Fort-de-France

Fort-de-France (/ˌfɔːr də ˈfrɒ̃s/, US also /ˌfɔːrt də ˈfræns/, French: [fɔʁ də fʁɑ̃s] ^ⓘ; Martinican Creole: Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean.

Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-France was known as Iguanacaera, which translates to "Iguana Island" in the indigenous Kariʼnja language. In 1638, Jacques Dyel du Parquet (1606–1658), nephew of Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc and first governor of Martinique, decided to have Fort Saint Louis built to protect the city against enemy attacks. The fort was soon destroyed, and rebuilt in 1669, when Louis XIV appointed the Marquis of Baas as governor general. Under his orders and those of his successors, particularly the Count of Blénac, the fort was built with a Vauban design. In the 1680s, the area was settled and became the French colonial capital in the Caribbean and the New World, eventually developing into the city of Fort-de-France and it was governed by the Code Noir ("Black Code"), which was a French decree that regulated slavery in the French colonies including Martinique. King Louis XIV issued the Code Noir in 1685, which detailed the conditions of slavery and also restricted the freedoms of free black people.

Originally named Fort-Royal, the administrative capital of Martinique was over-shadowed by Saint-Pierre, the oldest city in the island, which was renowned for its commercial and cultural vibrancy as "The Paris of the Caribbean".

The name of Fort-Royal was changed to a short-lived "Fort-La-Republique" during the French Revolution, and finally settled as Fort-de-France sometime in the 19th century. The old name of Fort-Royal is still used today familiarly in its Creole language form of "Foyal", with the inhabitants of the city being "Foyalais".

The city was captured by a British expedition which captured Martinique in 1762, but the island was returned to French control in the Treaty of Paris. In 1839, the city was struck by a minor earthquake and 1890 saw an outbreak of fire which razed part of the city. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was completed in 1901.

By the turn of the 20th century, however, Fort-de-France became economically important after the volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre in 1902.

Until 1918, when its commercial growth began, Fort-de-France had an inadequate water supply, was partly surrounded by swamps, and was notorious for yellow fever. Now the swamps are drained to make room for extensive suburbs.

On 3 August 1945, Fort-de-France's hydrobase became the site of Martinique's first fatal airliner crash. A Sikorsky S-43 (NC15066) on Pan Am Flight 216 arriving from Port of Spain at 10:11 was landed in poor weather conditions due to safety concerns by the crew and subsequently sank within 10 minutes, killing 4 of the 14 occupants.