Martinique
Introduction Martinique
-----------------------
Background: Colonized by France in 1635, the
island has subsequently remained a
French possession except for three
brief periods of foreign occupation.
Geography Martinique
--------------------
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean
Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 61 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 1,100 sq km
water: 40 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than six times the
size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 350 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: 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: mountainous with indented coastline;
dormant volcano
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397
m
Natural resources: coastal scenery and beaches,
cultivable land
Land use: arable land: 9.43%
permanent crops: 11.32%
other: 79.25% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic
activity (an average of one major
natural disaster every five years)
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: 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
-----------------
Population: 422,277 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 23% (male 49,261; female
47,843)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 140,616;
female 141,460)
65 years and over: 10.2% (male
19,274; female 23,823) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.89% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 15.37 births/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2002
est.)
Net migration rate: -0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/
female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/
female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2002
est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.56 years
female: 77.92 years (2002 est.)
male: 79.19 years
Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/ NA
AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: Martiniquais (singular and
plural)
adjective: Martiniquais
Ethnic groups: African and African-white-Indian
mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian,
Chinese less than 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan
African 5%
Languages: French, Creole patois
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 93%
male: 92%
female: 93% (1982 est.)
Government Martinique
---------------------
Country name: conventional long form: Department
of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la
Martinique
Dependency status: overseas department of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Fort-de-France
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French
Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques
CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995); Prefect Michel CADOT (since
21 June 2000)
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
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
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or
Conseil General (45 seats; members
are elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms) and a unicameral
Regional Assembly or Conseil
Regional (41 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last
held NA March 2000 (next to be held
NA 2006); Regional Assembly - last
held on 15 March 1998 (next to be
held by March 2004)
election results: General Council -
percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - left-wing parties
29, right-wing parties 14,
independents 2; note - the PPM won a
plurality; Regional Assembly -
percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - RPR-UDF 14, MIM 13,
PPM 7, left parties 4, PMS 3
note: Martinique elects 2 seats to
the French Senate; elections last
held NA September 2001 (next to be
held September 2004); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PPM 2; 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 June 2007); results -
percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Political parties and leaders: Martinique Independence Movement or
MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE];
Martinique Progressive Party or PPM
[Camille DARSIERES]; note - may no
longer be in existence; 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 Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or
leaders: 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 FZ, WCL, WFTU
participation:
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation from the none (overseas department of France)
US:
Flag description: a light blue background is divided
into four quadrants by a white
cross; in the center of each
rectangle is a white snake; the flag
of France is used for official
occasions
Economy Martinique
------------------
Economy - overview: 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. The
majority of the work force is
employed in the service sector and
in administration.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.39
billion (1997 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,000
(1997 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6%
industry: 11%
services: 83% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by lowest 10%: NA%
percentage share: highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1990)
Labor force: 170,000 (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 10%, industry 17%,
services 73% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 27.2% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion,
including capital expenditures of
$140 million (1996)
Industries: construction, rum, cement, oil
refining, sugar, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.125 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.046 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: pineapples, avocados, bananas,
flowers, vegetables, sugarcane
Exports: $250 million (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports - commodities: refined petroleum products, bananas,
rum, pineapples
Exports - partners: France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (1997)
Imports: $2 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports - commodities: petroleum products, crude oil,
foodstuffs, construction materials,
vehicles, clothing and other
consumer goods
Imports - partners: France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany
4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (1997)
Debt - external: $180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - substantial annual aid
from France
Currency: euro (EUR); French franc (FRF)
Currency code: EUR; FRF
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324
(January 2002), 1.1175 (2001),
1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French
francs per US dollar - 5.8995
(1998), 5.8367 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Martinique
-------------------------
Telephones - main lines in use: 170,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 15,000 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic
facilities are adequate
domestic: NA
international: microwave radio relay
to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint
Lucia; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 82,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 66,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .mq
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 5,000 (2000)
Transportation Martinique
-------------------------
Railways: 0 km (2002)
Highways: total: 2,105 km (2000)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Fort-de-France, La Trinite
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Military Martinique
-------------------
Military branches: no regular indigenous military
forces; French Forces (Army, Navy,
Air Force), Gendarmerie
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of
France
Transnational Issues Martinique
-------------------------------
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and
marijuana bound for the US and
Europe
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