Martinique

Overview

The pre colonial name for the island was the Isle of Flowers. This description remains true today in a country that has been under French control for over three centuries. There was a brief tussle with the British in 1815 which the latter lost and the island officially became a Region of France in 1974.

Nearly every aspect of the island has its own museum, whether it is historical, food and drink or social. Some of these are fairly small while others will take some tome to explore. The capital, Fort-de-France has the Cathedral of Saint Louis, the Palais de Justice and the Museé Departmental which houses the island's prehistoric archaeological discoveries. The restful La Savane Caribbean gardens are also an option for spending some time. There is a jolly train ride on the Cyprais Express to the site of the former capital St. Pierre. This was entirely destroyed in 1902 by the eruption of the Mt. Peleé volcano.

The artistically inclined may wish to visit Carbet, where Gaugain lived and painted. It is also the spot where Columbus landed in 1502. Rum and sugar cane are both major products of the island and there are many distilleries where the former can be tasted including the St. James Distillery with its Museé du Rhum, the Rhum Clement Domaine Acajou with the Museé du Père labat and the Maison de la Canne. The latter is near Trois-Ilets and as well as the Museé des Arts et Traditions Populaires has a museum at La...more

History

Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.