Country List | World Factbook Home
The World Factbook
| 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 between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, 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: | 425,966 (July 2003 est.)
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.)
Median age: | total: 32.7 years male: 32 years female: 33.3 years (2002)
Population growth rate: | 0.85% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: | 14.96 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: | 6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: | -0.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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.)
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
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.72 years male: 79.27 years female: 78.16 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.79 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA
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 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 | 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 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)
Judicial branch: | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel
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
International organization participation: | FZ, WCL, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: | none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: | none (overseas department of France)
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.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $4.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | NA%
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $10,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 6% industry: 11% services: 83% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 3.9% (1990)
Labor force: | 165,900 (1998)
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: | 1.151 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 1.07 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 13,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Agriculture - products: | pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane
Exports: | $250 million f.o.b. (1997)
Exports - commodities: | refined petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples (2001 est.)
Exports - partners: | France 45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2000)
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)
Debt - external: | $180 million (1994)
Economic aid - recipient: | $NA; note - substantial annual aid from France
Currency: | euro (EUR)
Currency code: | EUR
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)
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
Highways: | total: 2,105 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2000)
Waterways: | none
Ports and harbors: | Fort-de-France, La Trinite
Merchant marine: | none (2002 est.)
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)

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

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003