Martinique is a overseas department (département d’outre-mer) in the Caribbean, and is considered a full-fledged part of France. Martinique is also part of the EU, with some exceptions. They are not with the EU’s VAT union, or the Schengen cooperation. However, they are free from customs duties and have euros as their currency.
| Capital: | Fort-de-France |
| Biggest city: | Fort-de-France |
| State: | French territory |
| Language: | French, Creole |
| Religion: | catholicism |
| Surface: | 1 128 km² |
| Population: | 406 100 (2010) |
| Population density: | 352 residents per km² |
| Life expectancy: | 81 years |
| Currency: | euro (EUR) 1 euro = 9.76 kr |
| Time difference: | -5 hours |
| Electricity: | 220 V AC, 50Hz |
| National Day: | July 14 |
| Country area code: | 596 |
| 2-Letter country abbreviation: | MQ |
| Business: | service sector 73%, industry 17%, agriculture 10% |
| Climate: | tropical, mitigated by trade winds; rainy season from June to October |
Martinique was colonized by the French in 1635 and has since been French except for short periods of British occupation. In 1902, the then capital of Martinique, Saint-Pierre, was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. All of the city’s 30,000 residents were killed with the exception of one person, Aguste Ciparis, who was in prison for a minor offense.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Weather in Fort-de-France
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Christmas | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Average temperature °C | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 |
| Rain (mm) | 106 | 70 | 67 | 80 | 147 | 181 | 232 | 233 | 240 | 216 | 225 | 138 |
