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Martinique (Territorial Collectivity, France)

left, French national flag - Image by Željko Heimer, 22 September 2001;
right, Martinique local flag - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 3 February 2023.

The flag of Martinique consists of a red triangle at the hoist, overlying a green/black bicolor. It was adopted on 2 February 2023. The flag of France is also flown with official standing due to Martinique's status as a French overseas department/region.

Olivier Touzeau, 3 February 2023

Administrative data
Status of Martinique
Flag of Martinique
Flag representing Martinique in international culture and sports events
Martinique "snake flag"
Flag of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique
- Provisional flag
Former entities
- Region Martinique
- Department of Martinique
Unidentified flag

See also:

Administrative data

Code: 972
Area: 1,128 km²
Population (2014): 383,911 inhabitants

Préfecture: Fort-de-France
Sous-préfectures: Le Marin, Saint-Pierre, La Trinité
Subdivisions: 4 arrondissements, 34 municipalities.

Status of Martinique

Martinique is officially known as the Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique (CTM), established on 1 January 2016.
The status of Martinique is prescribed by Law No. 884, adopted on 27 July 2011 and published the next day in the French official gazette, No. 173, p. 12,821 (text).

Article 3.
To Part 7 of the General Code of Territorial Collectivities shall be added Book II, written as follows:
Book I. Territorial Collectivity of Martinique.
Title 1. General prescriptions.

Article L 7211-1. Martinique forms a Territorial Collectivity of the Republic, as prescribed by Article 73 of the Constitution, which exercizes the competences assigned to an Overseas Department and to an Overseas Region, as well as all competences granted by the Law to account for its specific characteristics and constraints.
Article L 7211-2. The Territorial Collectivity of Martinique succeeds the Department of Martinique and Region Martinique in all their rights and duties.

Article L 7221-1 prescribes the organs of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique as the Assembly of Martinique [made of 51 members] and its President, the Executive Council of Martinique and its President, assisted by the Economical, Social, Environmental, Cultural and Educational Council.

Ivan Sache, 5 June 2016

Flag of Martinique

The national flag in Martinique is the French national flag.

Ivan Sache & Pascal Vagnat, 31 January 2010

The flag of Martinique consisting of a red triangle at the hoist, overlying a green/black bicolor was adopted on 2 February 2023. The flag of France is also flown with official standing due to Martinique's status as a French overseas department/region.

Olivier Touzeau, 3 February 2023

Flag of the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique

Flag of the CTM - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2017

The flag of the CTM (photo) is white with the logo was created at the end of 2016.
A consultation for the design of the logo was announced on 1 August 2016 by the CTG. The consultation was open to all people of age living in Martinique. The proposed logo should be compliant with the following specifications:
- to reflect the Martinique identity;
- to allow a quick and easy to memorize identification of the institution, via the concept and the colour(s) - no more than four colours are allowed;
- to convey a dynamic image matching the competencies of the CTM;
- to include the writing "Collectivité Territoriale de Martinique" or "CTM";
- to propose an excellent visual and esthetic quality (style of drawing, colour, font, etc.).
A Technical Selection Committee was appointed to shortlist three proposals, to be submitted to the President of the Executive Council for the final choice of the logo.
The submission deadline was 15 September 2016.

The Committee validated 647 eligible proposals. The third prize (2,000 €) was awarded to Kathleen Lebrave while the second prize (3,000 €) was awarded to Francesca Duranty.
The first prize (8,000 €) was awarded to Stévy Desbonnes, a 22-years old computer graphics artist.
Based on a stylized map of Martinique, the logo includes diverse poetic and informative elements: a hummingbird taking flight, as a strong and poetic symbol of Martinique, two explicit colours: ochre orange, alluding to the local soil, and ocean blue, recalling the see and openness of mind to the world.
[Official press kit, 28 November 2016; CTM website]

Four species of hummingbirds (family Trochilidae), all native to the Lesser Antilles, are recorded in Martinique:
- the purple-throated carib - Eulampis jugularis (Linnaeus, 1766) -, the biggest of the local hummingbirds, mostly living in wet mountain forests (IUCN record);
- the Antillean crested hummingbird - Orthorhyncus cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) -, the smallest of the local hummingbirds, living in all kinds of biotopes (IUCN record);
- the green-throated carib - Eulampus holosericeus (Linnaeus, 1758) -, living in dry areas (IUCN record);
- the blue-headed hummingbird - Cyanophala bicolor (Gmelin, 1788) -, living in mountainous areas (IUCN record);
[Les oiseaux de la Martinique]

Olivier Touzeau & Ivan Sache, 8 October 2017

Provisional flag

Provisional flag of the CTM - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2017

The CTM offices are located in the building of the former Regional Council building. In 2015, a provisional logo was created and used on a white flag, which could be seen in front of the building (photo, photo), together with the flags of France, European Union, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, and the Association of Caribbean States.

Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2017

Former entities

Region Martinique

Flag of Region Martinique - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 14 May 2017

The flag of Region Martinique (photo) was white with the logo of the Region in the middle.
The logo (presentation) features a long-beaked bird - most probably, a hummingbird - taking flight, In the bird's back / right, a circle, a symbol of plenitude, inscribes a stylized map of Martinique with the initials "CRM", for "Conseil Régional de la Martinique".

Olivier Touzeau & Ivan Sache, 14 May 2017

Department of Martinique

Flag of the General Council of Martinique - Image by Pascal Vagnat, 30 December 2001

The flag of the former General Council of Martinique, once flown on the building of the General Council in Fort-de-France, was made of the logo of the General Council placed on a white background, without lettering.

Olivier Touzeau, 20 November 2001

Unidentified flag

Unidentified flag seen in Sainte-Marie - Photo by Olivier Touzeau, 20 November 2001

This photo was taken in Sainte-Marie, on the road to the Banana Museum. I saw those Tricolore flags with Muslim symbols flown near a rather isolated house. I suppose the house belongs to someone who fought during French decolonization in North Africa, but I may be wrong.

Olivier Touzeau, 20 November 2001