Martinique

Overseas department of France

 
Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Area

Total area: 1,100 sq km
Land area: 1,060 sq km
Comparative area: slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC

Land Boundaries

0 km

Coastline

290 km

Maritime Claims

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

International Disputes

None

Climate

Tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain

Mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
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: 10%
Permanent crops: 8%
Meadows and pastures: 30%
Forest and woodland: 26%
Other: 26%

Irrigated Land

60 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Current issues: NA
Natural hazards: hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)
International agreements: NA

PEOPLE

Population

399,151 (July 1996 est.)
394,787 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

23% (male 46,851; female 45,300) (July 1996 est.)
23% (male 46,512; female 44,960) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

67% (male 132,161; female 135,707) (July 1996 est.)
67% (male 130,642; female 134,439) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

10% (male 16,542; female 22,590) (July 1996 est.)
10% (female 22,058; male 16,176) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.1% (1996 est.)
1.1% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

16.92 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
16.92 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.85 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
5.82 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

7.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total population: 78.81 years (1996 est.), 78.67 years (1995 est.)
Male: 76.07 years (1996 est.), 75.94 years (1995 est.)
Female: 81.68 years (1996 est.), 81.53 years (1995 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.81 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.81 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Noun: Martiniquais (singular and plural)
Adjective: Martiniquais

Ethnic Divisions

African and African-White-Indian mixture 90%
White 5%
East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%

Religions

Roman Catholic 95%
Hindu and pagan African 5%

Languages

French, Creole patois

Literacy

Age 15 and over can read and write (1982)

Total population: 93%
Male: 92%
Female: 93%

Labor Force

121,600

By occupation:

Services 73%
Agriculture 10%
Industry 17% (1992)

GOVERNMENT

Names

Conventional long form: Department of Martinique
Conventional short form: Martinique
Local long form: Departement de la Martinique
Local short form: Martinique

Digraph

Type

Overseas department of France

Capital

Fort-de-France

Administrative Divisions

None (overseas department of France)

Independence

None (overseas department of France)

National Holiday

National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 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 (of France) Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995); Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA) was appointed by the French Ministry of the Interior
Head of government: President of the General Council Claude LISE (since 22 March 1992); President of the Regional Council Emile CAPGRAS (since 22 March 1992);

Legislative Branch

Unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Assembly

General Council

Elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (44 total) number of seats by party NA; note - the PPM won a plurality

Regional Assembly

Elections last held on 22 March 1992 (next to be held by March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (41 total) RPR-UDF 16, MIM 9, PPM 9, PCM 5, independents 2

French Senate

Elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) UDF 1, PPM 1

French National Assembly

Elections last held 21 March 1993 (next to be held NA June 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (4 total) RPR 2, UDF 1, PPM 1

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Political Parties and Leaders

Rally for the Republic (RPR), Alex URSULET; Union for a Martinique of Progress (UMP); Martinique Progressive Party (PPM), Aime CESAIRE; Socialist Federation of Martinique (FSM), Jean CRUSOL; Martinique Communist Party (PCM), George ERICHOT; Martinique Patriots (PM); Union for French Democracy (UDF), Miguel LAVENTURE; Martinique Independence Movement (MIM), Alfred MARIE-JEANNE; Republican Party (PR), Jean BAILLY

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Proletarian Action Group (GAP); Alhed Marie-Jeanne Socialist Revolution Group (GRS); Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance (ARC); Central Union for Martinique Workers (CSTM), Marc PULVAR; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Parti Martiniquais Socialiste (PMS); Association for the Protection of Martinique's Heritage (ecologist)

Member of

FZ, WCL, WFTU

Flag

The flag of Martinique: 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

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 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. Banana workers launched protests late in 1992 because of falling banana prices and fears of greater competition in the European market from other producers.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.95 billion (1995 est.), $3.9 billion (1993 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

National Product Per Capita

$10,000 (1995 est.)
$10,000 (1993 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

3.9% (1990)

Unemployment Rate

32.1% (1990)

Budget

Revenues: $657 million (1992), $610 million (1991)
Expenditures: $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.), $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1991)

Exports

$218 million (f.o.b., 1993)
$247 million (f.o.b., 1992)

Commodities:

Refined petroleum products
Bananas
Rum
Pineapples

Partners:

France 57%
Guadeloupe 31%
French Guiana (1991)

Imports

$1.76 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
$1.75 billion (c.i.f., 1992)

Commodities:

Petroleum products
Crude oil
Foodstuffs
Construction materials
Vehicles
Clothing and other consumer goods

Partners:

France 62%
U.K.
Italy
Germany
Japan
U.S. (1991)

External Debt

$180 million (1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA

Electricity

Capacity: 113,100 kW
Production: 700 million kWh
Consumption per capita: 1,677 kWh (1993)

Industries

Construction
Rum
Cement
Oil refining
Sugar
Tourism

Agriculture

Including fishing and forestry, accounts 6% of GDP; principal crops - pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables, sugarcane for rum; dependent on imported food, particularly meat and vegetables

Illicit Drugs

Transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the U.S. and Europe

Economic Aid

Recipient: French aid $600 million (1989-93); EU aid $137 million, Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.1 billion

Currency

1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange Rates

French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.0056 (January 1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

0 km

Highways

Total: 1,690 km
Paved: 1,300 km
Unpaved: gravel, earth 390 km

Ports

Fort-de-France, La Trinite

Merchant Marine

None

Airports

Total: 2
With paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

159,000 telephones (1990 est.); domestic facilities are adequate

Local: NA
Intercity: NA
International: interisland microwave radio relay links to Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Saint Lucia; 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations

Radio

Broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0
Radios: 74,000 (1992 est.)

Television

Broadcast stations: 10
Televisions: 65,000 (1993 est.)

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie

Note: Defense is the responsibility of France

History
World Atlas

last modified: 1 december 1997

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