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Background:
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Colonized
by France in 1635, the island has subsequently remained
a French possession except for three brief periods of
foreign occupation. |
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Location:
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Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North
Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago |
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Geographic coordinates:
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14 40 N,
61 00 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total:
1,100 sq km
land: 1,060 sq km
water: 40 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
more than six times the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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350 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
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mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Montagne Pelee 1,397 m |
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Natural resources:
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coastal
scenery and beaches, cultivable land |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 10.38%
permanent crops: 9.43%
other: 80.19% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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30 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity (an average
of one major natural disaster every five years) |
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Environment - current issues:
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NA |
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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432,900
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
33.61 years
male: 32.95 years
female: 34.28 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.76%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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14.14
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.44
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.04
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
7.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.73 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 79.04 years
male: 79.43 years
female: 78.64 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.79
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Martiniquais (singular and plural)
adjective: Martiniquais |
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Ethnic groups:
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African
and African-white-Indian mixture 90%, white 5%, East
Indian, Chinese less than 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 85%, Protestant 10.5%, Muslim 0.5%, Hindu 0.5%,
other 3.5% (1997) |
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Languages:
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French,
Creole patois |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.7%
male: 97.4%
female: 98.1% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Department of Martinique
conventional short form: Martinique
local long form: Departement de la Martinique
local short form: Martinique |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
department of France |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Fort-de-France |
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Administrative divisions:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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Independence:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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National holiday:
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Bastille
Day, 14 July (1789) |
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Constitution:
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4 October
1958 (French Constitution) |
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Legal system:
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French
legal system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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
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Legislative branch:
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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) |
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Judicial branch:
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Court of
Appeal or Cour d'Appel |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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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 |
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International organization participation:
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UPU, WCL,
WFTU |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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none
(overseas department of France) |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$6.117
billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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NA% |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $14,400 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 6%
industry: 11%
services: 83% (1997 est.) |
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Labor force:
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165,900
(1998) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 10%, industry 17%, services 73% (1997) |
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Unemployment rate:
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27.2%
(1998) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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3.9%
(1990) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $900 million
expenditures: $2.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $140 million (1996) |
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Agriculture - products:
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pineapples, avocados, bananas, flowers, vegetables,
sugarcane |
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Industries:
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construction, rum, cement, oil refining, sugar, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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1.178
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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1.095
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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13,500
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Exports:
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$250
million f.o.b. (1997) |
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Exports - commodities:
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refined
petroleum products, bananas, rum, pineapples (2001 est.)
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Exports - partners:
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France
45%, Guadeloupe 28% (2000) |
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Imports:
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$2
billion c.i.f. (1997) |
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Imports - commodities:
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petroleum
products, crude oil, foodstuffs, construction materials,
vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods |
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Imports - partners:
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France
62%, Venezuela 6%, Germany 4%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2000)
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Debt - external:
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$180
million (1994) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA; note
- substantial annual aid from France (1998) |
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Currency (code):
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euro
(EUR) |
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Currency code:
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EUR |
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Exchange rates:
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euros per
US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002),
1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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172,000
est (2001) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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319,900
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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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)
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 0, FM
14, shortwave 0 (1998) |
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Radios:
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82,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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11 (plus
nine repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
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66,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.mq |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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2 (2000)
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Internet users:
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40,000
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
2,105 km (2000) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Fort-de-France, La Trinite, Marin |
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Airports:
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2 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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no
regular military forces; Gendarmerie |
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Military - note:
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defense
is the responsibility of France |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for
the US and Europe |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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