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  Martinique
(overseas department of France)
 
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 Introduction
 Geography
 People
 Government
 Economy
 Communications
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 Military
 Transnational Issues

This page was last updated on 16 May, 2006


Map of Martinique



Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Martinique Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.
   Geography    Martinique Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
14 40 N, 61 00 W
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1,100 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km
water: 40 sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
0 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
350 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average; average temperature 17.3 degrees C; humid
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 9.09%
permanent crops: 10%
other: 80.91% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
70 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
the island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants
   People    Martinique Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
436,131 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 22.1% (male 48,988/female 47,525)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 147,082/female 146,470)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 20,791/female 25,275) (2006 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 34.1 years
male: 33.4 years
female: 34.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
0.72% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 79.18 years
male: 79.5 years
female: 78.85 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian and Chinese less than 5%
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
French, Creole patois
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.7%
male: 97.4%
female: 98.1% (2003 est.)
   Government    Martinique Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la Martinique
local short form: Martinique
Dependency status:
Definition Field Listing
overseas department of France
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
Fort-de-France
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas department of France)
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas department of France)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
French legal system
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Yves DASSONVILLE (since 14 January 2004); note - took office 8 February 2004
head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE (since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Alfred MARIE-JEANNE (since NA March 1998)
cabinet: NA
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils for six-year terms
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held March 2000 (next to be held in 2006); Regional Council - last held on 28 March 2004 (next to be held by March 2010)
election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - left-wing candidates 13, PPM 11, RPR 6, right-wing candidates 5, PCM 3, UDF 3, PMS 2, independents 2; note - the PPM won a plurality; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - MIM 53.8%, PPM 30.6%; seats by party - MIM 28, PPM 9, other 4
note: Martinique elects 2 seats to the French Senate; elections last held September 2004 (next to be held September 2008); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 1, left-wing candidate 1; Martinique also elects 4 seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 9 June 2002, second round - 16 June 2002 (next to be held not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PMS 1, MIM 1, left-wing candidate 1 (candidacy of the left-wing candidate was found invalid by the Constitutional Council; new elections will be called)
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT]; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM [Pierre SUEDILE]; Martinique Socialist Party or PMS [Ernest WAN-AJOUHU]; Movement of Democrats and Ecologists for a Sovereign Martinique or Modemas [Garcin MALSA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Michel CHARLONE]; Socialist Revolution Group or GRS [Philippe PIERRE-CHARLES]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Jean MAREN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
UPU, WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
none (overseas department of France)
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
unofficial flag, derives from the civil ensign flown by French merchant ships and dates to 1766; a light blue field quartered by a white cross; in the center of each rectangle is a white, coiled snake representing the venomous Fer-de-lance; the flag of France is used for official occasions
   Economy    Martinique Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism, and light industry. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of GDP and the small industrial sector for 11%. Sugar production has declined, with most of the sugarcane now used for the production of rum. Banana exports are increasing, going mostly to France. The bulk of meat, vegetable, and grain requirements must be imported, contributing to a chronic trade deficit that requires large annual transfers of aid from France. Tourism, which employs more than 11,000 people, has become more important than agricultural exports as a source of foreign exchange.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.117 billion (2003 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
NA
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$14,400 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 6%
industry: 11%
services: 83% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
165,900 (1998)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 10%
industry: 17%
services: 73% (1997)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
27.2% (1998)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.9% (1990)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion; including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA%
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.205 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.12 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,800 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$250 million f.o.b. (1997)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2004)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$2 billion c.i.f. (1997)
Imports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2004)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
euro (EUR)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Martinique Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
172,000 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
319,900 (2002)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
domestic: NA
international: country code - 596; microwave radio relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.mq
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
70 (2005)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
107,000 (2005)
   Transportation    Martinique Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2 (2005)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2005)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2005)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 2,105 km (including 261 km of expressways) (2000)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin
   Military    Martinique Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 110,536 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 90,868 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 3,105 (2005 est.)
Military - note:
Definition Field Listing
defense is the responsibility of France
   Transnational Issues    Martinique Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
none
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 16 May, 2006


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