Flag | |
Quick Facts | |
Capital | Fort-de-France |
Government | NA |
Currency | euro (EUR) |
Area | total: 1,100 km2 water: 40 km2 land: 1,060 km2 |
Population | 436,131 (July 2006 est.) |
Language | French, Creole patois |
Religion | Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5% |
Martinique is a Caribbean island that is an overseas department of France in the Caribbean Sea, north of St. Lucia and south of Dominica.
The island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants. In the South of the island, there are many beautiful beaches with a lot of tourists. In the North, the rain forests and the black sand beaches are worth seeing. The interior of the island is mountainous.