History and Culture

History and Culture

Christopher Columbus first sighted this gorgeous island in 1502, when it was inhabited by the fierce Caraïbes, who had terrorized the peace-loving Arawaks. The Arawaks called their home Madinina (the Isle of Flowers), and for good reason. Exotic wild orchids, frangipani, anthurium, jade vines, flamingo flowers, and hundreds of vivid varieties of hibiscus still thrive here.

Though the actual number of French residents does not exceed 15% of the total population, Martinique is still a part of France, an overseas département to be exact, and French is the official language, though the vast majority of the residents also speak Creole. In colonial days, Martinique was the administrative, social, and cultural center of the French Antilles, a rich, aristocratic island famous for its beautiful women. The island even gave birth to an empress, Napoléon's Joséphine. It saw the full flowering of a plantocracy, with servants and soirees, wine cellars and snobbery. Islanders still enjoy a fairly high standard of living, and the per-capita GNP is the highest of any island in the French Antilles.

Martinique is the largest stronghold of the békés—the descendants of the original French planters—and they are still the privileged class on any of the French-Caribbean islands. Many control Martinique's most profitable businesses from banana plantations and rum distilleries to car dealerships. The island's elite dress in designer outfits straight off the Paris runways. In the airport waiting room, you can almost always tell the Martiniquaises by the well-tailored cut of their fashionable clothes.

Of the island's 392,000 inhabitants, 100,000 live in Fort-de-France and its environs. Martinique has 34 separate municipalities; some little fishing villages on the lush north coast seem to be stuck in time.

If you believe in magic, Martinique has it, as well as a sensuality that fosters romance. It has become known as the island of revenants, those who always return. Et pourquoi non?