Fort-de-France : the largest town on Martinique

Trade / Business:

Location / City:

Company:

News

Think You Have What It Takes to Be the Business Travel Guide?

We´re looking for passionate and e...
more info...

Taxi, Train or Car? Business Travel Transportation Options

On my first trip to New York, my new cli...
more info...

First Class Food: Airline Meals for Business Travelers

Airline food typically gets a bad rap. T...
more info...

Courtyard Marriott: Hotels for Business Travelers

Many of my most recent stays have involv...
more info...

The Real Costs to Airlines with Rising Fuel Prices

When you hear numbers like $130 or $140 ...
more info...

Some Air Travel Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Lists can be useful in getting a ...
more info...

Fuel Alternatives

Airlines are now even more vigorously on...
more info...

Getting Naked with the TSA - or Scanned

Our Student Travel Guide gives the naked...
more info...

Welcome to FORT-DE-FRANCE
an extra service of European City Guide / ECG
eurocityguide.com - europeancityguide.com

Information about FORT-DE-FRANCE With its iron-grille-work balconies overflowing with flowers, Fort-de-France, the largest town on Martinique, seems like a cross between New Orleans and a town on the French Riviera. It lies at the end of a large bay surrounded by green hills. The proud people of Martinique are even more fascinating than the town of Fort-de-France, although today the Creole women are likely to be seen in jeans instead of their traditional turbans and Empress Joséphine-style gowns, and they rarely wear those massive earrings that used to jounce and sway as they sauntered along. Narrow streets climb up the steep hills, where houses have been built to catch the overflow of the capital's more than 100,000 inhabitants. At the heart of town is La Savane, a broad garden with many palms and mangos, playing fields, walks, and benches, plus shops and cafes lining its sides. In the middle of this grand square stands a statue of Joséphine, "Napoleon's little Creole," made of white marble by Vital Debray. The statue poses in a Regency gown and looks toward Les Trois-Ilets, where Joséphine was born. The statue was beheaded in 1991, probably because islanders felt she championed slavery. Near the harbor, at the edge of the park, you'll find vendors' stalls with handmade crafts, including baskets, beads, bangles, woodcarvings, and straw hats. Your next stop could be the 1875 Cathédrale St-Louis, on rue Victor-Schoelcher. The religious centerpiece of the island, it's an extraordinary iron building, which someone once likened to "a sort of Catholic railway station." A number of the island's former governors are buried beneath the choir loft. A statue in front of the Palais de Justice is of the island's second main historical figure, Victor Schoelcher, who worked to free the slaves more than a century ago. Bibliothèque Schoelcher, also honors this popular hero. The Romanesque portal, the Egyptian lotus-petal columns, even the turquoise tiles were imported piece by piece from Paris and reassembled here. Fort St-Louis, built in the Vauban style on a rocky promontory, guards the port. Fort Tartenson and Fort Desaix also stand on hills overlooking the port. Musée Departemental d l'Archeologie et de Prehistoire de la Martinique, the one place on Martinique that preserves its pre-Columbian past and has relics from the early settlers, the Arawaks and the Caribs. Everything here stops shortly after the arrival of the first French colonials on Martinique in the early 1600s. In other words, it's mostly an ethnological museum, which was enlarged and reorganized into a more dynamic and up-to-date place in 1997. The Musée Régional d'Histoire et d'Ethnographie, is devoted to an illumination of the island's agrarian past (and the slave culture that made it possible). Expositions showcase the late 19th-century volcanic eruption that leveled St-Pierre, slavery and its effects on the island's society, and explorations of the sugar-cane industry. Sacré-Coeur de Balata Cathedral, at Balata, overlooking Fort-de-France, is a copy of the one looking down from Montmartre upon Paris-and this one is just as incongruous, maybe more so. It's reached by going along route de la Trace Jardin de Balata is a tropical botanical park created by Jean-Philippe Thoze on land that the jungle was rapidly reclaiming around a Creole house that belonged to his grandmother. He has also restored the house, furnishing it with antiques and historic engravings. The garden contains a profusion of flowers, shrubs, and trees.

Available Trades in FORT-DE-FRANCE ADVERTISING, MARKETING, COMMUNICATION
AGRICULTURE, FLORICULTURE, HORTICULTURE, PISCICULT
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE & SUPPLIERS
ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS, SURVEYORS
ART, HANDICRAFT, ANTIQUES
ARTISTIC & LITERARY ACTIVITIES
ASSOCIATIONS, ORGANISATIONS
AUDIO-VIDEO, SUPPLIES & SERVICES
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIES
AVIATION, NAVIGATION
BAKERIES & CONFECTIONERS
BANKING & FINANCING, INSURANCE
BARS, RESTAURANTS, CAFES, CLUBS, DISCOS
CHEMICALS & PHARMACEUTICALS
CHURCHES & RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES
CIVIC CENTRES, LIBRARIES, ARCHIVES
CONSTRUCTION & MATERIAL
COSMETICS, BODY CARE, HAIRDRESSING
EDUCATION, SCHOOLS & ACADEMIC TRAINING
ELECTRONICS, ELECTROTECHNICS
ENERGY, ELECTRICITY, GAS & WATER, HOUSEHOLD APPLIA
ENTERTAINMENT, CINEMAS, THEATRES, RADIO & TV CHANN
ENVIRONMENT & RECYCLING
ESOTERICISM
FOOD, BEVERAGES, NEWSAGENT
FURNITURE - MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS
GAMING & COMPUTER GAMES
GOVERNMENT OFFICES, POLITICAL PARTIES
HOUSE & GARDEN, SUPPLIES & SERVICES
INDUSTRIAL MANUFACTURERS, SUPPLIERS & SERVICES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & TELECOMMUNICATIONS
JEWELLERS, WATCHMAKERS, OPTICIANS
LEGAL SERVICES
LIVESTOCK, PETS, VETERINARIANS, EQUIPMENT & SERVIC
MANAGEMENT & CONSULTING, ACCOUNTING SERVICES
MECHANICS, HYDRAULICS, PNEUMATICS
MEDICINE, AUXILIARY MEDICINE & MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
METAL & STEEL INDUSTRY
MUSIC & SOUND RECORDING
OFFICE SUPPLIES, OFFICE SERVICES, COPY CENTRES
PETROCHEMICAL, RUBBER, PLASTIC
PHOTOGRAPHY, GRAPHIC ART & DESIGN
PUBLISHING, PRINTING, PAPER INDUSTRY
REAL ESTATE
RESIDENTIAL HOMES & CARE SERVICES
SALES & SERVICES
SCIENCE, INVESTIGATION, RESEARCH
SERVICES & AGENCIES
SETS & SCENERY, EVENT STAGING, PRODUCTIONS
SPORTS, LEISURE & HEALTH
TECHNOLOGY & TECHNICAL SERVICES
TEXTILES, LEATHER, FURS - CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES, E
TOURISM & TRAVEL, ATTRACTIONS, PARKS & GARDENS
TRADE & BUSINESS, IMPORT-EXPORT, MAIL ORDER
TRADE FAIRS & CONFERENCES
TRANSPORT, STORAGE, PACKAGING
VEHICLES, MOTORCYCLES, CYCLES - SALES & SERVICES
WOOD, COAL, MINERALS

FRANCE

General Information
Capital: Paris
Area: 547,030 km²
Population: 59,765,983
Electricity: 220V
IDD: +33
Emergency number: 17
Timezone: GMT +1 Hr (+2 Hrs MAR-OCT)

Language
Language: French, Local Dialects

Government
Government: Republic

Religion
Religion: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim

Health
Health: Tetanus-Diphtheria, Meningococcal Meningitis, Hepatitis B and FSME/RSSE

Currency
Currency: Euro (EUR) 1.00 = 100 Cents

Exchange Rate
Exchange Rate: EUR 1.00 = USD 1.05 = GBP 0.66 = CHF 1.46

Business Hours
Business Hours: Mon-Fri: 09.00-12.00 and 14.00-18.00

Speed Limit
Speed Limit: Cities: 50 km/h, Outside Cities: 90 km/h, Dual carriageways: 110 km/h, Motorways: 130 km/h

Traffic
Traffic: Traffic drives on the right. Minimum age 18 years. Wearing of seat belts is compulsory in front and back seats.

Driving License
Driving License: National license

National Holidays
National holidays: Jan 1 New Year's Day, Easter Monday (variable), Ascension Day (variable), Pentecost Monday (variable), Jul 14 Bastille Day, Nov 11 All Saints' Day, Nov 11 Armistice Day, Dec 25 Christmas Day

Climate
Climate: Generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral.

Temperatures
Temperatures:

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
A	3	4	7	10	14	17	19	19	16	11	7	4
P	17	14	12	13	13	12	12	13	13	14	15	16
S	64	83	152	185	223	233	231	204	166	122	63	53

A = Av. Daily Temp.(°C)
P = Daily Precipitation (mm)
S = Sunshine (Hrs/Month)

Mobile Network
Mobile Network: GSM 900 / 1800

GPS
GPS: 46 00 N, 2 00 E

Shopping Hours
Shopping Hours: Department stores are open 09.00-20.00. Most shops are closed between 12.00 and 14.30. Food shops are open 07.00-19.00/19.30. Some food shops (particulary bakers) are open Sunday mornings, in which case they will probably be closed on Monday. Many shops are closed all day or half-day Monday. Hypermarkets are normally open from 9.00 to 19.00/20.00, sometimes until 21.00 or 22.00.

Converter