Island of Martinique Research

• I have been researching the Caribbean island of Martinique. The name of the island is thought to be a variant of the word “Madinina” which means island of flowers. The island is a territorial collectivity of France. The main language is French and it’s currency is the euro. 
• Martinique has a fairly high population density 
• The islands original population, the Carib Indians, disappeared after the Europeans arrived due to illness, quarrels, and assimilation 
• The people of the island today are of mixed European and African ancestry  
• Martinique has frequent cultural festivals where people dress up in colorful costumes with the burning of a papier-mâché representing carnival 
  
• The island enjoys a higher standard of living than most other Caribbean islands 
• In 1902 the eruption of the volcano Mount Peelée killed around 30,000 people and leveled the town of Saint-Pierre 
• Some interesting topics for my project could be the islands potential for natural disasters 
• The structure of Martinique’s economy could also be an interesting topic seeing as how most of the economy is controlled by a small European minority on the island 
• The slave uprisings in 1789, 1815, and 1822 could also very well be an interesting and insightful historical topic to write about as it is a result of European colonization 
•  Sources: Cornevin, Robert. "Martinique Overseas Department." July 26th, 1999, Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Martinique/History 
• https://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Martinique.html
  
• https://ggccaribbean.wpengine.com/listing/martinique/