Background: Colonized by France in 1635 the island has subsequently remained a French possession except for three brief periods of foreign occupation.

Geographic coordinates: 14 40 N 61 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 1,100 km²
Water: 40 km²
Land: 1,060 km²
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
Extremes 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 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes flooding and volcanic activity (an average of one major natural disaster every five years)

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

Population: 422,277 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 0.89% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: 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%

Languages: French Creole patois

Religions: Roman Catholic 95% Hindu and pagan African 5%

Age structure
0-14 years: 23% (male 49,261; female 47,843)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 140,616; female 141,460)
65 years and over: 10.2% (male 19,274; female 23,823) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 15.37 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Environment
Current issues: NA

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.03 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.62 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 78.56 years
Female: 77.92 years (2002 est.)
Male: 79.19 years

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA%
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93%
Male: 92%
Female: 93% (1982 est.)

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

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
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 June 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, PMS 1, MIM 1, left-wing candidate 1

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]; note - may no longer be in existence; 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]

International organization participation: FZ WCL WFTU

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (overseas department of France)
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 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. The majority of the work force is employed in the service sector and in administration.

Real gdp growth rate: NA%

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1997 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 6%
Industry: 11%
Services: 83% (1997 est.)

Agriculture products: pineapples avocados bananas flowers vegetables sugarcane

Industries: construction rum cement oil refining sugar tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Labor force: 170,000 (1997) (1997)
By occupation agriculture: 10%
By occupation industry: 17%
By occupation services: 73% (1997) (1997)

Unemployment rate: 27.2% (1998) (1998)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Budget
Revenues: $900 million
Expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $140 million (1996) (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.9% (1990) (1990)

Exports: $250 million f.o.b. (1997)
Commodities: refined petroleum products bananas rum pineapples
Partners: France 45% Guadeloupe 28% (1997)

Imports: $2 billion c.i.f. (1997)
Commodities: petroleum products crude oil foodstuffs construction materials vehicles clothing and other consumer goods
Partners: France 62% Venezuela 6% Germany 4% Italy 4% US 3% (1997)

Debt external: $180 million (1994) (1994)

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002) 1.1175 (2001) 1.0854 (2000) 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998) 5.8367 (1997)

Electricity
Production: 1.125 billion kWh (2000)
Production by source fossil fuel: 100%
Production by source hydro: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (2000)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 1.046 billion kWh (2000)
Exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Imports: 0 kWh (2000)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 170,000 (1997)
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)

Internet
Country code: .mq
Service providers isps: 2 (2000)
Users: 5,000 (2000)

Airports: 2 (2001)
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2002)
With unpaved runways total: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Railways: 0 km (2002)

Waterways: none

Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)

Disputes international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe