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Language: French (English and Creole widely spoken)
Currency: Euro (U.S. currency widely accepted)
Temperature: Average 79°F year-round
Square Miles: About 420
Approx. Population: 381,500
Borrowing from its mother country, this French Caribbean island offers French cheeses, Parisian fashions, and colonial architecture in the capital, Fort-de-France. Along with the city's many stores, you'll want to visit the Schoelcher Library and the Saint-Louis Cathedral. A range of lodging options are avaliable, from inexpensive to the large luxury resorts, and restaurants serve both Creole and classical French cuisines. Some knowledge in the French language or a French phrase book will help you communicate with many of the local people and workers.
In 1902, the volcano Mount Pelée erupted onto the city of St. Pierre, killing about 30,000 people. Now dormant, many travellers visit the Museum of Vulcanology or hike up to the volcano's crater rim. Martinique also made its mark in history when Napoleon Bonaparte married islander Empress Josephine. In 1887, the French impressionist painter Paul Gauguin visited Martinique.
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