
influence of the neighbouring island of Dominica (La
Dominique), came to be known as Martinique.

1. Martinique was originally inhabited by Arawaks from

South America. The majority of those Arawaks were
killed by an eruption of Mount Pelee in 295 AD.

2. Near 400 AD, the long-vanquished Arawaks returned

to the island. Around 600 AD, the cannibalistic Caribs
originally came from northwestern South America
(Orinoco Venezuela) arrived. They exterminated the
Arawaks and permanently settled on the island.

3. Columbus charted the island in 1493. He landed on

Martinique (near Le Carbet) in 1502 during his fourth
voyage to the 'New World.' However, the Spanish
found little value here, and sailed south for greener
pastures.

4. On 15 September 1635, Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc French governor of the island of St. Kitts - landed in
the harbour of St. Pierre. The French sent a group of
one hundred settlers to Martinique after being driven
off St. Kitts by the English. D'Esnambuc claimed
Martinique for French King Louis XIII and the French
"Compagnie des les de l'Amrique" (Company of the
American Islands). They built their first small
European settlement at Fort Saint-Pierre (now St.
Pierre). Over the next few decades they took control
of the island, and destroyed many of the Caribs.

5. Between 1635 and 1658, there was a period of chaos

between the settlers and the native Caribs. The
French successfully repelled the natives and forced
them to retreat to the eastern part of the island, on
the Caravella Peninsula in the Cabesterre. In 1657
the French crown sent in 600 French troops in 1657
to completely eradicate the Caribs from the island.
The Caribs who survived, withdrew to the islands of
St. Vincent and Dominica in 1658. The Caribs were

confined to the windward zone (from Grand-Rivire

to le Franois).

6. Growing and trading of sugar became the major

business on the island, and by order of King Louis
XIV, African slaves were forced from their homelands
to work the plantations (in the French Antilles) as
slaves in 1636. Forests were cleared to make room
for sugar plantations. Between the years 1662 to
1848 the height of the plantation economy and
slavery. In 1685, Colberts Black Code was
established, - a text of 60 articles that officially
governed the life of slaves until 1848. The law limited
the rights of slave-holders, ensured that freed blacks
held the same rights as other Frenchmen in the
islands, and required that all slaves be baptised as
Catholics. The law also ordered the expulsion of the
Jews from all the French Caribbean islands. These
Jews then moved to the Dutch island of Curaao.
7. For over one hundred and fifty years, slavery, and
slave revolts, would be a major influence on the
economy and politics of the Martinique. In 1762, the
English occupied the island, but returned it the
following year in exchange for Canada. They invaded
and held the island once again from 1794 to 1815,
when it was returned to the French.

8. In 1848, Victor Schoelcher, a French minister for

overseas possessions, convinced the government to
sign an Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in
the French West Indies. However, indentured
labourers from India were brought to arrive in
Martinique to replace the black slaves.

9. By 1888, Martinique's population neared 175,000.

May 8, 1902 the eruption of Mount Pele and the
subsequent destruction of the city of Saint-Pierre, the
little Paris of the Caribbean. In less than 3 minutes,
30,000 people perished in the disaster.

10. The world market for sugar began to collapse in

1921, and island cultivators sought a new crop. In 1928
they introduced bananas, which along with sugarcane,
tourism, and light industry form the island's economy
today. On March 19, 1946 Martinique acquired the
status of a French overseas department. Today,
Martinique is represented by 4 members of parliament
and 2 senators.

11. In 1982, Martinique acquired French regional status

following the decentralization law. Today, Martinique
has a double status; it is both a region and a French
department. The island's beauty, charm and historical
sites continue to attract visitors from around the world.

12. Fort-de-France, fronted by lush, green mountains,

surrounds a yacht filled harbours and is one of the
most strikingly beautiful ports in the Caribbean. Point
du Bont is the island's main resort area, offering a wide
selection of hotels, along with casinos, great golf,
shopping and night life.

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.

Political Life
Government:
Martinique is one of the French Overseas Departments
(known as a DOM Dpartement d'outre Mer) and an
overseas region of France, with the same government
institutions as areas on the French mainland. The
administrative centre of Martinique is located in Fort-deFrance. As an overseas dpartement and rgion,
Martinique is divided into four arrondissements and
subdivided into cantons and communes, each of which is
administered by an elected municipal council. Martinique
is one of one hundred dpartements (states) of the
French Republic and one of five overseas departments
(DOMs). It sends four deputies (representatives) to the
National Assembly in Paris and in turn receives an

appointed prefect who serves as the central

government's local executive.
There are also two locally elected assemblies: the general
council with forty-five members, which is responsible for
roads, housing, transportation, education, overall
infrastructure, and a regional council with forty-one
members, which oversees economic, social, sanitary,
cultural and scientific development. The General Council
of Martinique is composed of 45 seats whose members
are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms,
whereas the Regional Council is composed of 41 seats
whose members are elected by popular vote to serve sixyear terms.

The French system of justice is in force. The legal and

judicial systems of Martinique are those of France, as are
the police force and gendarmerie. The Court of Appeal at
Fort-de-France also has jurisdiction over French Guiana.
There are two lower courts (tribunaux dinstance), one
higher court (tribunal de grande instance), one
administrative court, and a commercial court.
The inhabitants of Martinique are French citizens with full
political and legal rights. Martinique elects two seats to
the French Senate; indirect elections were last held in
September 2004. The Martiniquais Progressive Party won
one senator and one other left-wing candidate was
elected. 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.

Economic Structure
Economy:
On evoking the economy of Martinique, it is necessary to
take into consideration its colonial past, essentially
centered on agricultural activity. Agriculture is extremely
visible in terms of workforce and exploited surface, as
well as of typical products of the region (sugar, rum,
banana), yet accounts for only a 4% of the islands GDP
(Gross Domestic Product). 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. Major
Industries include sugar cane processing and tourism.

1. Agriculture
The island chose to develop a plantation-style agriculture,
of which the trio of sugarcane, banana and rum remains a
fundamental element to our days, though decreasing
exports from 2002 on have been directly linked to banana
and sugarcane networks; taking into consideration the
ever-changing market.
2. Banana

Worldwide banana export represents a volume of

approximately 15 million tons, which makes the banana
the obvious number one on the fruit market. More than
120 countries are concerned, the majority of which are
developing.

3. Sugarcane
It is referred to at the times as the grass of the
Canaries was introduced to the West Indies around the
year 1645, and rapidly supervened upon tobacco, the
leading crop of the beginnings of colonisation. Its end
product, sugar, has become a symbol closely connected
to Martiniques history, and the English even referred to
this part of the West Indies as French sugar islands.
Rum appeared later on, and the importance of sugarcane
doubled, as it was now the base of the production of the
islands two major exports: sugar and rum. The culture of
distilleries was in full bloom in the end of 18th century.
Sugarcane is present all over the island today, though the
plant mostly appreciates vast plains.

4. Fishing
This sector consists of a small-scale, local organization;
both in the fields of fishing and retailing.
5. Industry

Industry has slowly found its place on the island from the
beginning of the 1990s.
6. Tourism
The development of tourism in Martinique began thanks
to the overall economic situation of the 1980s, and the
year 2000 welcomed not less than 500,000 tourists per
year (a number relating to all types of tourist
establishment, the most important of which is the islands
cruise ship tourism. Looking at flora and fauna also helps
in the tourism industry. Due to these tropical climate
conditions in Martinique, the island is lush with
vegetation: lavish tropical forests, groves, savannas,
countless species of trees, fruits, plants and flowers, not
to mention the mangrove forests.
Wildlife consists mainly of birds, fish and shellfish, as well
as small lizards called mabouyas and anolis, iguanas
and trigonocephalus snakes that are only found in
Martinique. The manicou, a type of opossum, is one of
the rare mammals to be found in the Antilles. The
mongoose, however, was introduced by humans to
control the snake population.
Tourism plays a vital role in the regions economic
dynamism.

Culture Martinique

Martiniques local culture is diverse and well developed,

so there is much to experience and celebrate on the
island. The beautiful LAtrium performing arts center in
Fort-de-France offers theater, dance and musical
performances on a grand scale. Local artists exhibit in
galleries throughout the island and some open their
ateliers (workshops) to visitors.
More than a dozen museums, each with a distinct
personality, offer visitors a wonderful opportunity to
explore Martinique's history and heritage. The museums
are small, designed for easy visiting, and are scattered
throughout the island. Some are devoted to famous
islanders such as the Empress Josphine (l'impratrice),
others to historical events like the eruption of Mont Pele
volcano and still others to prehistoric Martinique, the
abolition of slavery, the production of rum, etc.

Food in Daily Life:

Until supermarkets and imported common cuisine

(including steak-and-fries and fast food chains)
proliferated, daily Martinican cuisine was characterized
by a unique blend of French and Creole cooking, often
laced with piment (hot pepper). Open air markets still
supply locally grown fruits (bananas, coconuts, guava,
pineapples, mangoes, love apples, and passion fruit) and
vegetables (breadfruit, chinese cabbage, yams, gumbo,
and manioc). Much Martinican cuisine is prepared from
seafood and shellfish including salted cod, lambi (conch),
octopus, blaff (boiled fish with chives) and the national
dish, court-bouillon (fish in a spicy tomato sauce).
However, one-quarter of the average household food
budget is now spent on mostly imported meats and
poultry, especially beef. Restaurants have yet to cultivate
the same air of sophistication and hospitality as in
France. Martinique has a hybrid cuisine, mixing elements
of African, French, Carib Amerindian and South Asian
traditions. One of its most famous dishes is the Colombo;
a unique curry of chicken (curry chicken), meat or fish
with vegetables, spiced with a distinctive masala of Tamil
origins, sparked with tamarind, and often containing
wine, coconut milk, cassava and rum. A strong tradition
of Martiniquan desserts and cakes incorporate pineapple,
rum, and a wide range of local ingredients. Grilled
Snapper with Sauce au Chien is the island's national dish.
The sauce is made of chiva, peppers, onions, tomatoes,
parsley, and other spices, and served alongside the fish.

 People of Martinique
Martinique is truly a land of tradition and culture, with a rich history of
crafts and literature by renowned authors and famous poets, music and
dance, lifestyle and gastronomy. Its multi-ethnic population stems from
the cultural mixing of the islands successive inhabitants: Amerindians,
Europeans, Africans, Indians, Levantines and Asians.
Approximately one quarter of the population resides in the
administrative capital, Fort de France. Numerous religious
denominations are present in 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 (spoken widely in some regions of
Martinique) that is a blend of Old French, English, and African
languages, as well as surviving Amerindian terms. 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.

RELIGION DISTRIBUTION
0%
1%
7%
6%

Roman Catholic

1%

Protestant
Muslim
Bahai
Hindu
86%

Other

Ethnicity of Martinique

5% 1%

African and African-whiteIndian mixture

white
East Indian and Chinese

95%

Art, Culture, Music and Folklore 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. Examples of some Landscape Painters
include: VICTOR ANICET, HERV BEUZE, HENRI
GUDON, JOL ZOBEL and many others.

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 much 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.
Folklore: There are religious cultures of Voodoo,
Obeah and Myal which come from the African
continent and appeared especially in the French
Caribbean territories such as Martinique and
Guadeloupe. This happened through the slave trade
which took place from the beginning of the16th
century to the mid 19th century. African folk elements
such as oral tradition, languages, mysticism, music
and social life are kept alive in the African Diaspora.

Conclusion

In conclusion to this assignment, our group has expanded their

knowledge on the Caribbean. On reading this folder on
Martinique, I do hope you learn something from it.

Thank You

Bibliography

Websites include:
http://www.muslimpopulation.com/pdf/Martinique%20Profile.pdf
Martinique Ethnic groups Demographics
http://www.in-west-indies.com/martinique/
commons.wikimedia.org
Fort-de-France Pictures - Featured Fort-de-France Photos TripAdvisor
Economy of Martinique : Discover
Government in Martinique, Martinique Politics - Allo' Expat Martinique
Rgion Martinique
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/367084/Martinique#
www.martinique.org
www.worldatlas.com
www.mapsofworld.com
Martinique local food / cuisine / cooking / specialities
Events in Martinique | Annual events, festival and holidays.

Les Anses d'Arlet

Part of Martiniques architectural heritage

Martinique dancers in traditional dress.

St.Pierre- Martinique.

Art forms- dolls (made from straw)

Mr. Serge Letchimy:

President of regional Council of Martinique

Mr. Laurent Fabius:

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of France

Mr. Victorin Lurel:

Minister of Overseas Affairs Martinique