Saint-Pierre town, Martinique

Saint-Pierre săN pyĕr [key], town (1990 est. pop. 5,550), Martinique, West Indies. Founded by Esnambuc in 1635 and once the chief commercial city of the island, it was engulfed by a mass of flame, lava, and ash in the eruption (1902) of Pelée. Of the city's inhabitants (about 28,000), only one person survived, and many thousands more were killed in the surrounding region. The town's present activity revolves around tourists visiting the ruins.

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