The French West Indies consists of the islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin (the French side) and St. Barthelemy. These islands are well developed. French is the official language on these islands; English is widely spoken in St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, but much less so in Martinique and Guadeloupe. U.S. currency is widely accepted in St. Martin and St. Barthélemy.
If visiting Guadeloupe and Martinique, you will need to use a credit card or change your U.S. currency to Euros.
U.S.-FRANCE RELATIONS - The United States and France established diplomatic relations in 1778 following the United States' declaration of independence from Great Britain, and France provided key assistance to the United States as an ally during its war of independence. The Vichy Government of France severed diplomatic relations with the United States in 1942 during World War II; relations were normalized in 1944. The United States and France are among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5). Relations between the United States and France are active and friendly.
The two countries share common values and have parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues. Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes relations between the two countries. The U.S. and France work closely on many issues, most notably in combating terrorism, efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and on regional problems, including in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Central Asia. As one of the P5+1 powers and as a leader of the European Union, France is working to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, France fully supports U.S. engagement in the peace process. France is one of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) top five troop contributors. The French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors to the NATO Response Force.
