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Caribbean
Aruba -
Bahamas -
Barbados -
British Virgin Islands -
Cayman Islands -
Cuba
Dominican Republic -
Grenada -
Martinique -
Puerto Rico -
St Vincent & the Grenadines
Martinique
Area: 1080 sq km (421 sq mi)
Population: 414,516 (growth rate 1%)
Capital city: Fort-de-France (pop 100,072)
Language: French, French Creole patois, some English
Martinique is a tiny island located in the eastern Caribbean. It's bordered by
the Caribbean Sea to the south and west and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and
east. The island of Dominica is Martinique's neighbor to the north; St Lucia is
to the south.
Martinique has lots of colorful flowering plants, with the type of vegetation
varying with altitude and rainfall. Rainforests cover the slopes of the
mountains in the northern interior, which are luxuriant with tree ferns, bamboo
groves, climbing vines and hardwood trees like mahogany, rosewood, locust and
gommier.
Martinique is warm year-round, with temperatures usually peaking close to
30°C (around 85°F) during the day. Humidity is highest in September and lowest
in April. The best time to go to Martinique is the slightly cooler, drier season
of late winter to early spring (February to May). Note that this is also the
peak tourist season and prices will be highest and attractions and lodgings most
crowded.
Fort-de-France
Although it's the largest and most cosmopolitan city in the French West
Indies, much of Fort-de-France's charm lies in its natural setting on the edge
of the Baie des Flamands, framed by the Pitons du Carbet rising to the north.
The city's mix of narrow bustling streets, parks, offices and
turn-of-the-century buildings housing boutiques and cafes gives it a flavor
owing as much to the sidestreets of Paris as it does to that of the
Caribbean.The city's focus is the Savane, a large park with fountains,
tall palms and occasional open-air concerts.
Les Salines
If you want to hit the beach, head for the undeveloped southern tip of the
island and lay down your towel at Les Salines, widely regarded as Martinique's
finest strand. The arid climate here means that Les Salines is often sunny when
other parts of the island are not. The beach attracts scores of visitors on
weekends and holidays, but it's big enough to accommodate everyone without
feeling crowded.
Saint-Pierre
Once the 'Little Paris of the West Indies' and the capital of Martinique,
Saint-Pierre soldiers on in the shadow of its cosmopolitan past and the nearby
volcano that destroyed it nearly a century ago. Despite this disaster,
Martinicans began rebuilding the city soon after the eruption, and much of
Saint-Pierre, with its wrought-iron balconies and shuttered doors.
If that isn't enough wreckage for you, stroll a short way to the ruins of the
old theater, where you can mount the twin staircase and view what's left
of the lower story.Anse Turin, a long gray-sand beach just south of
Saint-Pierre
Route de la Trace
The Route de la Trace follows a trail blazed by 17th-century Jesuits into the
mountains north of Fort-de-France. It winds through a rainforest of tall tree
ferns, anthurium-covered hillsides and clumps of bamboo, and along the eastern
flanks of the volcanic mountain peaks of the Pitons du Carbet. Islanders like to
say that the Jesuits' fondness for rum accounts for the road's many zigs and
zags.
The view from this domed Roman-Byzantine church looks out across Fort-de-France
to the Pointe du Bout resort area. A further 10-minute drive takes you to the
Jardin de Balata, a botanical garden in a rainforest setting laced with
paths winding past tropical trees and flowers, including lots of ginger,
heliconia, anthuriums and bromeliads.
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