# Fort-de-France

> French commune; largest and capital city of Martinique

**Wikidata**: [Q81621](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q81621)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort-de-France)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/fort-de-france

# Fort-de-France

## Summary
Fort-de-France is a French commune and the largest city as well as the capital of Martinique, an overseas department of France in the Caribbean. Located on the island of Martinique within the arrondissement of Fort-de-France, it serves as the administrative center for the region and had a population of 75,506 as of 2023. It has also been historically known as Fort-Royal and Fodfwans.

## Key Facts
- **Official Name**: Fort-de-France
- **Classification**: French commune and city
- **Location**: Martinique (country: France); coordinates: 14.6°N, -61.0667°W
- **Area**: 44.21 square kilometres
- **Elevation**: 0 metres above sea level
- **Population**: 75,506 (2023 census, most recent preferred value); 75,165 (2022); 74,921 (2021); 75,286 (2020); 76,512 (2019)
- **Postal Codes**: 97203, 97234
- **INSEE Municipality Code**: 97209
- **Head of Government**: Didier Laguerre (Mayor, since 2014)
- **Phone Number**: +33-5-96-59-60-00
- **Fax Number**: +33-5-96-60-91-69
- **Email**: contact@fortdefrance.fr
- **Website**: http://www.fortdefrance.fr
- **Twitter Handle**: @fdfville
- **Facebook Page**: villedefortdefrance

## FAQs

### What is the capital city of Martinique?
Fort-de-France is the capital and largest city of Martinique, serving as the primary administrative center for the French overseas department.

### Where is Fort-de-France located?
It is situated on the western coast of the Caribbean island of Martinique, within the arrondissement of Fort-de-France, at coordinates 14.6°N, -61.0667°W.

### What is the population of Fort-de-France?
As of the most recent census data from January 1, 2023, the population is 75,506. Historical population data shows fluctuations, with 125,036 recorded in 2014 and 84,174 in 2013.

### Who is the current mayor of Fort-de-France?
Didier Laguerre has served as the head of government (Mayor) since 2014, succeeding Raymond Saint-Louis-Augustin.

### What are the postal codes for Fort-de-France?
The city uses two postal codes: 97203 and 97234.

### What are the historical names for Fort-de-France?
The city has been known by several names and aliases, including Fort-Royal (historical), Fort de France, Fodfwans, and Morne Calebasse.

## Why It Matters
As the capital and largest urban center of Martinique, Fort-de-France serves as the economic, political, and cultural hub of the island. It functions as the seat of government for the entire region and administers a complex structure of ten distinct cantons (Fort-de-France-1 through Fort-de-France-10). The city acts as the capital for multiple administrative layers, including the arrondissement of Fort-de-France and the broader territory of Martinique itself. Its strategic location on the Caribbean Sea has established it as a critical port and harbor city, evidenced by its status as a commune with significant maritime activity. The city maintains international diplomatic and cultural ties, including a town twinning relationship with Belém, established in 2011.

## Notable For
- Being the largest city and administrative capital of Martinique.
- Serving as the capital for ten distinct cantons (Fort-de-France-1 through Fort-de-France-10).
- Holding a unique status as a French commune in the Caribbean with a rich colonial history, formerly known as Fort-Royal.
- Having a robust digital and administrative presence, including official social media accounts, a dedicated municipal app on Google Play, and numerous identifiers across global library and knowledge systems (e.g., Library of Congress, Bibliothèque nationale de France, ISNI, VIAF).
- Being documented in a wide array of international encyclopedic sources, including Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Universalis, and the Great Russian Encyclopedia.
- Maintaining municipal archives (archives municipales de Fort-de-France) that preserve its local history and heritage (fonds).

## Body

### Geography and Demographics
Fort-de-France covers an area of 44.21 square kilometres and is situated at an elevation of 0 metres above sea level. The city's geographical coordinates are 14.6° latitude and -61.06666666666667° longitude.

The population has seen notable changes over time. The 2023 census recorded a population of 75,506. Other recent figures include 75,165 (2022), 74,921 (2021), and 75,286 (2020). A significant data point from 2014 lists a population of 125,036, which may reflect a different counting criterion such as the urban unit. Historical census data reveals growth from 13,130 in 1853 to a peak of 100,080 in 1990, with subsequent declines or adjustments in counting methods.

As of the 2017 census, the male population was recorded at 35,444, while the female population was 44,597.

### Governance and Administrative Structure
The city is a French commune and is classified as a city (a large human settlement). The current head of government is Mayor Didier Laguerre, who assumed office in 2014, succeeding Raymond Saint-Louis-Augustin. The office held by the head of government is the Mayor of Fort-de-France.

Administratively, the city is the capital of:
- The island and department of **Martinique**.
- The **arrondissement of Fort-de-France**.
- Ten separate cantons: **Fort-de-France-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10**.

It shares its borders with four other communes: Fonds-Saint-Denis, Le Lamentin, Saint-Joseph, and Schœlcher.

### International Relations and Identifiers
Fort-de-France maintains a town-twinning relationship with **Belém**, established in 2011.

The city is indexed in numerous national and international library and authority systems, reflecting its global recognition. Key identifiers include:
- **ISNI**: 0000000122052133
- **VIAF ID**: 265562580
- **Library of Congress Authority ID**: n82000743
- **Bibliothèque nationale de France ID**: 11973967s
- **GND ID**: 4214648-3
- **National Library of Spain ID**: XX6063639
- **GeoNames ID**: 3570675 (human settlement), 6690660 (administrative entity)
- **Great Russian Encyclopedia Portal ID**: for-de-frans-cd22fd

### Cultural and Digital Presence
The city maintains an active online presence. Its official website is accessible at http://www.fortdefrance.fr (in French). It also engages with the public through social media platforms:
- **Twitter**: @fdfville
- **Facebook**: villedefortdefrance (Location IDs: 103709269668242, 100241326684843)
- **Google Play Store**: An app with the store ID "Fort-de-France" is available.

The municipal archives, known as *archives municipales de Fort-de-France*, maintain a collection (fonds) documenting the city's history.

### Historical Documentation and Heritage
Fort-de-France has been documented in various historical and encyclopedic sources, including *The American Cyclopædia* (1879), under the entry for "Fort Royal." It also has associated monuments and heritage sites listed under the identifier Q3252070. Wikimedia Commons hosts both a gallery and a category dedicated to the city, and a banner image is available for use.

The city's main category for organization is "Category:Fort-de-France," with specific categories for people born ("Category:Births in Fort-de-France") and people who died ("Category:Deaths in Fort-de-France") there, as well as a category for associated people ("Category:People from Fort-de-France").

### Additional Technical and Miscellaneous Data
- **WOEID (Where On Earth ID)**: 110467
- **OpenStreetMap Relation ID**: 290031
- **INSEE Municipality Code**: 97209
- **INaturalist Place IDs**: 11367, 38738
- **TripAdvisor ID**: 147328
- **MusicBrainz Area ID**: 1d17f106-1280-4bfa-8809-bb140003f141
- **Wikidata Description**: French commune; largest and capital city of Martinique
- **Wikipedia Title**: Fort-de-France (available in over 90 language editions)
- **Different from**: Fort Frances (a distinct entity)

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. BnF authorities
3. dataset of postal codes in France. 2018
4. INSEE code
5. répertoire géographique des communes
6. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
7. Annuaire de service-public.fr
8. MusicBrainz
9. Recensement de la population 2015. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 2017
10. Populations légales 2017
11. Populations légales 2018
12. [Source](https://insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2874200?sommaire=2874226&geo=UU2010-9B601)
13. [Populations légales communales depuis 1968. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies](https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2522602)
14. Populations légales 2019
15. Populations légales 2020
16. Populations légales 2021
17. Populations de référence 2022
18. Populations de référence 2023
19. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
20. [Code officiel géographique](https://www.insee.fr/fr/information/3363419)
21. National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies
22. Quora
23. [archINFORM](https://www.archinform.net/service/wd_aiort.php)
24. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)