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Martinique is aproximately 4.400 miles from France 2000miles from New-York city,280 miles from south américan coast.It is bordered to the east by the Atlantic océan and to the west by the caribbean sea.The island is 47 miles long ,22 miles across with 350 Km of coastlines.Its surface area is 420 square miles.

This may sound realy small...

However you'll be surprised to discover the variations of this landscapes, at very short distances.

    

Amerindians

The first civilizations are said to date back 5000 BC but the debate is still open and, according to some, the arrival of Amerindians wouldn’t have been until the beginning of the Christian era. The Arawaks would have been the first to come and settle in Martinique. Then, between the 6th and the 11th century, depending on the sources, they would gradually have been exterminated by the Caribbean Indians, who were warriors and skilled navigators.

Colonization

Amerindians were the first to suffer from consequences of colonization as they were the first victims of slavery in the 15th century. Little by little, the organization of society entailed a greater need of manpower : this characterized the second slavery period and the establishment of the slave trade. Triangular trade thrived in the 18th century as freedom of slave trade was granted to private companies. It is estimated that 2 million slaves were
sent from Africa to the West Indies.

Liberation

Intellectuals from the 17th century denounced slavery. Victor Schoelcher was a leading figure and obtained its abolishment in 1848. But as Black slaves were freed they were replaced by Indians who then provided the labor and had to cope with very hard working conditions.
In an economy primarily based on sugar production, freedom was then due to the market evolution which allowed a real change of the social organization and improvement of working conditions.

Martinique in the XXth century

The beginning of the century was affected by the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902. It destroyed St Pierre, the economic and intellectual centre of Martinique, hence the sudden stop of development on the island until the period of reconstruction. The second half of the XXth century was difficult for the cane industry, and made economic diversification inevitable, especially concerning tourism.
Finally, the island became an Overseas Department (DOM) in 1946, and, in 1958 by referendum the inhabitants chose to remain attached to France. In
1974, Martinique became a region, as well as a DOM.