Editing Transport in Martinique

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[[Martinique]] is a small [[Caribbean]] island that is an [[Overseas department and region|overseas department/region]] and [[single territorial collectivity]] of France. An integral part of the [[France|French Republic]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Martinique {{!}} Island |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Martinique |access-date=24 June 2020 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=5 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905083544/https://www.britannica.com/place/Martinique |url-status=live }}</ref> Martinique is located in the [[Lesser Antilles]] of the West Indies in the eastern [[Caribbean Sea]].  It has a land area of {{cvt|1128|km2|0}} and a population of 376,480 inhabitants as of January 2016. One of the [[Windward Islands]], it is directly north of [[Saint Lucia]], northwest of [[Barbados]] and south of [[Dominica]]. Martinique is also an Outermost Region (OMR) of the [[European Union]] and a [[Special member state territories and the European Union|special territory of the European Union]]; the currency in use is the [[euro]]. Virtually the entire population speaks both French (the sole official language) and [[Antillean Creole French|Martinican Creole]].<ref>{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgtSqB9oqDIC&pg=PA389 |title=Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education |author1=Baker, Colin |author2=Jones, Sylvia Prys |page=390 |year=1998 |isbn=978-1853593628 |access-date=17 March 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820030314/https://books.google.com/books?id=YgtSqB9oqDIC&pg=PA389 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Given its geography, the balance of its [[transport network]] is unusual: there are three airports, only 2.5&nbsp;km of [[heritage railway]], and 2,105&nbsp;km of paved highways (in 2000).  Sea transport is also important, and there are two harbours at [[Fort-de-France]] and [[La Trinité, Martinique|La Trinité]].

== Road transport ==
As of 2000, [[Martinique]] had 2,105&nbsp;km of paved highways.

There is a part of the N5 road that has been upgraded to a '''motorway''', running from the capital [[Fort-de-France]] through [[Lamentin]], [[Ducos, Martinique|Ducos]] and [[Rivière Salée]] until [[Les Coteaux, Martinique|Les Coteaux]].

== Rail transport ==
[[File:Train-des-plantations.jpg|thumb|[[Le Train des Plantations]]]]
Martininique has now<sup>(2018)</sup> only one railway line in operation: The little-known 2.5&nbsp;km long [[Le Train des Plantations]] is a heritage railway that runs from the Rhum Museum in [[Sainte-Marie, Martinique|Sainte-Marie]] through some sugarcane and banana plantations over two Bailey bridges to the Banana Museum.

In former times several narrow gauge sugarcane railways existed.<ref>[http://www.manioc.org/gsdl/collect/patrimon/archives/PAP11217.dir/PAP11217.pdf ''Chemins de fer a la Martinique.''] Imprimerie du Gouvernment, Fort-de-France, 1880.</ref> [[Saint-Pierre, Martinique|Saint-Pierre]] had horse-drawn trams, which had an unusually narrow gauge. At least two steam locomotives are preserved in an optically refurbished condition, but not operational.

{{multiple image
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| image1            = 030T_Martinique_Les_Trois-Ilets.jpg
| caption1          = Loco at ''Maison de la Canne en Martinique''
| image2            = Pont du Chemin de Fer de l'Usine Gradis sur la Riviere de Basse-Pointe (Martinique).png 
| caption2          = Rail bridge of ''l'Usine Gradis'' on the ''Riviere de Basse-Pointe''
| image3            = Martinique - St.-Pierre - L'Ex-Voto du Fonds-Cohe et le Tramway (Un de ses derniers voyages) B 84 Collect' A. Benoit (Martinique).jpg
| caption3          = Narrow gauge tram at [[Saint-Pierre, Martinique|Saint-Pierre]] 
| image4            = Saint-Pierre (Martinique) - La Chambre de Commerce.jpg
| caption4          = Narrow gauge tram at St Pierre
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== Air transport ==
It has three airports,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/onc/txu-pclmaps-oclc-8322829_k_27.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-11-01 |archive-date=2016-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304212801/http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/onc/txu-pclmaps-oclc-8322829_k_27.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> the main one being [[Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport]]. See [[List of airports in Martinique|List of Airports in Martinique]].

{{Americas topic|Transport in}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Transport in Martinique]]
[[Category:Rail transport in Martinique]]


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