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day you arrive there. French lifestyle, culture, language and
food is present everywhere and it suits in every way to Marti-
nique. The locals are proud of there French side. The capital is
Fort-de-France and with a population of around 100,000, it's
one of the biggest cities in the Caribbean. Fort-de-France has
many lovely sights like the Bibliotheque Schoelcher, which is
named after the freedom fighter, the Préfecture of the island
and the Cathédrale St.-Louis. Don´t miss visiting the lifely
markets where you can get everything from fruits to Evian wa-
ter.
In north lies the volcany Mont Pélée, which entirely destroyed
the small city St. Pierre when erupted in 1902. The city was
called "little Paris" and had some beautiful colonial buildings.
Today you can visit the remains of the city. A dense forest in
the north is really worth going on an excursion. Not far from
Fort-de-France you will find a church which is modeled on Sa-
cre Coeur of Paris. It was buit in 1923 and lies right in the mid-
dle of tropical rainforest. In Jardin de Balata you will find tropi-
cal plants from the whole Caribbean.
The south enjoys some lovely beaches. The Grande Anse des
Salines is considered to be one of the best in the Caribbean!
The major tourist area of the island is Pointe du Bout, which
lies directly opposite the capital. You can reach it easily by
ferry in 10 minutes. Pointe du Bout offers everything that a
tourist could wish for. Hotels of all categories, restaurants
around a marina and a 18-hole-golf-course. The beaches in
Pointe du Bout are small, but every hotel has a pool. Not far
from Pointe du Bout are the small fishing villages of Anse a
l'Ane and Anse d'Arlet where the beaches are bigger.
If you drive further towards south, you will reach the lovely vil-
lage of Le Diamant. This place is famous for its off-shore situ-
ated Rocher de Diamant. A rock which was even under British
possession at colonial times. The beach is miles long and on-
ly busy on weekends or evenings. Further south you can stop
at St. Luce, which is a sleepy village with a nice beach. Nearby
lies the Fôret de Montravail where you can see stone signs
from the Cariben.