Martinique
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Template:Infobox French Région Image:Martinique 14.6346N 61.0051W Landsat7.jpg Martinique is an island located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a total area of 1,128 km². It is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. Like the other DOMs, Martinique is also one of the 26 régions of France (as a région d'outre-mer), and an integral part of the Republic.
Contents |
History
Main article: History of Martinique
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.
Politics
Main aråticle: Politics of MartiniqueĚ
Subdivisions
Main article: Subdivisions of Martinique
See also Communes of the Martinique département
Geography
Image:Martinique-Map.png Main article: Geography of Martinique
Economy
The economy is based on trade. 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.
Main article: Economy of Martinique
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Martinique
Culture
Main article: Culture of Martinique
See also: Music of Martinique and Guadeloupe
Miscellaneous topics
- List of media outlets in Martinique
- Communications in Martinique
- Creole Patois
- Foreign relations of Martinique
- Holidays in Martinique
- Military: defense is the responsibility of France.
Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie - Thomas Voeckler
- Transportation in Martinique
- Aime Cesaire
See also
- French overseas departments and territories
- Administrative divisions of France
- Cantons of the Martinique département
- Communes of the Martinique département
- Arrondissements of the Martinique département
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
- Simon Jean-Joseph - the European rally champion from Martinique
| Countries in the Caribbean |
|---|
| Independent nations: Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | Grenada | Haiti | Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Dependencies: -British: Anguilla | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Montserrat | Turks and Caicos Islands | -Dutch: Aruba & Netherlands Antilles | -French: Guadeloupe & Martinique | -U.S.: Navassa Island | Puerto Rico | U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Régions of France | Image:Flag of France.svg |
|---|---|
| Alsace | Aquitaine | Auvergne | Bourgogne | Bretagne | Centre | Champagne-Ardenne | Corsica | Franche-Comté | Île-de-France | Languedoc-Roussillon | Limousin | Lorraine | Midi-Pyrénées | Nord-Pas de Calais | Basse-Normandie | Haute-Normandie | Pays-de-la-Loire | Picardie | Poitou-Charentes | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | Rhône-Alpes | |
| Overseas Régions: | |
| French Guiana | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Réunion | |
