Geography of Martinique

{{Short description|none}}  {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} The French Overseas Department of Martinique is a Caribbean island belonging to the Lesser Antilles group in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Cuba and north of Trinidad and Tobago. It is part of the French West Indies. It lies near the Tropic of Cancer between 14° 26' and 14°53' latitude north and 63° 9' and 63° 34' longitude west. At most some 50 miles long and 22 miles wide, Martinique covers an area of 425 square miles. Its coastline is so indented that no part of the island is more than seven miles from the sea. {{coord|14|40|N|61|00|W|display=title}} {{Infobox islands | name = Martinique | image_name = Martinique relief location map.jpg | image_caption = Map of Martinique | image_size = | map_image = LocationMartinique.png | map_caption = | native_name = | native_name_link = | nickname = ''Island of Flowers'' | location = Caribbean Sea | coordinates = {{coord|14|40|N|61|00|W|display=inline}} | archipelago = Windward Islands | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_km2 = 1060 | length_km = | width_km = | coastline_km = 350 | highest_mount = Montagne Pelée | elevation_m = 1397 | country = France | country_admin_divisions_title = Overseas department | country_admin_divisions = Martinique | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = | country_admin_divisions_1 = | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = | country_admin_divisions_2 = | country_largest_city = Fort-de-France | country_largest_city_population = 81,006 | population = 372,594 | population_as_of = 2020 | density_km2 = 405.2 | ethnic_groups = African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, Indian Tamil or East Indian, Chinese less than 5% | additional_info = }}

The "Island of flowers ", as Martinique is called, is a volcanic island with rather low mountains which form steep cliffs along the coasts. It can be divided into three natural zones: a mountainous region in the north, with its two highest points at Mount Pelée (an active volcano, 4,428 ft.) and the Pitons du Carbet (3,960 ft.); the Lamentin Plain in the center; and a hilly region in the south, composed of eroded remnants of old volcanoes and dominated by the Montagne du Vauclin (1,656 ft.) and the Morne du Diamant (1,567 ft.).

== Statistics == thumb|An enlargeable, detailed map of Martinique '''Area:''' ''total:'' 1,100 km² ''land:'' 1,060 km² ''water:'' 40 km²

'''Area – comparative:''' slightly more than twice the size of the Isle of Man, or six times the size of the City of Washington, D.C.

'''Land boundaries:''' 0 km

'''Maritime claims:''' ''exclusive economic zone:'' {{convert|200|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}} ''territorial sea:'' {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on}}

'''Natural resources:''' coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land

'''Land use:''' ''arable land:'' 8% ''permanent crops:'' 8% ''permanent pastures:'' 17% ''forests and woodland:'' 44% ''other:'' 23% (1993 est.)

'''Irrigated land:''' 40 km² (1993 est.)

'''Natural hazards:''' hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)

==Extreme points== * Northernmost point – headland at Macouba Beach * Easternmost point – Cap Ferré * Southernmost point – Îlet Cabrits * Westernmost point – unnamed headland near Anse Belleville * Highest point – Mont Pelée 1,397 m * Lowest point – Caribbean Sea 0 m

== Terrain == The mountainous, sparsely populated north, covered with dense rainsforests, contains 4 main active or extinct volcanic ranges towering around 1000 metres above sea level — Pitons du Carbet, Morne Jacob, Mount Pelée and Piton Conil. Black sand beaches predominate in northern Martinique due to volcanism.

The more populated, field-covered southern part of Martinique is occupied by lower ridges and hills, towering around 400–500 metres above sea level, with a rugged coastline including numerous white sand corallian coves. The deeply populated central part of the island, home of the vast majority of the population, and formed by the lower slopes of the Pitons du Carbet massif and the Lamentin and Rivière Salée plains, covered with sugarcane and mangroves, is a transition zone between the mountainous north and the hilly south.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://martinicaonline.com/geography-martinique|title=Geography of Martinique, Caribbean island – MartinicaOnline|website=martinicaonline.com|access-date=20 May 2019}}</ref>

Martinique is surrounded by small islets and hosts three main peninsulas, the Presqu'île de la Caravelle Peninsula in the Atlantic coast, the Trois Îlets Peninsula in the Southwest Caribbean coast and the Saint Anne Peninsula in the Saint Lucia Channel.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=France.|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102674932|title=France overseas|date=1961–1962|publisher=Ambassade de France, Service de presse et d'information|location=New York}}</ref>

Martinique has many rivers, but owing to its size and topography, no large ones. The most important of them —the Lorrain, Galion, Capote and Lézarde—flow through the center of the island. The rivers in the south—the Salée and Pilote—are short and often dry, while in the north they are just torrents cut by numerous waterfalls.<ref name=":0" />

== Climate == Martinique's tropical climate is tempered by the trade winds, and the temperature averages 26 °C (79 °F) the year round. Rainfall is abundant, although unevenly distributed throughout the year, and varies according to the altitude; the annual rainfall ranges from 3988 to 4877 mm (157–192 in.) in the mountainous northern region facing the Atlantic to less than 990 mm (39 in.) in the south. Owing to this climate and the fertility of the volcanic soils, the vegetation in Martinique is luxuriant, with mangroves along the coasts and tree ferns and numerous varieties of trees in the interior.<ref name=":0" />

{{Weather box |location = Fort-de-France (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1932–present) |metric first = yes |single line = yes |Jan record high C = 31.5 |Feb record high C = 32.1 |Mar record high C = 33.6 |Apr record high C = 33.0 |May record high C = 33.9 |Jun record high C = 33.6 |Jul record high C = 33.6 |Aug record high C = 33.0 |Sep record high C = 33.8 |Oct record high C = 33.0 |Nov record high C = 32.1 |Dec record high C = 31.3 |year record high C = 33.9 |Jan high C = 27.5 |Feb high C = 27.8 |Mar high C = 28.5 |Apr high C = 29.4 |May high C = 29.8 |Jun high C = 29.5 |Jul high C = 29.5 |Aug high C = 30.0 |Sep high C = 30.3 |Oct high C = 30.0 |Nov high C = 29.0 |Dec high C = 28.1 |year high C = 29.1 |Jan mean C = 24.7 |Feb mean C = 24.7 |Mar mean C = 25.2 |Apr mean C = 26.1 |May mean C = 26.7 |Jun mean C = 26.8 |Jul mean C = 26.7 |Aug mean C = 27.0 |Sep mean C = 27.2 |Oct mean C = 26.9 |Nov mean C = 26.2 |Dec mean C = 25.3 |year mean C = 26.1 |Jan low C = 21.9 |Feb low C = 21.7 |Mar low C = 22.0 |Apr low C = 22.8 |May low C = 23.6 |Jun low C = 24.0 |Jul low C = 23.9 |Aug low C = 24.0 |Sep low C = 24.0 |Oct low C = 23.8 |Nov low C = 23.4 |Dec low C = 22.6 |year low C = 23.1 |Jan record low C = 17.8 |Feb record low C = 17.3 |Mar record low C = 18.6 |Apr record low C = 18.9 |May record low C = 19.9 |Jun record low C = 20.0 |Jul record low C = 18.4 |Aug record low C = 19.5 |Sep record low C = 17.9 |Oct record low C = 20.2 |Nov record low C = 19.7 |Dec record low C = 17.4 |year record low C = 17.3 |rain colour = green |Jan rain mm = 119.5 |Feb rain mm = 77.8 |Mar rain mm = 74.3 |Apr rain mm = 94.0 |May rain mm = 131.5 |Jun rain mm = 159.8 |Jul rain mm = 219.3 |Aug rain mm = 254.7 |Sep rain mm = 234.5 |Oct rain mm = 265.9 |Nov rain mm = 254.5 |Dec rain mm = 134.7 |year rain mm = 2020.5 |unit rain days = 1.0 mm |Jan rain days = 18.93 |Feb rain days = 13.60 |Mar rain days = 12.77 |Apr rain days = 11.50 |May rain days = 12.70 |Jun rain days = 16.43 |Jul rain days = 20.00 |Aug rain days = 19.57 |Sep rain days = 17.90 |Oct rain days = 18.17 |Nov rain days = 19.00 |Dec rain days = 17.60 |Jan sun = 203.6 |Feb sun = 198.5 |Mar sun = 223.8 |Apr sun = 211.3 |May sun = 208.1 |Jun sun = 191.0 |Jul sun = 200.7 |Aug sun = 224.5 |Sep sun = 206.1 |Oct sun = 182.9 |Nov sun = 184.4 |Dec sun = 201.8 |year sun = 2436.8 |source 1 = Météo France<ref name=MFclimat1>{{cite web | url = http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/outremer/fort-de-france/97209004/normales | title = Données climatiques de la station de Fort de France | publisher = Météo France | language = fr | access-date = 31 January 2016 | archive-date = 27 June 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190627001116/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/outremer/fort-de-france/97209004/normales | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=MFclimat2>{{cite web | url = http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/outremer/martinique/972/normales | title = Climat Martinique | publisher = Météo France | access-date = 31 January 2016 | archive-date = 27 June 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190627001119/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/outremer/martinique/972/normales | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180330014244/https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_97209004.pdf | archive-date = 30 March 2018 | url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_97209004.pdf | title = Fort–de–France Desaix (972) | work = Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records | publisher = Météo France | language = fr | access-date = 29 March 2018}}</ref> }}

== See also == * Martinique * French West Indies

== References == {{CIA World Factbook}}

{{Reflist}} {{Source-attribution|{{Cite book|last=France.|url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102674932|title=France overseas|date=1961–1962|publisher=Ambassade de France, Service de presse et d'information|location=New York}}}}

== External links == {{commons category|Geography of Martinique}}

Category:Geography of Martinique