"also found on the shields of the Gendarmerie Martinique, which gives it the nickname of ""colonial police"" [ref. necessary]. The snakes are fer-de-lance vipers (""Bothrops lanceolatus"", French ""trigonocéphale"") native to Martinique. Flag of Martinique Martinique, an overseas territorial collectivity of France located in the Caribbean, has no flag with official status other than the French national flag. This flag features a white cross like St George’s cross on a blue background filled in with a white snake in each quarters. It is used sometimes by the French military on their buildings and/or uniforms. Gendarmes bear the Coat of Arms version"
"iron and magnesium. Mont Pelée, the island's most dramatic feature, formed about 400,000 years ago. Pelée erupted in 1792, 1851, and twice in 1902. The eruption of 8 May 1902, destroyed Saint-Pierre and killed 28,000 people in 2 minutes; that of 30 August 1902 caused nearly 1,100 deaths, mostly in Morne-Red and Ajoupa-Bouillon. The Atlantic, or ""windward"" coast of Martinique is difficult for the navigation of ships. A combination of coastal cliffs, shallow coral reefs and cays, and strong winds make the area a notoriously hazardous zone for sea traffic. The peninsula of Caravelle clearly separates the north Atlantic and"
"mainland, both bordering Morocco solely. Two of the French territories are the inhabited overseas departments and regions of Réunion and Mayotte. Réunion is an island territory located near the island nation of Mauritius and to the east of island nation of Madagascar (both nominally considered a part of the African continent). Mayotte is an island territory located west of Madagascar within the Mozambique channel. The final territory is the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, administratively a part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. This French territory consists of a range of minor uninhabited island atolls in the Indian"
"the French Republic. As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the euro. The official language is French, and virtually the entire population also speaks Antillean Creole (""Créole Martiniquais""). Christopher Columbus landed on 15 June 1502, after a 21-day trade wind passage, his fastest ocean voyage. He spent three days there refilling his water casks, bathing and washing laundry. The island was then called ""Jouanacaëra-Matinino"", which came from a mythical island described by the Taínos of Hispaniola. According to historian Sydney Daney, the island was called ""Jouanacaëra"" by the Caribs, which means ""the"
"Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea (; ; ) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and south west, to the north by the Greater Antilles starting with Cuba, to the east by the Lesser Antilles, and to the south by the north coast of South America. The entire area of the Caribbean Sea, the numerous islands of the West Indies, and adjacent coasts, are collectively known as the Caribbean. The Caribbean Sea is one of the largest seas and has an area"
"Flag of Martinique Martinique, an overseas territorial collectivity of France located in the Caribbean, has no flag with official status other than the French national flag. This flag features a white cross like St George’s cross on a blue background filled in with a white snake in each quarters. It is used sometimes by the French military on their buildings and/or uniforms. Gendarmes bear the Coat of Arms version of the flag. This flag dates from an edict issued 4 August 1766, specifying that vessels of the French Colony of Martinique and Saint Lucia should fly a version of the"
"such as Société Martiniquaise des Eaux (the island's water company) and banks such as Crédit Agricole. The town of Le Lamentin is also home to the island's only international airport named after local author and politician Aimé Césaire. The airport had, in 2011, a total passenger Traffic of 1,729,711 people and represents the 12th busiest airport in the Caribbean, just behind Guadeloupe and Curaçao. Le Lamentin Le Lamentin is a town, located in the Outre-Mer department of Martinique, in the French West Indies. With its 62,32 km², it is the town with the largest area of Martinique. Le Lamentin, with"
"1891 Martinique hurricane The 1891 Martinique hurricane, also known as Hurricane San Magín, was an intense major hurricane that struck the island of Martinique and caused massive damage. It was the third hurricane of the 1891 Atlantic hurricane season and the only major hurricane of the season. It was first sighted east of the Lesser Antilles on August 18 as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm made landfall on the island of Martinique, where it caused severe damage, over 700 deaths and at least 1,000 injuries. It crossed eastern Dominican Republic while tracking on a northwestward direction on August 19–20,"
"Marigot Bay Marigot Bay is located on the western coast of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, 3.75 miles southwest from Castries and a short distance from the Saint Lucian National Marine Reserve. It is surrounded on three sides by steep, forested hills. The inland portion of the bay forms a hurricane hole, used to shelter boats from hurricanes. Marigot Bay is a historic landmark, having been the site of a number of battles between the French and British navies. The bay was used as the setting for the 1967 film adaptation of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books. Scenes of"
"History of Martinique This is a page on the history of the island of Martinique. The island was originally inhabited by Arawak and Carib peoples. Circa 130 CE, the first Arawaks are believed to have arrived from South America. In 295 CE, an eruption of Mount Pelée resulted in the decimation of the island's population. Around 400 CE, the Arawaks returned and repopulated the island. Around 600 CE, the Caribs arrived. They exterminated the Arawaks and proceeded to settle on the island over the next few centuries. Christopher Columbus charted the island in 1493, making the region known to European"
"Rongerik Atoll Rongerik Atoll or Rongdrik Atoll (Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 17 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and is located in the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands, approximately east of Bikini Atoll. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon of . Rongerik Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884. After World War I, the island came under the South Pacific Mandate of the Empire of Japan, although the island was uninhabited. Following the end of World War II, it"
"Saint Martin Saint Martin (; ) is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately east of Puerto Rico. The island is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Republic () and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (), but the two parts are roughly equal in population. The division dates to 1648. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The northern French part comprises the Collectivity of Saint Martin and is an overseas collectivity of France. On 1 January 2009, the population of the whole island was"
"memorable work of pulp fiction has in its title a geographic feature unique in its way to the islands: ""Fear Cay"", the eleventh Doc Savage adventure by Lester Dent. Many James Bond adventures were set there. It is also well known as the location of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, featuring Port Royal. Peter Matthiessen's ""Far Tortuga"" (1975) chronicles the adventures of a turtling crew in the late 1960s. Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea (; ; ) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America"
"sea in the Bay of Fort-de-France and crossed by the island's longest river (35 km): La Lézarde. This low region of Martinique, with its mangroves and flooded lands, keeps in its name the memory of the pacific manatees, hunted for their meat by the island's first inhabitants. The river La Lézarde was frequently visited by Manatees, now extinct in the Lesser Antilles. The legend says that, once upon a time, a manatee was found dead on the river banks and since then, the town has adopted the name Le Lamentin. Nowadays, a symbolic statue of a manatee rests in front"
"by the cramped, shallow coastal waters in which the battle was fought. The battle is also notorious for its controversial political aftermath in both Britain and France. In February 1809 the French Atlantic Fleet, blockaded in Brest on the Breton coast by the British Channel Fleet, attempted to break out into the Atlantic and reinforce the garrison of Martinique. Sighted and chased by British blockade squadrons, the French were unable to escape the Bay of Biscay and eventually anchored in the Basque Roads, near the naval base of Rochefort. There they were kept under observation during March by the British"
"activity has been almost totally curtailed. There is a small airport on the French side of the island at Grand Case, L'Espérance Airport for small aircraft serving neighbouring Caribbean islands. It frequently suffers thick fog during the hurricane season due to its location. Saint Martin Saint Martin (; ) is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately east of Puerto Rico. The island is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Republic () and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (), but the two parts are roughly equal in population. The division dates to 1648. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint"
"a town hall. Motor vehicles are banned. Ratonneau Ratonneau is one of the islands of the Frioul archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, off the southern coast of France near Marseille. It is relatively long and thin, approximately 2.5 km long but at most 500 m wide and generally much narrower. It was connected to the nearly island of Pomègues, which runs roughly parallel, by a mole constructed in 1822 to create a port area. The Ancient Roman fleet that besieged Marseilles in 49BC was moored by the island. Later, the island was used to quarantine foreign sailors, particularly those with"
"Labrador Sea The Labrador Sea (French: ""mer du Labrador"", Danish: ""Labradorhavet"") is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait. It has been described as a marginal sea of the Atlantic. The sea formed upon separation of the North American Plate and Greenland Plate that started about 60 million years ago and stopped about 40 million years ago. It contains one of the world's largest turbidity current channel systems, the"
"Battle of Martinique (1780) The Battle of Martinique, also known as the Combat de la Dominique, took place on 17 April 1780 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. In January 1780, the Comte de Guichen was sent to the French base at Martinique in the West Indies with a large squadron. He was opposed by the British admiral Sir George Rodney, who reached the British base at St. Lucia in late March. Guichen sailed from Martinique on 13 April 1780, with a fleet of 23 ships of the"
"permits interdiction of navigation between Martinique and its southern neighbour, St Lucia. In September 1803 Commodore Sir Samuel Hood sailed to the rock aboard (Captain Murray Maxwell). Hood had received the assignment to blockade the bays at Fort Royal and Saint Pierre, Martinique. ""Centaur"" was lying at anchor in Fort Royal Bay, Martinique, on the morning of 1 December when lookouts sighted a schooner with a sloop in tow about six miles off making for Saint Pierre. Hood sent his advice boat, the ""Sarah"", after the sloop, and had Maxwell sail ""Centaur"" in pursuit of the schooner. After a pursuit"
"Gulf of Saint Lawrence The Gulf of Saint Lawrence (French: ""Golfe du Saint-Laurent"") is the outlet of the North American Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. The gulf is a semienclosed sea, covering an area of about and containing about of water, which results in an average depth of . The Gulf of Saint Lawrence is bounded on the north by the Labrador Peninsula and Quebec, to the east by Saint-Pierre and Newfoundland, to the south by the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island, and to the west by the Gaspe Peninsula, New Brunswick,"
"Le Lamentin Le Lamentin is a town, located in the Outre-Mer department of Martinique, in the French West Indies. With its 62,32 km², it is the town with the largest area of Martinique. Le Lamentin, with near to 40 000 inhabitants, is the second most populated town of Martinique, after Fort-de-France. It is also the first industrial town and the heart of the island's economy. The town, incorporated in the region of Fort-de-France, is located in the center of the island of Martinique. Originally a giant swamp land and mangrove region, it is now a riparian town, located by the"
"an Overseas Department of France. In 1974, it became simply a Department. In 2009, the French Caribbean general strikes exposed deep ethnic, and class tensions and disparities within Martinique. Together with Guadeloupe, La Réunion, Mayotte and French Guiana, Martinique is one of the Overseas Departments of France. It is also an outermost region of the European Union. The inhabitants of Martinique are French citizens with full political and legal rights. Martinique sends four deputies to the French National Assembly and two senators to the French Senate. On January 24, 2010, during a referendum, the inhabitants of Martinique approved by 68.4%"
"smaller islands. Although the Spanish government studied the case in 1949 and accepted this interpretation, it has not asserted its claim to the islands. Rongerik Atoll Rongerik Atoll or Rongdrik Atoll (Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 17 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and is located in the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands, approximately east of Bikini Atoll. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon of . Rongerik Atoll was claimed by the Empire of Germany along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1884. After World War I, the island"
"line that runs through the Dominica Passage in roughly an east–west direction. It consists of seven straight-line maritime segments defined by eight individual coordinate points. The more southern boundary separates Dominica from Martinique to its south. The boundary is 294 nautical miles long and is a simplified equidistant line that runs through the Martinique Passage in roughly an east–west direction and roughly parallel to the first boundary. It consists of five straight-line segments defined by six individual coordinate points. The treaty came into force on 23 December 1988 after it had been ratified by both states. The full name of"
"Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa and on the east by the Levant. Although the sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is usually identified as a separate body of water. Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely desiccated over a period of some 600,000 years, the Messinian salinity"
"and the cold-temperate and boreal marine animals. Iroise Sea Iroise or the Iroise Sea ( ) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean which stretches from the Ile de Sein to Ushant off the coast of Brittany in north-western France. It is contained within the Celtic Sea, bordering the remainder of the Celtic Sea to the north and west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. It is one of the most dangerous seas in Europe for sea-going vessels. In winter, there are often violent storms with huge waves. It is also one of the richest areas for marine"
"North Sea The North Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean located between the United Kingdom (particularly England and Scotland), Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. An epeiric (or ""shelf"") sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north. It is more than long and wide, with an area of around . The North Sea has long been the site of important European shipping lanes as well as a major fishery. The sea is a popular destination for recreation"
"Malin Sea The Malin Sea is a marginal sea of the North-East Atlantic over the Malin Shelf, the continental shelf north of Ireland and southwest of Scotland. It is connected to the Irish Sea by the North Channel, and overlaps the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland. Of the UK Shipping Forecast areas, the Malin Sea covers most of Malin, and by some definitions extends into Rockall. The area is within the exclusive economic zones of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Different authorities give different limits for the Malin Sea. The 2002 draft of the International Hydrographic Organization's"
"47 islets that circle Martinique, the rock has its own ecological characteristics. It is sunnier than the main island, drier, and subject to a long seasonal dry period. Today it is covered in undergrowth and cacti. Relatively inaccessible and inhospitable, the island is uninhabited, which has permitted it to remain a sanctuary for a species that had been believed to be extinct. A nature survey has suggested that Diamond Rock is probably the last refuge for a species of reptile once endemic to Martinique, the grass snake (""Liophis cursor""). This snake was last seen on Martinique in 1962 and has"
"Antilles The Antilles (; ""Antilles"" in French; ""Antillas"" in Spanish; ""Antillen"" in Dutch and ""Antilhas"" in Portuguese) is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and east. The Antillean islands are divided into two smaller groupings: the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. The Greater Antilles includes the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola (subdivided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and the Cayman Islands. The Lesser Antilles contains the northerly Leeward Islands, the southeasterly Windward Islands, and the"
"Politics of Martinique Martinique is an overseas Territorial collectivity of France, with the same political status as regions and departments in mainland France. The administrative centre of Martinique is located in Fort-de-France. During the referendum of 24 January 2010, the residents of Martinique approved by 68.4% the creation of a new and unique territorial collectivity which is governed by the section 73 of the French Constitution. The territorial collectivity of Martinique replaces and exercises all the related power and duties of the department's General Council and the Regional Council. Gran Sanblé pour ba peyi an chans, a coalition of the"
"dissolved. Its only land boundary was with France on the island of Saint Martin, which was 10.2 kilometers in length. The Netherlands Antilles had 364 kilometers (432 km before 1986) of coastline. Tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds Maritime claims: <br>""exclusive fishing zone:"" <br>""territorial sea:"" Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors Elevation extremes: <br>""lowest point:"" Caribbean Sea 0 m <br>""highest point:"" Mount Scenery Natural resources: phosphates (Curaçao only), salt (Bonaire only) Land use: <br>""arable land:"" 10% <br>""permanent crops:"" 0% <br>""permanent pastures:"" 0% <br>""forests and woodland:"" 0% <br>""other:"" 90% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: NA km² Natural hazards: Curaçao and Bonaire are south"