CATEGORIES
◆ COMMUNICATIONS(7 fields)
Internet country code
.mq
Internet users
40,000 (2002)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
Telephone system
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)
Telephones - main lines in use
172,000 est (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular
319,900 (2002)
Television broadcast stations
11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)
◆ ECONOMY(34 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 (code)
euro (EUR)
Debt - external
$180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient
NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998)
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
1.095 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production
1.178 billion kWh (2002)
Exchange rates
euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000)
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)
$6.117 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 6% industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.)
GDP - per capita
purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2003 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
Oil - imports
NA
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 land: 1,060 sq km water: 40 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: 10.38% permanent crops: 9.43% other: 80.19% (2001)
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
territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 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
4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name
conventional long form: Department of Martinique conventional short form: Martinique local long form: Departement de la Martinique local short form: 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 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
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
UPU, 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 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 Assembly (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 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 [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
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 military forces; Gendarmerie
◆ PEOPLE(19 fields)
Age structure
0-14 years: 22.4% (male 49,112/female 47,697) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 145,531/female 145,250) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 20,423/female 24,887) (2005 est.)
Birth rate
14.14 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate
6.44 deaths/1,000 population (2005 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: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Languages
French, Creole patois
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 79.04 years male: 79.43 years female: 78.64 years (2005 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: 33.61 years male: 32.95 years female: 34.28 years (2005 est.)
Nationality
noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural) adjective: Martiniquais
Net migration rate
-0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Population
432,900 (July 2005 est.)
Population growth rate
0.76% (2005 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: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.79 children born/woman (2005 est.)
◆ TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES(2 fields)
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
◆ TRANSPORTATION(5 fields)
Airports
2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Highways
total: 2,105 km (2000)
Ports and harbors
Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin