| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la Martinique
local short form: Martinique |
| Capital: |
Fort-de-France |
| Location: |
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
14 40 N, 61 00 W |
| 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 |
| Land
Boundaries: |
0 km |
| Coastline: |
350 km |
| Maritime
Claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
NA |
| Administratives
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 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 |
| 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) |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
| 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] |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
432,900 (July 2005 est.) |
| 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.) |
| Median age: |
total: 33.61 years
male: 32.95 years
female: 34.28 years (2005 est.) |
| 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 |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
172,000 est (2001) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
319,900 (2002) |
| 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) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 0, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
11 (plus nine repeaters) (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.mq |
| Internet hosts: |
|
| Internet users: |
40,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
|
| Highways: |
total: 2,105 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Fort-de-France, La Trinite |
| Merchant marine: |
|
| 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.) |
| Heliports: |
|
