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Main article: History of Martinique
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 AssemblyThe National Assembly is the name of either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. The best known, if not first, National Assembly, was that established following the French Revolution in 1789, known as the Assembl.
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 zoukThis is about the type of music; see Zouk (club) for the nightclubs in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. Zouk means 'party' in the local creole of French with, which developed in the 1980sMillennia: 1st millennium 2nd millennium 3rd millennium Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s Years: 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Events and trends.
Main article: Politics of MartiniqueCountry name ''conventional long form Department of Martinique conventional short form Martinique local long form Departement de la Martinique local short form Martinique Data code MB Dependency status overseas department of France Government type NA Capi
Main article: (Subdivisions) of Martinique
See also Communes of the Martinique départementThe following is a list of the 34 communes of the Martinique overseas departement of France. CAC) Communaute d'agglomeration du Centre de la Martinique, created in 2001. Code INSEECode PostalCommune 9720197216 L'Ajoupa-Bouillon 9720297217 Les Anses-d'Arle
Main article: Geography of MartiniqueLocation Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates 14 40 N, 61 00 W Map references Central America and the Caribbean Area ''total 1,100 sq km land 1,060 sq km water 40 sq km Area comparative slightly more