Saint-Pierre

Saint-Pierre, town in the French Antilles, on Martinique Island in the Caribbean Sea. Now a tourist resort located in a region producing sugar cane, the town was founded in 1635 near the base of the volcano Mount Pelée. It was the largest and most important city on Martinique until Mount Pelée erupted in May 1902, killing all but one of the estimated 30,000 residents of the town. Saint-Pierre never recovered, and the ruins have become a popular tourist attraction. A museum of volcanology has been established in the town. Population (1990) 5007.