Fort-de-France

"Fort Royal" redirects here. For other uses, see Fort Royal (disambiguation).
Fort-de-France

A view from the ship arriving from Les Trois-Îlets

Coat of arms

Location of the commune (in red) within Martinique
Coordinates: 14°36′00″N 61°05′00″W / 14.6°N 61.0833°W / 14.6; -61.0833Coordinates: 14°36′00″N 61°05′00″W / 14.6°N 61.0833°W / 14.6; -61.0833
Country France
Overseas region and department Martinique
Arrondissement Fort-de-France
Intercommunality Centre de la Martinique
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Didier Laguerre
Area1 44.21 km2 (17.07 sq mi)
Population (2013)2 85,295
 • Density 1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC-4
INSEE/Postal code 97209 / 97200 and 97234 (Quartier de Balata)
Elevation 0–1,070 m (0–3,510 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Fort-de-France (French pronunciation: ​[fɔʁ də fʁɑ̃s]) is the capital of France's Caribbean overseas department of Martinique. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Exports include sugar, rum, tinned fruit, and cacao.

History

In 1638, Jacques Dyel du Parquet (1606–1658), nephew of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc and first governor of Martinique, decided to have Fort Saint Louis built to protect the city against enemy attacks. The fort was soon destroyed, and rebuilt in 1669, when Louis XIV appointed the Marquis of Baas as governor general. Under his orders and those of his successors, particularly the Count of Blénac, the fort was built with a Vauban design.

Originally named Fort-Royal, the administrative capital of Martinique was over-shadowed by Saint-Pierre, the oldest city in the island, which was renowned for its commercial and cultural vibrancy as "The Paris of the Caribbean".

The name of Fort-Royal was changed to a short-lived "Fort-La-Republique" during the French Revolution, and finally settled as Fort-de-France sometime in the 19th century. The old name of Fort-Royal is still used today familiarly in its Creole language form of "Foyal", with the inhabitants of the city being "Foyalais".

The city had its share of disasters, being captured by a British expedition in 1762,[1] partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1839 and devastated by fire in 1890. At the turn of the 20th century, however, Fort-de-France became economically important after the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre in 1902.

Until 1918, when its commercial growth began, Fort-de-France had an inadequate water supply, was partly surrounded by swamps, and was notorious for yellow fever. Now the swamps are drained to make room for extensive suburbs.

Geography

Fort-de-France, also known as the Fort of France, lies on Martinique's west coast at the northern entrance to the large Fort-de-France Bay, at the mouth of the Madame River. The city occupies a narrow plain between the hills and the sea but is accessible by road from all parts of the island.

Fort Saint Louis seen from the sea
The frigate Ventôse can be seen behind the old fort

Climate

Climate data for Fort-de-France (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 31.5
(88.7)		 32.1
(89.8)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.9
(93)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.6
(92.5)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.8
(92.8)		 33.0
(91.4)		 32.1
(89.8)		 31.3
(88.3)		 33.9
(93)
Average high °C (°F) 27.5
(81.5)		 27.8
(82)		 28.5
(83.3)		 29.4
(84.9)		 29.8
(85.6)		 29.5
(85.1)		 29.5
(85.1)		 30.0
(86)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.0
(86)		 29.0
(84.2)		 28.1
(82.6)		 29.1
(84.4)
Average low °C (°F) 21.9
(71.4)		 21.7
(71.1)		 22.0
(71.6)		 22.8
(73)		 23.6
(74.5)		 24.0
(75.2)		 23.9
(75)		 24.0
(75.2)		 24.0
(75.2)		 23.8
(74.8)		 23.4
(74.1)		 22.6
(72.7)		 23.1
(73.6)
Record low °C (°F) 17.8
(64)		 17.3
(63.1)		 18.6
(65.5)		 18.9
(66)		 19.9
(67.8)		 20.0
(68)		 18.4
(65.1)		 19.5
(67.1)		 17.9
(64.2)		 20.2
(68.4)		 19.7
(67.5)		 17.4
(63.3)		 17.3
(63.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 119.5
(4.705)		 77.8
(3.063)		 74.3
(2.925)		 94.0
(3.701)		 131.5
(5.177)		 159.8
(6.291)		 219.3
(8.634)		 254.7
(10.028)		 234.5
(9.232)		 265.9
(10.469)		 254.5
(10.02)		 134.7
(5.303)		 2,020.5
(79.547)
Average precipitation days 18.93 13.60 12.77 11.50 12.70 16.43 20.00 19.57 17.90 18.17 19.00 17.60 198.17
Mean monthly sunshine hours 203.6 198.5 223.8 211.3 208.1 191.0 200.7 224.5 206.1 182.9 184.4 201.8 2,436.8
Source: Meteo France[2][3]

Fort Saint Louis in Fort-de-France is a French naval base, as is Degrad des Cannes (French Guiana).

Main sights

In addition to Fort Saint Louis, there are three other forts:

Other sites of interest include:

A statue commemorating Martinique-born Empress Josephine, the wife of Napoleon, is in the gardens of La Savane. It was vandalized in the 1990s, presumably by individuals who blamed her for supporting the reestablishment of slavery on the island.

Transport

Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport is located in a suburb outside Fort-de-France and is accessible via the A1 autoroute.

See also

References

  1. ↑
    • Robson, Martin (2016). A History of the Royal Navy: The Seven Years War. London: Taurus. pp. 171–173. ISBN 9781780765457.
  2. ↑ "Données climatiques de la station de Fort de France" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Climat Martinique". Meteo France. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
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