CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(8 fields)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
2 (2000)
Internet country code
.mq
Internet users
5,000 (2000)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
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)
Telephones - main lines in use
170,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular
15,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations
11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)
◆ ECONOMY(36 fields)
Agriculture - products
pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane
Budget
revenues: $900 million expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996)
Currency
euro (EUR)
Currency code
EUR
Debt - external
$180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient
$NA; note - substantial annual aid from France
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.
Electricity - consumption
1.07 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production
1.151 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Exchange rates
euros per US dollar - 1.06 euros per US dollar - 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998)
Exports
$250 million f.o.b. (1997)
Exports - commodities
refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples (2001 est.)
Exports - partners
France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2000)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 6% industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $10,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
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% (2000)
Industrial production growth rate
NA%
Industries
construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.9% (1990)
Labor force
165,900 (1998)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture 10%, industry 17%, services 73% (1997)
Oil - consumption
13,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports
NA (2001)
Oil - imports
NA (2001)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Unemployment rate
27.2% (1998)
◆ GEOGRAPHY(17 fields)
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
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
Coastline
350 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m
Environment - current issues
NA
Geographic coordinates
14 40 N, 61 00 W
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
Irrigated land
30 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 9.43% permanent crops: 11.32% other: 79.25% (1998 est.)
Location
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Map references
Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Natural hazards
hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)
Natural resources
coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land
Terrain
mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
◆ GOVERNMENT(19 fields)
Administrative divisions
none (overseas department of France)
Capital
Fort-de-France
Constitution
28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
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
Diplomatic representation from the US
none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (overseas department of France)
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
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
Government type
NA
Independence
none (overseas department of France)
International organization participation
FZ, WCL, WFTU
Judicial branch
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
Legal system
French legal system
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 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 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 not later than June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PS 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)
National holiday
Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
Political parties and leaders
Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Pierre SUEDILLE]; Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred MARIE-JEANNE]; Martinique Progressive Party or PPM [Camille DARSIERES]; 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
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
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
◆ INTRODUCTION(1 fields)
Background
Colonized by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.
◆ MILITARY(2 fields)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of France
Military branches
no regular indigenous military forces; French Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie
◆ PEOPLE(19 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: 22.8% (male 49,310; female 47,908) 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 142,242; female 142,688) 65 years and over: 10.3% (male 19,656; female 24,162) (2003 est.)
Birth rate
14.96 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate
6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Ethnic groups
African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Chinese less than 5%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
NA%
HIV/AIDS - deaths
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
NA
Infant mortality rate
total: 7.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
French, Creole patois
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 78.72 years male: 79.27 years female: 78.16 years (2003 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.7% male: 97.4% female: 98.1% (2003 est.)
Median age
total: 32.7 years male: 32 years female: 33.3 years (2002)
Nationality
noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural) adjective: Martiniquais
Net migration rate
-0.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Population
425,966 (July 2003 est.)
Population growth rate
0.85% (2003 est.)
Religions
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997)
Sex ratio
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: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(2 fields)
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
◆ TRANSPORTATION(8 fields)
Airports
2 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Highways
total: 2,105 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2000)
Merchant marine
none (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors
Fort-de-France, La Trinite
Railways
0 km
Waterways
none