French West Indies

The French West Indies or French Antilles (French: Antilles françaises, [ɑ̃tij fʁɑ̃sɛːz]; Antillean Creole: Antiy fwansé) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean:

• The two overseas departments of:
  • Guadeloupe, including the islands of Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Les Saintes, Marie-Galante, and La Désirade.
  • Martinique
• The two overseas collectivities of:
  • Saint Martin, the northern half of the island with the same name, the southern half is Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
  • Saint Barthélemy

French West Indies Antilles françaises
Flag of France
Location of the modern territories of the French West Indies
Status	Colony of France (1628–1946) Overseas departments and overseas collectivities(1946-present)
Capital	Basse-Terre (1628–1671) Saint-Pierre (1671–1674) Fort-Royal (1674–1851) 14°40′55″N 61°1′50″W
Common languages	French Creole
Governor-General
• 1628-1636	Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc
• 1849–1851	Armand Joseph Bruat
Currency	Franc
Preceded by Spanish West Indies

History

Les Salines in Martinique, France

Main articles: New France and French West India Company

Pierre Belain d'Esnambuc was a French trader and adventurer in the Caribbean, who established the first permanent French colony, Saint-Pierre, on the island of Martinique in 1635. Belain sailed to the Caribbean in 1625, hoping to establish a French settlement on the island of St. Christopher (St. Kitts). In 1626 he returned to France, where he won the support of Cardinal Richelieu to establish French colonies in the region. Richelieu became a shareholder in the Compagnie de Saint-Christophe, created to accomplish this with d'Esnambuc at its head. The company was not particularly successful and Richelieu had it reorganized as the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique. In 1635 d'Esnambuc sailed to Martinique with one hundred French settlers to clear land for sugarcane plantations.

After six months on Martinique, d'Esnambuc returned to St. Christopher, where he soon died prematurely in 1636. His nephew, Jacques Dyel du Parquet, inherited d'Esnambuc's authority over the French settlements in the Caribbean, in 1637 becoming governor of Martinique.^[1] He remained in Martinique and did not concern himself with the other islands.

The French permanently settled on Martinique and Guadeloupe after being kicked off Saint Kitts and Nevis (Saint-Christophe in French) by the British.^[2] Fort Royal (Fort-de-France) on Martinique was a major port for French warships in the region from which the French were able to explore the region. 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. From Fort Royal, Martinique, Du Parquet proceeded south in search for new territories and established the first settlement in Saint Lucia in 1643, and headed an expedition which established a French settlement in Grenada in 1649. Despite the long history of British rule, Grenada's French heritage is still evidenced by the number of French loanwords in Grenadian Creole, French-style buildings, cuisine and places name (For ex. Petit Martinique, Martinique Channel, etc.)

In 1642, the Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique received a twenty-year extension of its charter. The King would name the Governor General of the company, and the company the Governors of the various islands. By the late 1640s, in France Mazarin had little interest in colonial affairs, and the company languished. In 1651 it dissolved itself, selling its exploitation rights to various parties. The du Paquet family bought Martinique, Grenada, and Saint Lucia for 60,000 livres. The sieur d'Houël bought Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, La Desirade and the Saintes. The Knights of Malta bought Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin, which were made dependencies of Guadeloupe. In 1665, the Knights sold the islands they had acquired to the newly formed (1664) Compagnie des Indes occidentales.

Dominica is a former French and British colony in the Eastern Caribbean, located about halfway between the French islands of Guadeloupe (to the north) and Martinique (to the south). Christopher Columbus named the island after the day of the week on which he spotted it, a Sunday (domingo in Spanish), 3 November 1493.^[3] In the hundred years after Columbus's landing, Dominica remained isolated. At the time it was inhabited by the Island Caribs, or Kalinago people, and over time more settled there after being driven from surrounding islands, as European powers entered the region. In 1690, French woodcutters from Martinique and Guadeloupe begin to set up timber camps to supply the French islands with wood and gradually become permanent settlers. France had a colony for several years, they imported slaves from West Africa, Martinique and Guadeloupe to work on its plantations. In this period, the Antillean Creole language developed. France formally ceded possession of Dominica to Great Britain in 1763.^[3] Great Britain established a small colony on the island in 1805. As a result, Dominicans speak English as an official language while Antillean creole is spoken as a secondary language and is well maintained due to its location between the French-speaking departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique.

In Trinidad, the occupying Spanish had contributed little towards advancements, despite the island's ideal location. Because it was considered underpopulated, Roume de St. Laurent, a Frenchman living in Grenada, was able to obtain a Cédula de Población from the Spanish king Charles III, on 4 November 1783, allowing French planters with their slaves, free coloreds and mulattos from the French Antilles of Martinique, Grenada, Guadeloupe and Dominica to migrate to Trinidad.^[4] The Spanish gave many incentives to lure settlers to the island, including exemption from taxes for ten years and land grants in accordance to the terms set out in the Cedula. This exodus was also encouraged by the French Revolution. These new immigrants established the local communities of Blanchisseuse, Champs Fleurs, Paramin, Cascade, Carenage and Laventille, adding to the ancestry of Trinidadians and creating the creole identity; Spanish, French, and Patois were the languages spoken. Trinidad's population jumped from just under 1,400 in 1777, to over 15,000 by the end of 1789. In 1797, Trinidad became a British crown colony, with a French-speaking population.

Islands of the French West Indies

Name	Largest settlement	Population (Jan. 2017)[5]	Land area (km2)[6][7][8]	Population density  (inh. per km2)	Status
Martinique	Fort-de-France	372,594	1,128	330	Overseas department / region
Guadeloupe proper (Basse-Terre & Grande-Terre)	Pointe-à-Pitre	375,467	1,436	261	Overseas department / region
Saint Martin	Marigot	35,334	53	667	Overseas collectivity, detached from Guadeloupe on 22 February 2007.
Marie-Galante	Grand-Bourg	10,760	158	68	Dependency of Guadeloupe.
Saint Barthélemy	Gustavia	9,961	25	398	Overseas collectivity, detached from Guadeloupe on 22 February 2007.
Les Saintes	Terre-de-Haut	2,578	13	198	Dependency of Guadeloupe.
La Désirade	Beauséjour	1,448	21	69	Dependency of Guadeloupe.
French West Indies		842,247	2,834	398

The two official French overseas departments are Guadeloupe and Martinique. Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, formerly attached to the department of Guadeloupe, have held separate status as overseas collectivities since 2007. These Caribbean Départments et Collectivités d’Outre Mer are also known as the French West Indies.

French Caribbean

The French Caribbean (or Francophone Caribbean) includes all the French-speaking countries in the region.^[9][10][11] It can also refer to any area that exhibits a combination of French and Caribbean cultural influences in music, cuisine, style, architecture, and so on.^[12] The Francophone Caribbean is a part of the wider French America, which includes all the French-speaking countries in the Americas.

The term varies in meaning by its usage and frame of reference. It is not used much in France, unless the speaker wants to refer to every French dependency in the Caribbean region. The term's more ambiguous than the term "French West Indies", which refers specifically to the islands that are French overseas departments, which means they have overall the same laws and regulations as departments on the mainland of France. Collectivities can be included too.

The following Caribbean regions are predominantly French-speaking and/or French Creole-speaking:

•  French Republic
  •  French Guiana
  •  Guadeloupe
  •  Martinique
  •  Saint Barthélemy
  •  Saint Martin
• Sovereign state(s)
  •  Dominica*
  •  Haiti
  •  Saint Lucia*

* Both countries gained independence from the United Kingdom. English is their official language, but French-based Creole languages are widely spoken by the island population due to a period of French colonization.^[13][14]

Former French West Indian islands

territories that were formerly part of the French West Indies

In addition, some of the islands of the present and former British West Indies were once ruled by France. Among some of them, a French-based creole language is spoken, whereas in others the language is nearing extinction; specific words and expressions may vary among the islands.

Area	Former territories
Hispaniola	Haiti (Saint-Domingue)
Lesser Antilles	Dominica Grenada Saint Croix (1651–1733) Saint Kitts (Saint-Christophe)	Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Turks and Caicos Islands

See also

• American West Indies
• British West Indies
• Danish West Indies
• Dutch West Indies
• List of governors general of the French Antilles
• Spanish West Indies
• Swedish West Indies

References

1. Trager, James (2005). The People's Chronology 1635 (3rd. ed.). Gale ebooks.
2. Hubbard, Vincent K. (2002). A history of St Kitts: the sweet trade. Oxford: Macmillan Caribbean. pp. 32–38. ISBN 978-0-333-74760-5.
3. "Dominica", The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 2024-01-23, retrieved 2024-01-27
4. Ryan, Selwyn; Williams, Eric (1965). "History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago". International Journal. 20 (2): 40–41. doi:10.2307/40199549. ISSN 0020-7020. JSTOR 40199549.
5. "Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017" (PDF) (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
6. "Base chiffres clés : évolution et structure de la population 2010" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
7. "Actualités : 2008, An 1 de la collectivité de Saint-Martin" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
8. "Actualités : 2008, An 1 de la collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy" (in French). INSEE. Retrieved 2014-01-31.
9. Houston, Lynn Marie (2005). Food Culture in the Caribbean. Bloomsbury Academic. p. xxi. ISBN 0313327645. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
10. Johnston, Christina (2005). France and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 17. ISBN 1851094113. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
11. Cobley, Alan Gregor (1994). Crossroads of Empire: The European-Caribbean Connection, 1492-1992. Department of History, University of the West Indies. p. 1. ISBN 9766210314. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
12. Manuel, Peter (1988). Popular Musics of the Non-Western World: An Introductory Survey. Oxford University Press. pp. 72. ISBN 0195053427. Retrieved 10 April 2015. carabinier martinique.
13. Gramley, Stephan; Pätzold, Kurt-Michael (2004). A Survey of Modern English. Routledge. p. 265. ISBN 020344017X. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
14. Mitchell, Edward (2010). St. Lucian Kwéyòl on St. Croix: A Study of Language Choice and Attitudes. Cambridge Scholars. p. 210. ISBN 9781443821476. Retrieved 5 September 2015.