Located in Pointe Vatable at Trois Ilets, Vatable forest is part of the coastal forest. It has diverse vegetation: Mahogany, Caribbean pine, teak, mapou, eucalyptus, palm trees and various species.
History
Trois-Îlets is a municipality in the south Caribbean part of Martinique. It lies east of Rivière-Salée, west of Anses d'Arlet and north of Le Diamant.
Its current name derives from the presence of three small islets, Charles, Sixtain and Thébloux, in the bay just a few meters from the town. Their names come from the last owners who operated lime kilns there.
This is the birthplace of Joséphine de Beauharnais, future wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of France.
Trois-Îlets was a territory of the commune known as "Cul-de-Sac-à-Vaches" (referring to sea mammals, sea cows, which are lamentines), which included Trois-Îlets, Rivière-Salée, Trou-au-Chat (Ducos) and a good part of Saint-Esprit. Cul-de-Sac-à-Vaches was created when the parish delimitation project was drawn up in 1684.
In 1687, Trou-au-Chat became a single commune. In 1716, Trois-Îlets and Rivière-Salée became autonomous parishes. Since the church was located at a distance from the inhabitants' places of residence, it had become necessary to create two churches close to the population.
By decree of Governor Bruat on May 2, 1849, the commune of Trois-Îlets became a single municipality. The first village was established in La Poterie in the 18th century by the Jesuits.
The Poterie and Sarcelle districts, in particular, were home to many sugar mills that supplied sugar cane to the Rivière-Salée factory until the Second World War. Several other distilleries in the commune, located in the La Vatable, La Beaufond, La Ferme, La Plaine, l'Espérance and l'Anse à l'Âne districts, supplied rum not only to Martinique, but also to the European market. The small farmers of La Vatable, La Beaufond, La Ferme and La Pagerie supplied the market in the town with food and market garden produce.
Trois-Îlets is also famous for its pottery, whose history is closely linked to that of the town. Founded in 1783, its production of terracotta products (bricks, tiles) supplied the whole island and played a fundamental role in the various housing projects on the island. It was owned by Mr. Le Chevalier and employed over 200 slaves. More than 2 centuries later, it still plays the same essential role in Martinique's construction market. It's a historic site not to be missed.
Its strategic position in the Bay of Fort-de-France led to it playing an active role in wars between European powers wishing to take over the island. A series of batteries and forts were installed to counter English attacks in the 16th and 17th centuries. Three forts were built in the commune of Les Trois-Îlets: Fort d'Alet, Fort de la Pointe du Bout and, later, îlet Ramiers, which had previously been a simple battery.
The island's defense was organized around four main strongholds: Fort Saint-Louis, Fort Desaix and Fort de Tartenson in Fort-de-France, and Fort d'Alet in Trois-Îlets. However, in view of the numerous attacks in the Bay of Fort-de-France, it became necessary to increase the island's defenses, and a project to create a fortification on the îlet Ramiers was drawn up from 1740 onwards. This project was never finalized due to the rapid evolution of artillery. Although several forts were abandoned in the 1870s, the îlet Ramiers fort retained its strategic importance and was operational during the Second World War.
None of the distilleries or sugar mills survived the post-World War II sugar crisis.
Economy
Les Trois-Îlets is the island's tourist town and seaside resort par excellence. With its turquoise-blue beaches attracting large numbers of visitors, many hotels have chosen to bring tourists closer to them. In fact, there are no fewer than 8 hotels in the area. Les Trois-Îlets is unique in that it is served by sea shuttle from Fort-de-France, stopping at three different points in the commune. This means that residents of Trois-Îlets can take the boat to Fort-de-France, just opposite, to go to work or to shop in the capital. On the other hand, cruisers in Fort-de-France can take the boat to the beach.
There are many other sites to visit on the island, including the Savane des esclaves, the pottery, one of the island's oldest businesses, the Musée de la Pagerie, birthplace and home of Joséphine de Beauharnais, and the Musée de la canne.
Les Trois-Îlets also boasts a marina, casino and numerous restaurants close to the Pointe du Bout.
Neighborhoods
The municipality's main districts are Anse Mitan, Beaufond, Bigotte, Charles Pieds, Château Gaillard, Concorde, Desloges, Fonds Mulâtre, Glacy, la Clouette, la Ferme, la Pagerie, la Plaine, la Source, Magasin Zéline, Morne Bigot, Morne Vent, Papias, Phaeton, Pointe Étienne, Pointe Vatable, Poterie, Radar, Râteau, Sarcelle, Thomas, Vatable et Wallon.
