Located in the heart of the Caribbean islands, Martinique is one of the islands in the Lesser Antilles group. Its eastern coastline borders the Atlantic Ocean while its western coast is flanked by the Caribbean sea. Although the island is 4,350 miles away from France, it is presently a department of France, but things were not always this way...

Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1493 when the indigenous Arawak and Carib Indians occupied the area, but Spain had little interest in the territory. On September 15, 1635, Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc, French governor of the island of St. Kitts, landed on Martinique with 150 French settlers. D'Esnambuc claimed Martinique for the French King Louis XIII and established the first European settlement at what we now know as St. Pierre. The British invaded and occupied the island from 1794 to 1815 which allowed Martinique to avoid the backlash of the French Revolution. By the time that the island was returned to France in 1815, France was beginning to enter into a period of stability, but shortly after France began to reoccupy the island, the sugar industry fell through and the plantation owners lost a lot of their political influence which caused the abolitionist movement to gain momentum. A French abolitionist writer of the time by the name of Victor Schoelcher convinced the provisional government of France to sign the 1848 Emancipation proclamation which would abolish slavery in the French West Indies. On May 8, 1902, Mont Pelée erupted and destroyed the capital of St. Pierre and killed the 30,000 people living there. The capital was then moved to Fort-de-France.

Like other countries in the Caribbean, Martinique has its own version of Carnival which is a four day event beginning just before Lent and ending on the first day of Lent. This is a high-energy event with parades, singing, drums, and other festivities. Martinique's culture blends French and Caribbean influences. Today, Martinique has a higher standard of living than most other Caribbean countries and is one of the most developed countries in the Lesser Antilles. The city of St. Pierre was often referred to as "The Paris of the Lesser Antilles" because of its heavy French influence. This influence also means that the majority of the population is Roman Catholic, but the Quimbois religion is also prevalent. It dates back to when the African slaves were first brought to Martinique. The official language of the island is French, but a Creole patois is widely used in addition.