Like Guadeloupe, Martinique is an overseas department of France. French settlers first claimed the island in the early 17th century. It is the largest of a group called the Windward Islands. The north is a land of mountains (known as “mornes”) and volcanoes (“pitons”). Volcanic activity has created grey and black beaches along the island’s northern coast. The interior is thickly forested. To the south, the island is flatter, the beaches white and sandy. Martinique has a hot, tropical climate, cooled gently by northeasterly breezes from the Atlantic known as trade winds.

People

People from Martinique are called Martiniquais. The vast majority are of African descent, whose ancestors were shipped to the island as slaves. They speak French in addition to Antillean Creole. The small European, or Béké, community are descendants of the first French and Spanish settlers. Others include those descended from Indians who came to work on plantations in the 19th century—along with more recent immigrants from Syria, Lebanon and China.

Economy

For nearly three centuries, the island’s main crop was sugar cane. Today, most of the sugar produced on the island is used to make rum, a major export. The most important crop today is bananas, most of which are exported to France. Tourism is a growing industry: around half a million tourists visit Martinique’s southern beaches and resorts each year.

Facts about Martinique

Population 349,925 (2024)

Area 1128 sq km

Highest point Mount (Montagne) Pelée 1397 m (4583 ft)

Capital Fort-de-France, population 75,165

Other major cities Le Lamentin (pop. 39,346)

Languages French, Antillean Creole

Religions Christian (Roman Catholic) 85%, Christian (Protestant) 11%, others 4%

Ethnicity black African 90%, béké (white European) 5%, Indian, Chinese and others 5%

Currency Euro (EUR)

Chief exports petroleum, bananas, rum, pineapples