from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Martinique
Introduction
Background: The French began to settle this island in 1635,
overcoming resistance from the local Carib inhabitants.
In 1660, the suviving natives were rounded up and
permanently expelled. The island has subsequently
remained a French possession except for three brief
periods of foreign occupation.
Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North
Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Geographic 14 40 N, 61 00 W
coordinates:
Map Central America and the Caribbean
references:
Area: total: 1,100 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km
water: 40 sq km
Area - slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC
comparative:
Land 0 km
boundaries:
Coastline: 350 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 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 lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
extremes: highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m
Natural coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land
resources:
Land use: arable land: 9.09%
permanent crops: 10%
other: 80.91% (2005)
Irrigated 70 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average
hazards: of one major natural disaster every five years)
Environment - NA
current
issues:
Geography - the island is dominated by Mount Pelee, which on 8 May
note: 1902 erupted and completely destroyed the city of Saint
Pierre, killing 30,000 inhabitants
People
Population: 436,131 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 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: total: 34.1 years
male: 33.4 years
female: 34.8 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.72% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 13.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 (2006 est.)
Infant total: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 79.18 years
expectancy at male: 79.5 years
birth: female: 78.85 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.79 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - NA
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - NA
deaths:
Nationality: noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais
Ethnic groups: African and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%,
East Indian and Chinese less than 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%,
Hindu 0.5%, other 3.5% (1997)
Languages: French, Creole patois
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.7%
male: 97.4%
female: 98.1% (2003 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la Martinique
local short form: Martinique
Dependency overseas department of France
status:
Government NA
type:
Capital: name: Fort-de-France
geographic coordinates: 14 36 N, 61 05 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
Administrative none (overseas department of France)
divisions:
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)
holiday:
Constitution: 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France
branch: (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 unicameral General Council or Conseil General (45
branch: 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 Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
branch:
Political Martinique Communist Party or PCM [Georges ERICHOT];
parties and Martinique Independence Movement or MIM [Alfred
leaders: 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 Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union
pressure for Martinique Workers or CSTM [Marc PULVAR]; Frantz
groups and Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants;
leaders: Proletarian Action Group or GAP
International UPU, WCL, WFTU
organization
participation:
Diplomatic none (overseas department of France)
representation
in the US:
Diplomatic none (overseas department of France)
representation
from the US:
Flag unofficial flag, derives from the civil ensign flown by
description: French merchant ships and dates to 1766; a 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
Economy - The economy is based on sugarcane, bananas, tourism,
overview: 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 $6.117 billion (2003 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official NA
exchange
rate):
GDP - real NA%
growth rate:
GDP - per $14,400 (2003 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 6%
composition by industry: 11%
sector: services: 83% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 165,900 (1998)
Labor force - agriculture: 10%
by occupation: industry: 17%
services: 73% (1997)
Unemployment 27.2% (1998)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: NA%
income or highest 10%: NA%
consumption by
percentage
share:
Inflation rate NA
(consumer
prices):
Budget: revenues: $317.5 million
expenditures: $317.5 million; including capital
expenditures of $140 million (1996)
Agriculture - pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables,
products: sugarcane
Industries: construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism
Industrial NA%
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 1.205 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 100%
production by hydro: 0%
source: nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - 1.12 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 0 kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 13,800 bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: NA bbl/day
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Exports: $404.2 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples
commodities:
Exports - France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2004)
partners:
Imports: $2.307 billion c.i.f. (2002)
Imports - petroleum products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction
commodities: materials, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods
Imports - France 62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3%
partners: (2004)
Debt - $180 million (1994)
external:
Economic aid - $NA; note - substantial annual aid from France (1998)
recipient:
Currency euro (EUR)
(code):
Currency code: EUR
Exchange euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
rates: 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 172,000 (2001)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 319,900 (2002)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: domestic facilities are adequate
system: domestic: NA
international: country code - 596; microwave radio
relay to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 82,000 (1997)
Television 11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 66,000 (1997)
Internet .mq
country code:
Internet 72 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 2 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 107,000 (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 2 (2006)
Airports - total: 1
with paved over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Airports - total: 1
with unpaved under 914 m: 1 (2006)
runways:
Roadways: total: 2,105 km (including 261 km of expressways)
(2000)
Ports and Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin
terminals:
Military
Military no regular military forces; Gendarmerie
branches:
Manpower males age 18-49: 110,536 (2005 est.)
available for
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 18-49: 90,868 (2005 est.)
for military
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 3,105 (2005 est.)
reaching
military
service age
annually:
Military - defense is the responsibility of France
note:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - none
international:
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for
the US and Europe