Martinique

by Paul Bacsich

For entities in Martinique see Category:Martinique

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is an overseas department of France, with a land area of 1,128 km2 (436 sq mi).

Its population is just over 400,000.

Its capital is Fort-de-France.

To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados.

As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic of France. Nevertheless it has its own Internet domain (MQ) and has many distinctive features, not only its location far from Metropolitan France.

As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the euro. Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Martiniquais).

Education

As an overseas department of France, the education system is the same as in France. Education is compulsory for 10 years from the ages of 6 to 16. The language of instruction is French although there is some pressure for Creole to be used more.

Primary education begins at age six and lasts five years

Since 1999, programmes have been in place to train school heads, resource personnel, and teachers in the pedagogy of the new technologies: computers and the modern world, multimedia, and networks, including the Internet.

For more see Martinique http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/962/Martinique.html#ixzz0ctTu9liQ

Higher Education

The University of the French West Indies and Guiana (Université des Antilles et de la Guyane), based in the French West Indies, has a campus in Martinique - including a Department of History.

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For OER policies and projects in Martinique see Martinique/OER

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