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From itsislandtime.com Martinique Martinique is an island located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a total area of 1,128 km². It is an overseas département (département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France. Like the other DOMs, Martinique is also one of the 26 régions of France (as a région d'outre-mer), and an integral part of the Republic.
Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation. Birthplace of Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. On May 8, 1902 Mount Pelée, a volcano on the island, erupted and destroyed the town of St. Pierre killing over 30,000 people. Only one resident survived the blast - a prisoner, who was protected by the thick walls of his cell. Martinique became an overseas département of France on March 19, 1946. This means it is treated equally to every other département in France and has full representation in the National Assembly. Martinique is especially well known for the number of great authors that have come from the island and become extremely famous in France and throughout the world. It has also become known for a form of music called zouk, which developed in the 1980s. Click here for the full Wikipedia article.
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