Martinique is an overseas département of France located in the central part of the Lesser Antilles, the curving chain of islands at the eastern end of the Caribbean Sea. It occupies a large island, roughly elliptical in shape, about 70 km (43 mi) long from northwest to southeast and about 30 km (19 mi) wide. The island is mountainous in the north, where it is crowned by Mount Pelée, an active volcano with an elevation of 1397 m (4583 ft). Martinique has a population of about 400,000 and is a very popular tourist destination. France colonized Martinique as early as 1635 and has held the territory since except for an interruption by the British during the Napoleonic Wars. As an overseas department Martinique is legally part of France; it is included in the European Union and uses the euro as its currency. The French word for a lighthouse is phare, although a smaller light or harbor light is called a feu (literally "fire," but here meaning "light") or a balise (beacon). In French île is an island, cap is a cape, pointe is a promontory or point of land, roche is a rock, récife is a reef, baie is a bay, estuaire is an estuary or inlet, détroit is a strait, rivière is a river, and havre is a harbor. Aids to navigation in Martinique are operated by the maritime directorate (Direction de la Mer). Most of the lighthouses of the Lesser Antilles are poorly known, so information about them would be welcome, and photos are especially welcome. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.
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![]() Pointe des Nègres Light, Fort-de-France, March 2017 photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Dominica | South: St. Lucia
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Posted December 8, 2005. Checked and revised March 2, 2025. Lighthouses: 8. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.