Forgotten World (199): Martinique
Martinique is a mountainous and densely-populated overseas department of France in the Caribbean with a population of 400,000. The French and Creole heritage is mirrored in its customs, food and languages. Tourism flourishes on the tropical island, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is a stopping-off point for cruise ships.
Despite a reliance on aid from France, high unemployment and a large trade deficit, Martinique has one of the higher standards of living in the region. Nationalist sentiment has sometimes flared, but the prospect of losing economic aid from Paris has tempered public support for independence.