| MARTINIQUE
The département of Martinique is an overseas
département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the
Caribbean Sea. The capital is Fort-de-France.
History
Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French
possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.
Birthplace of
Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
On May 8, 1902 Mount Pelée, a volcano on the island, erupted and destroyed
the town of St. Pierre killing over 30,000 people. Only one resident
survived the blast - a prisoner, who was protected by the thick walls of his
cell.
Martinique became an overseas département of France on March 19, 1946. This
means it is treated equally to every other département in France and has
full representation in the National Assembly.
Martinique is especially well known for the number of great authors that
have come from the island and become extremely famous in France and
throughout the world. It has also become known for a form of music called
zouk, which developed in the 1980s.
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