Martinique has 250 miles (350 km) of coastline bordering a relatively small territory of 668 square miles (1,075 km²). The Conservatoire de l'Espace Littoral et des Rivages Lacustres (Conservatory of the coastal area and lake shores) has already acquired 2,805 acres (1,135 ha) of it to protect a key interface zone between the terrestrial and marine components of the island. This space - defined as the surface between the highest and lowest tides by geomorphologists, the area between 0 and 656 ft (200 m) of altitude by botanists, or even by the scope of a legal regime by jurists - also hosts most of Martinique's tourist and economic activities. If, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Martinican coastline was still almost a no man's land, it is today at the heart of all desires.