Jardin de Balata

The Jardin de Balata (3 hectares) is a private botanical garden located on the Route de Balata about 10 km outside of Fort-de-France, Martinique, France. It is open daily; an admission fee is charged. The garden was begun in 1982 by horticulturist Jean-Philippe Thoze and opened to the public in 1986. It is set on former farmland with picturesque views of the Pitons du Carbet.

Martinique

Martinique is an island in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. 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-seven regions of France and an integral part of the French Republic.

Geography of Martinique

Battle of Martinique (1794)

The Battle of Martinique was a successful British invasion in 1794 of the island of Martinique in the West Indies, during the French Revolutionary Wars. During the invasion the British were in negotiation with a French planter, Louis-François Dubuc, who wished to gain British protection, as the French Constitutional Assembly was passing a law abolishing slavery. However the Whitehall Accord was not signed until after the British had landed.

Carbet Mountains

The Carbet Mountains (French: Pitons Du Carbet, or Carbet Nails) are a massif of volcanic origin on the Caribbean island of Martinique. The Carbet Mountains occupy an 80 km long path through the centre of the island, and include some of its highest peaks, though Martinique's highest point Mount Pelée is not part of the range. The mountains are a popular tourist site and hiking and climbing destination.