Description: When Columbus landed in 1502, the island to which he gave the name Martinique was peopled by the Carib Indians who called it Matinino or Madinina. They had driven away the Arawaks who, like themselves, had come to the island from South America. The island was claimed by France in 1635 and officially annexed by the King of France in 1674. France and Britain fought over the island until 1815, when it was restored to France. An important date in Martinique's history occurred 150 years ago on May 22, 1848, when slavery was abolished. In 1946, Martinique became a Department of France and in 1974 a Region of France.
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