Fort de France
| Fort-de-France | ||
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A view from the ship arriving from Les Trois-Îlets
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 Location of the commune (in red) within Martinique |
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| Coordinates: 14°36′00″N 61°05′00″W / 14.6°N 61.0833°WCoordinates: 14°36′00″N 61°05′00″W / 14.6°N 61.0833°W | ||
| 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) | |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
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.
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, 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.
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