Geography of Martinique : Discover

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Geography

Martinique extends over a surface area of 1080 km², 70 km long and 30 km wide at its largest point, with a size of about two-thirds of the area of Guadeloupe. Were it a sign of the Zodiac, it would almost certainly be Scorpio, with Aries in the ascendant, due to its longish shape. Population density in Martinique is around three times superior to that of Metropolitan France, with a feebler population in the north, and larger demographic poles in the south, in the regions of the capital, Fort de France, and coastal regions.

The island is thrown into relief by its small volcanoes and the summits of Mount Carbet and Mount Pelee, the northern region’s highest point (1,397m). Three distinct regions characterise the island:

• The central region displays the Lamentin Plain, the two largest towns of Fort de France (capital) and Le Lamentin (airport), as well as more than a third of the island’s total population.

• And finally the South with its magnificent bays and creeks sheltering those famous beaches, mangroves and Mount Vauclin, an extinct volcano. The South is where you will find the island’s most touristy areas and resorts: Trois-Ilets, Anses-d’Arlet and Diamant to the west, Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Luce and Le Marin in the east.

Fauna

The majority of species present at the time of colonization have now disappeared from the islands, including manatees (sea cows), agoutis bothrops lanceolatus (a venomous snake, still present on Martinique and Guadeloupe). Endemic birds can be spotted from time to time, among them hummingbirds and other trochilidae, as well as blackbirds.

Another category of insects you’re bound to come across are the eternal cockroaches: harmless though rather disgusting. These black bugs would be the only survivors of an eventual nuclear holocaust, and have existed since well before the age of dinosaurs, 350 million years back, resisting cataclysms, floods and various epidemics and destruction. You are sure to spot them scattering for shelter every time you turn on the lights in your room or bathroom.

You are also bound to enjoy the nightly concerts given by crickets and “cabrit-bois” (a kind of huge grasshopper, making a sound similar to that of a goat), accompanied by the croaking of frogs.

Hummingbirds sway gently on hibiscus plants where they cohabit with vivid butterflies, ornamenting the flowers with their colourful wings. Northern forests are home to mountain widgeons, and ortolans can be spotted from time to time on the paths, though they are becoming just as rare as on the mainland. The last surviving species of snake is the bothrops lanceolatus, or“lancehead” snake, a highly venomous serpent preferring the solitude of sugarcane fields and the lower vegetation of forests, hiding from enemy mongooses, predators and parrots. Anolis (lizards) and crabs are a much more common sight on the beaches.

As a whole, Martinique’s fauna is more colorful than harmful, more interesting than dangerous, with the sole exception of those infamous mosquitoes bound to embitter your life for those couple of days.

Flora

Flowers, plants, trees, the richness of the soil and the tropical heat provide excellent conditions for luxurious vegetation. Bougainvillea, poincinia, yellow alamanda, heliconia, anthurium, bamboo, coconut palm, sugarcane… …

After abandoning the project of acclimatizing tropical species in Europe, botanists turned their attention towards Martinique, an ideal site to breed the precious, exotic plants gathered all around the world. The island’s vegetation is extremely diverse, and contrasts are especially prominent between the sea-level and higher, summit regions. Mountain peaks receive more than eight times the amount of rain than areas on the plain such as Sainte Anne.

While beaches are a great place to gaze into the deep blue horizon, the vegetation becomes denser and denser as we proceed into higher regions. Begonias and ferns cover the ground underneath gigantic tropical trees which filter out all the light.

Higher still, magnificent balisiers (heliconias) bloom displaying enormous leaves of flashy colors: a unique sight in the world of plants. These flowers are grown on Martinique in large quantities for local sale, but also to meet the demand of French or American flower art workshops. The ginger torch (Etlingera elatior) with its waxy, pink petals and large, rigid stems is also a delight for lovers of exotic flowers. Smaller areas are covered with patches of red, pink or white anthurium, though are often simply reconquered by the forest.