French West Indies

French West Indies, also French Antilles, islands of the West Indies, in the Caribbean Sea, belonging to France. These islands, all of which are in the Lesser Antilles, are Martinique and Guadeloupe and the five small island dependencies of Guadeloupe: Marie-Galante, Îles des Saintes, La Désirade, Saint-Barthélemy, and part of Saint Martin. During the 17th century the French, in competition with the Spanish, English, Dutch, and Danes, colonized several of the West Indian islands, including Saint Kitts, Saint Eustatius, Grenada, Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Martin, and Hispaniola. Only Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the nearby small islands, settled in 1635, survived as the French West Indies. In 1775 they were established as separate colonies. In 1946 Guadeloupe and dependencies and Martinique were established as separate overseas departments of the Fourth French Republic. The two departments retained this status following the establishment of the Fifth French Republic late in 1958.