Martinique lies in the heart of the Caribbean Archipelago and is one of the many islands which make up the group of Lesser Antilles, or "Breezy Islands."

The waters of the Atlantic Ocean lap its shores on the east and the Caribbean Sea is to the west. The island is located 4,261 miles from Paris (8 hours by plane) and approximately 275 miles from the northern coast of the South American continent. The closest two neighboring islands are Dominica (15.5 miles to the north) and Saint Lucia (23 miles to the south.)

Martinique is 1,965 miles from New York City, 1,470 miles from Miami, 2,270 miles from Montreal, and 425 miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The island has a surface area of 426 square miles and at its greatest length and width measures 50 miles by 22 miles, respectively. The land rises gradually from the coast toward the center and northern parts of the island. In the north we find the two peaks -- Carbet and Mont Pelée, a dormant volcano that is the highest mountain on the island at 4,586 ft. This part of Martinique also is a legendary tropical rainforest. In the center of the island, the Lamentin Plain, made up of small rounded hills and enclosed valleys, slopes down toward the south. Salines Beach at the southernmost tip of Martinique comes straight out of a beautiful postcard.